Match Analysis: Norwich City 0-1 Aston Villa

Aston Villa ended a run of four straight defeats in the Premier League on Saturday when they beat Norwich City 1-0 at Carrow Road.

Robert Snograss saw his early penalty saved by Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan after Ciaran Clark was harshly adjudged to have handled inside the area.

Norwich were made to pay for that missed chance midway through the first half when Libor Kozak came off the bench to score the winner.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the action between the two teams.

Match statistics:

Norwich: Shots 12 On target 1 Possession 64% Corners 7 Fouls 15

Aston Villa: Shots 16 On target 4 Possession 36% Corners 4 Fouls 10

Was the result fair?

It would be harsh to say that Norwich did not deserve something out of the game as they did as much as Aston Villa to get a result. However, the visitors ultimately came away from Carrow Road with the spoils because they were just that bit more clinical in front of goal while showing more doggedness in defence.

Norwich's performance

At times the hosts looked well on top thanks to some crisp, inventive passing in and around the opposition penalty area. The problem was they did not do this consistently enough as there were large chunks of the match where too many players in yellow shirts went missing. It is still early days in the season, but there are sure to be one or two alarm bells ringing if you are a Norwich fan.

Aston Villa's performance

Villa boss Paul Lambert should be pleased with the energy levels that his players showed as they bombed around the pitch with vim and vigour for much of the 90 minutes. They still looked pretty unsure of themselves at the back, but their fearlessness in the final third is something that will continue to excite this season.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Fabian Delph: The Aston Villa midfielder gave a tireless display, working hard at both ends of the field for his side. He was strong in the tackle while executing some fine passes to his teammates when on the counter-attack. A great all-round performance.

Biggest gaffe

It is always hard to justify when someone fails to convert a penalty, so Robert Snodgrass's poor effort from 12 yards sees him singled out for the biggest gaffe.

Referee performance

Chris Foy did not enjoy a good afternoon at Carrow Road as he blew up far too frequently for minor decisions. This often hampered the flow of what was a decent match, but he should be credited for only dishing out one yellow card during the 90 minutes.

What next?

Norwich: The Canaries travel to Watford in round three of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.

Aston Villa: The Villans host Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday.