Norwich City got back to winning ways in emphatic fashion, beating Plymouth Argyle 6-1 at Carrow Road.

Goals from Borja Sainz (3), Shane Duffy, Anis Ben Slimane and Ante Crnac earned the Canaries their first win in eight games, renewing optimism as their injury crisis starts to ease.

The home fans were hoping for a fast start, but few of them were expecting their side to take the lead within two minutes. The stunned silence inside the stadium could have been mistook for shock, but instead it was a slow realisation that the offside flag wasn’t coming.

Sainz had clearly been in an illegal position when Crnac attempted to find him, but Victor Palsson’s late touch meant one of the simplest of his range of goals this season.

Johannes Hoff Thorup has often lamented his side’s failure to go in search of a second when they take the lead, and the message finally appears to have got through based on the ensuing 15 minutes.

Sainz could have had a second when he drove to the edge of the area and shot three minutes later, but his second effort of the match was blocked. The returning Kenny McLean then made his presence felt when he flicked on the resulting corner, Duffy somehow contriving to volley over from four yards. In the sixth minute Sainz could have scored again, lofting high from close range with too much time to think about his chip.

Two Plymouth half-chances briefly interrupted the flow, but within three minutes of their last attempt City had their latest chance. Crnac went from provider to predator this time, but narrowly failed to kill the visitors off when his angled strike hit the post.

There was still time for Crnac to miss a point-blank header and Sainz to go close again before the 15-minute mark, when Wayne Rooney’s charges began to come into it. Fears of regret were increasing among Norwich supporters, but the Spaniard quickly saw to those in the 17th minute.

This one was a more typical finish, his instinctive low curler from the left-hand side coming in handy. Emiliano Marcondes played him through on goal with the perfect weight of pass, and those supporters knew the rest.

From there the game calmed down, and it briefly felt like City were cruising toward a comfortable three points. Championship football is rarely straightforward, though, especially in NR1.

Just as the half seemed to be petering out, an error at the back undid the leaders. Jacob Sorensen’s poor pass allowed Kornel Szucs to steal in and he found Andre Gray, whose lay-off was coolly dispatched by Mustapha Bundu.

The mood going into the break was an anxious one as a result, but it didn’t take long to settle down. Norwich hadn’t scored from a set-piece or a header during the campaign until the 52nd minute, but there’s a first time for everything. Duffy claimed his third goal in yellow and green, heading Marcondes’ corner home from close range.

Gray kept Angus Gunn honest with a strike from long range two thirds into the game, a shot the Scottish international was equal to, before Sainz had a golden chance to claim his hat-trick. Again it came from Crnac’s effective pressing, but the 23-year-old’s goalscoring instincts deserted him as he hacked at the ball.

In typical fashion he made up for it, however, rounding off a fluid passing move with the same old cut in and finish he’s already made a staple of Norfolk life.

By that point it had become a full-blooded thrashing. The fans erupted into 15 minutes of uninterrupted and joyous singing, the players kept things ticking with additional flair, and Thorup enjoyed the thought of another win on the board.

And as if the cake needed a cherry on top, the hosts added it in the form of two more goals. Substitute Slimane was delighted to open his account for the club when he ran onto Stacey’s cross for 5-1, but the crowd were even more so for Crnac, who capitalised on a defensive error to fire in at the near post.

Winning wasn’t supposed to be these easy after nearly two months without doing so, but it certainly felt that way on what turned out to be a celebratory autumn evening.

NORWICH CITY:


Substitutes:

12. Long (GK)

5. Hanley

8. Gibbs (on for Sorensen, 62)

10. Barnes (on for Sainz, 83)

20. Slimane (on for Forson, 62)

21. Gordon

25. Hernandez

29. Schwartau (on for Gibbs, 71)

40. Hills (on for Chrisene, 83)

Head Coach: Johannes Hoff Thorup

Bookings:

Goals: Sainz (2, 17, 72), Duffy (52), Slimane (80), Crnac (82)

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE:


Substitutes:

25. Marosi (GK)

3. Ogbeta

14. Obafemi (on for Bundu, 62)

17. Gibson

27. Forshaw (on for Gyabi, 70)

28. Al Hajj (on for Wright, 70)

34. Roberts (on for Gray, 80)

35. Issaka (on for Sorinola, 62)

39. Finn

Manager: Wayne Rooney

Bookings: Sorinola (38)

Goals: Bundu (35)

KEY MOMENTS

2 - GOAL NORWICH (Sainz): Palsson pokes Crnac' pass in Sainz's direction and he gratefully dispatches to open the scoring.

5 - Sainz drives forward in search of a second, but sees his shot blocked.

6 - McLean flicks Marcondes' corner on and Duffy has a tap-in, but somehow contrives to volley over from four yards.

6 - Crnac wins the ball high up and finds Sainz, whose chip nestles on the top of the net.

7 - Plymouth counter and Dyabi shoots from the edge of the area, but it's straight at Gunn.

8 - Pleguezuelo heads a corner over.

9 - Crnac hits the post from a tight angle on the left side of the box.

11 - Sainz drives into the box again and shoots, but Szucs' block denies him from close range.

15 - Crnac is next to miss a guilt-edged chance when Chrisene finds him with a free header six yards out. Grimshaw denies him with a good save.

17 - GOAL NORWICH (Sainz): Marcondes slips Sainz through in the channel and he finds the corner with an instinctive finish.

22 - Marcondes' dipping free-kick is straight at Grimshaw from 20 yards.

26 - Sainz tees up Crnac and his angled shot whistles over the apex.

31 - Gyabi wins the ball from McLean high up and finds Randell, whose shot from 25 yards is deflected just wide.

35 - Sainz cuts back for Marcondes, who drags wide via a deflection.

39 - GOAL PLYMOUTH (Bundu): Szucs wins the ball in the Norwich half and rolls into Gray, who lays off to Bundu for a simple finish.

Half time: Norwich City 2-1 Plymouth Argyle

52 - GOAL NORWICH (Duffy): Duffy diverts Marcondes corner in from close range.

61 - Gray it's a shot from distance that Gunn tips over well.

63 - Grimshaw passes to Crnac in the box and he finds Sainz, who somehow can't score.

67 - Norwich give the ball away in their own half again, but Gray lets them off the hook as he dallies before his shot.

72 - GOAL NORWICH (Sainz): Norwich move the ball through the thirds impressively and Stacey finds Sainz out wide, allowing him to complete his hat-trick with a trademark finish.

80 - GOAL NORWICH (Slimane): Stacey drives a ball across the box and Slimane times his run perfectly, sliding into the bottom corner.

82 - GOAL NORWICH (Crnac): Crnac capitalises on a defensive error to run through on goal and blast into the net at the near post.

Full time: Norwich City 6-1 Plymouth Argyle

PLAYER RATINGS

Gunn 7, Stacey 8, Duffy 7, Doyle 7, Chrisene 7, Sorensen 6, McLean 7, Marcondes 8, Forson 6, Sainz 9, Crnac 8. Subs: Slimane 8, Gibbs 6, Schwartau 6, Hills 5, Barnes 5.

MATCH STATISTICS

Possession: 71pc-29pc

Shots: 19-11

On target: 10-4

Corners: 8-3

Fouls: 9-5

Added time: 1 min/5 mins

Attendance: 25,893 (461 Plymouth)

Referee: Sunny Gill