Fulham 2-1 Norwich City

Alex Iwobi marked his full debut with an assist and a goal as Fulham saw off Norwich City in the Carabao Cup.

Playing in the number 10 role, Iwobi’s cross was turned in by Carlos Vinicius early on for 1-0, before the Nigerian added his own name to the scoresheet when he lashed in from outside the box in the second half.

Norwich made things nervier than they might have been when Borja Sainz came off the bench to get them back in it, but it was the Whites who had the better chances thereafter, with the boys deservedly putting our name in the hat for Round Four.

Though the headline read seven changes from the side that drew with Crystal Palace, it was still a strong starting XI put out by Marco Silva, with Fodé Ballo-Touré handed a debut at left-back, while Iwobi started for the first time.

Ballo-Touré began positively, getting forward at every opportunity, with one such surge forcing an eighth minute corner, from which Iwobi headed over Willian’s near-post delivery.

Two minutes later we threatened from another corner on the left. This time Willian went short to Tom Cairney – the skipper’s subsequent delivery was pinpoint, but headed over by João Palhinha.

The pressure was building and soon tolled – again coming from a set-piece. This time, Willian’s clipped free-kick picked out the run of Iwobi, who sent the ball back across goal for an easy finish for Vinicius.

Willian threatened to double our lead with his trademark cut in from the left on 18 minutes, but his curler flew marginally off target from distance.

Less than a minute later, Norwich missed a golden chance to equalise with their first chance of the game. Good running down the left from Przemyslaw Placheta ended with him putting the ball on a plate for Tony Springett, who somehow dragged his shot wide from 10 yards.

City were beginning to grow into the game, with another left-sided attack ending with a dangerous ball into the box, this time finding Ui-Jo Hwang who was bravely denied by Marek Rodák.

Harry Wilson did brilliantly to keep the ball in on the touchline in the 35th minute, before picking out Willian at the far post. He sent it back to Cairney first time, but TC couldn’t connect properly with his volley to put the finishing touch to a sublime move.

Another good team attack saw us pull yellow shirts this way and that, until Ballo-Touré put in a neat square cross for Vinicius to launch himself at, but he smashed his effort wide of the near post.

Canaries left-back Sam McCallum had seen a header saved by Rodák in the first half, and he had another chance early in the second, placing his shot from 20 yards just wide.

At the other end, Wilson’s clipped cross almost caught George Long out at his near post, but the visiting goalkeeper took no chances and palmed it over.

Moments later, we missed the opportunity to make it 2-0 when Vinicius could not make the most of Wilson’s tee-up, with Iwobi seeing the follow-up deflect over.

Wilson was denied a world class first goal of the season after an hour when he volleyed Willian’s corner on target, only to see it blocked near the line.

When the second goal did arrive, though, it was well worth the wait. Fulham won the ball in the Norwich box and patiently worked it around until Wilson could lay off to Iwobi, whose fine finish from 20 yards nestled inside the corner.

One would have hoped that was job done, but the Canaries responded quickly, halving the deficit when Sainz held off a challenge in the box before rifling home.

Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Rodrigo Muniz had entered the action, and they combined to almost restore the Whites’ two goal advantage, but Long made a stunning save to keep out Muniz’s downwards header from his teammate’s dinked cross.

Norwich had one final chance to force penalties right at the death but thankfully substitute Gabriel Sara fluffed his lines in the box, confirming Fulham’s place in Round Four of the Carabao Cup in the process, when we will travel to Ipswich Town.