Papa Amadou Diallo sparkled on his Norwich City competitive debut with a match-winning brace of assists in a 2-1 League Cup first round win at Watford on Tuesday night.
The exciting wide player served up first half goals for Josh Sargent – his 50th for the Canaries – and Marcelino Nunez.
Kwadwo Baah replied in the second half for the Hornets but it was Liam Manning’s side who progressed to the next round in his first competitive win since taking charge.
Manning kept four of his starters from Saturday’s 2-1 Championship defeat to Millwall. Sargent led from the front as the captain once again after his goalscoring impact at home to the Lions.
Mathias Kvistgaarden was absent due to illness with Ante Crnac not involved in the matchday squad as City return to league action at Portsmouth this weekend.
Fellow signing Diallo also made his debut following a summer switch from Metz against the club who had also targeted the 21-year-old.
Czechia international Matej Jurasek was included on the bench, after being omitted against Millwall from the matchday squad.
Jakov Medic and Harry Darling had another opportunity to work on their defensive relationship, with Serbian midfielder Mirko Topic retained alongside Nunez.
Vladan Kovacevic had the night off as Daniel Grimshaw stepped up in goal, and Louie Moulden was named as his deputy. Ben Chrisene completed the three-player backline, with Kellen Fisher joining Diallo in the wing back roles.
While Oscar Schwartau and Emi Marcondes got their first competitive minutes of the new campaign as central support to Sargent.
Shane Duffy was among the replacements on a bench that included Jeffrey Schlupp, Jose Cordoba, Jacob Wright and Jovon Makama.
Nunez found a pocket of space in front of his backline but put too much on a raking crossfield pass for the overlapping Fisher.
Diallo showed a willingness to cut inside his marker in the early sparring, with one drifting cross just evading the back post run of Schwartau.
Nunez dallied too long to allow Vivaldo Semedo to pick the Chilean’s pocket and spark a counter that ended with Grimshaw shovelling behind Irankunda’s strike.
Diallo’s lively start to his Norwich career brought the opener in the 10th minute when he pounced on a heavy touch from Ryan Andrews outside the Watford area, before showing the awareness and calmness to pick out the unmarked Sargent to slot from 12 yards.
Diallo then cut infield again moments later but his swinging shot flew well wide as the travelling fans serenaded their new signing.
Hornets’ captain Tom Ince had a chance to test the City backline in the 19th minute with an inswinging free kick but Topic headed clear.
But Diallo was key to Norwich doubling their lead in the 24th minute when he raided again down the left before shovelling infield for Nunez to take aim from 25 yards with a swerving effort home keeper Egil Selvik fumbled over his line.
The Chilean tried again in the 29th minute but this time Selvik went full length to parry. The irresistible Diallo exchanged passes with Marcondes in the 33rd minute to escape the full back but went for the near post drag that ended with his shot brushing the side netting.
Norwich continued to probe at will as the boos rang out from the home fans and this time another foray down the right ended with Sargent tamely sidefooting at Hector Kyprianou.
Diallo then earned rapturous applause from the travelling support, and a pat on the back from Darling, for haring back to earn his side a goal kick with a sliding block on Andrews.
City continued to have time and space to launch fresh waves of attacks in the closing stages of the half. Topic turned to pick out Schwartau who slipped an inside pass for Fisher to earn a corner.
Darling rose highest to meet Nunez’s set piece but his header dropped a yard wide of the far post.
Chrisene then advanced deep into the Watford half before enticing Topic to test Selvik again from range.
Marc Bola lashed a speculative effort well over Grimshaw’s bar to ironic jeers in first half stoppage time.
Wright replaced Topic in the one half-time change for Norwich with Watford chief Paulo Pezzolano underlining what he thought of his side’s efforts with a triple substitution.
The hosts started the second period with an aggressive intent missing prior to the interval. Wright and then Chrisene were dumped to the turf in short order. Darling appeared to demand a stiffer sanction that a lecture from the official for the second challenge, which led to referee Whitestone calling over captain Sargent for a calming word or two.
Imran Louza clipped a long range effort on his left wide of Grimshaw’s goal in the 54th minute. Sargent sidefooted a left footer just a fraction off target from 18 yards, with Diallo prominent yet again in a flowing counter.
Marcondes almost deflected home Kevin Keben’s high-risk square pass, along his own six yard box past Selvik, as more home boos rang around Vicarage Road.
Wright then had a goalbound shot brush Keben and drop over Selvik’s bar, but Norwich were rocked in the 68th minute when Baah squared up the backpedalling Medic before rifling underneath Grimshaw from close range.
Manning sought to check the home flow with Gibbs replacing Schwartau for the final quarter. Grimshaw sensed the danger to advance and drop on Jeremy Ngakia’s swerving cross. Max Alleyne rose unmarked inside the Norwich six yard box but crashed a header over Grimshaw’s bar in the 79th minute.
Jurasek replaced Fisher in the 83rd minute for his first competitive minutes under Manning. Darling header at Selvik from a Nunez free kick won by Makama’s persistence.
Baah went close at the other end with a fizzing low strike that had Grimshaw scrambling.
(Image: Connor Southwell/Newsquest)
Substitutes:
31. Moulden
4. Duffy
8. Gibbs (for Schwartau, 73)
10. Jurasek (for Fisher, 83)
15. McConville
16. Wright (for Topic, 45)
24. Makama (for Sargent, 62)
27. Schlupp (for Diallo, 62)
33. Cordoba
Head Coach: Liam Manning
Booking: Medic
Goals: Sargent (10), Nunez (24)
(Image: Connor Southwell/Newsquest)
Substitutes:
12. Baxter
2. Ngakia (for Grieves, 45)
4. Keben (for Dele-Bashiru, 45)
9. Kjerrumgaard (for Semedo, 80)
10. Louza (for Andrews, 45)
17. Sissoko
20. Doumbia
34. Baah (for Ince, 62)
50. Mullins
Head Coach: Paulo Pezzolano
Booking: Kayembe
Goal: Baah (68)
KEY MOMENTS
7: 0-0 Irankunda forces a stop from Grimshaw at his near post after Nunez is robbed by Semedo just inside the Norwich half.
10: 0-1 GOAL Norwich (Sargent) slots from 12 yards after Diallo dispossesses Andrews on the edge of the Watford area.
13: 0-1 Diallo cuts infield again but miscues his 25 yard shot wide.
18: 0-1 Ince inswinging free kick headed clear by Topic.
24: 0-2 GOAL Norwich (Nunez) Diallo with another powerful surge down the left and the ball shovelled infield for Nunez to try a swinging effort from 25 yards Selvik embarrassingly fumbles over his own line.
29: 0-2 Nunez advances again but this time Selvik goes full length to parry his strike.
33: 0-2 Diallo exchanges passes with Marcondes and goes for the near post finish but strikes the side netting.
43: 0-2 Darling rises highest in the box to direct Nunez’s corner a yard wide of the far post.
54: 0-2 Louza on his left tries from long range but well wide of Grimshaw’s left-hand upright.
55: 0-2 Diallo infield again. Ball ricochets to Sargent who goes for a low first time effort on his left from 18 yards that goes wide.
54: 0-2 Nunez free kick wide on the right bounces around the Watford area before the Hornets clear.
68: 1-2 GOAL Watford (Baah) Backs up Medic into his own box and rifles past Grimshaw.
79: 1-2 Alleyne rises unmarked but heads over Grimshaw’s bar from six yards.
83: 1-2 Darling free header but at Selvik from Nunez free kick.
PLAYER RATINGS
Grimshaw 6, Medic 5, Darling 6, Chrisene 6, Fisher 7, Topic 6, Nunez 7, Diallo 8, Marcondes 6, Schwartau 7, Sargent 7. Subs: Wright 6, Schlupp 6, Makama 6, Gibbs 6, Jurasek 6.
MATCH STATISTICS
Possession: 43pc-57pc
Shots: 4-10
On target: 2-4
Corners: 2-2
Fouls: 6-7
Referee: Dean Whitestone
Added time: 3 mins / 4 mins
Attendance: 9,243 (1,700 Norwich)