Norwich finished a disappointing Championship campaign on a positive note as Jack Wilshere’s side beat Aaron Ramsey’s already-relegated Cardiff 4-2 at Carrow Road.
The Canaries scored three goals in the opening 23 minutes to take control, with Calum Chambers’ 16th-minute sending off hampering the visitors’ cause.
Marcelino Nunez scored twice before top scorer Borja Sainz made it 19 for the season as teams coached by former Arsenal team-mates Wilshere and Ramsey produced an entertaining encounter.
Cardiff striker Yousef Salech scored twice in the second half to keep things respectable, but Shane Duffy nodded home a fourth in between to ensure a first win in seven games for the hosts.
Cardiff were the better side early on, managing three shots on target in the first 10 minutes.
Angus Gunn, making his final appearance for the hosts after his exit was announced in midweek, made two routine saves to deny Cian Ashford and Joe Ralls before pulling off a fine stop to keep out Chambers’ well-struck volley.
But then it all went wrong for the relegated Bluebirds as Norwich scored from their first dangerous attack in the 13th minute before quickly adding two more, with Chambers being sent off into the bargain.
Nunez side-footed home Jack Stacey’s cross at the back post to open the scoring.
And he then brilliantly curled home a 25-yard free-kick after Chambers had halted Josh Sargent’s run on goal with a blatant tug back to earn a straight red card.
Sainz then produced a precise finish into the bottom corner after latching on to Amankwah Forson’s pass to make it 3-0 with a little over a quarter of the game having being played.
Sargent and Ruari McConville both hit the woodwork as Norwich continued to dominate but Cardiff kept battling away and got one back in the 56th minute.
Salech’s run from deep down the right flank was halted illegally in the area by Callum Doyle and the Danish striker picked himself up to coolly convert from the spot to give his side a deserved goal.
Norwich took over again after that and made it 4-1 midway through the half when Duffy rose unchallenged to power Jacob Wright’s corner into the back of the net.
The Canaries missed further chances to stretch their lead before Salech pulled another one back in the 84th minute, scuffing home a volley from just outside the six-yard box after the hosts had failed to deal with a corner.
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