Craig Bellamy's rich vein of goalscoring form continued as Norwich moved into the top half of the Division One table - and ensured struggling Portsmouth stayed bottom in the process.
The Wales Under-21 starlet, the subject of a £1million bid from Crystal Palace last week, made it six goals in 10 games with City's second to give the Canaries a thoroughly deserved victory.
A blustery wind ensured the game was never going to be a classic, but Norwich were the better side throughout.
Adrian Forbes had already blasted wildly over from close range, before City grabbed the lead after just 14 minutes with a goal that veteran keeper Alan Knight will not look back on with any great pleasure.
He should have prevented the ball going out for a corner in the first place and then compounded his error by failing to come for Forbes' flagkick, allowing defender Matthew Jackson a free header which he gleefully despatched from close range.
Knight atoned for his mistake by diving bravely at the feet of Peter Grant to prevent the Canaries going two up five minutes after the break, but could do nothing about Bellamy's brilliant decider on 65 minutes.
Robbie Pethick was perhaps fortunate to escape a red card after bringing Bellamy down in full flight, but the little Welshman wasted no time in ensuring that the defender was made to pay for his rash challenge.
Grant laid the ball into the path of his young colleague and, with his back to goal, he swivelled superbly before finding the bottom corner with a venomous 25-yard drive which gave Knight no chance.
Republic of Ireland international Keith O'Neill, playing his first full game for over three months after recovering from a broken foot, twice shot wastefully over as Norwich continued to pile on the pressure right up until the final whistle.
Pompey simply had no answer and John Aloisi's looping header after 37 minutes, confidently tipped over by keeper Andy Marshall, was the closest they came to scoring until substitute John Durnin stung Marshall's palms with a fiercely-struck drive from just outside the area in injury-time.
On this evidence the visitors face a long hard struggle to preserve their Division One status, while the Canaries, currently nine points off the play-off zone, could yet force their way into the promotion frame.