Seko Fofana gave City a deserved lead after ten minutes, putting the finishing touches on a slick passing move which will surely figure in September’s Goal of the Month compilation.
Not to be outdone, Sinan Bytyqi added to his growing portfolio of free-kicks with a stunning 25-yard set-piece five minutes after the restart to make it 2-0 and to emphasise his side’s dominance.
Jamie Eaton-Collins pegged City back with 15 minutes to play but substitute Jordy Hiwula replied just three minutes later to restore the two-goal lead.
Bytyqi added his second with five minutes remaining and that was how it stayed, catapulting Patrick Vieira’s side up this fledgling Barclays u21 Premier League table.
It was no less than City deserved for producing a dynamic, exciting and authoritative performance under the lights of Ewen Fields.
Last season, City had lost their opening two games of the season before they registered a first win in their third match which kick-started their campaign.
This year, there had been positives to take from the narrow defeat to Chelsea on the opening day but Vieira would have been eager to see his side get their first win of 2014/15 against the league’s bottom side, following slightly disappointing home draws against Sunderland and West Ham.
It took 88 minutes for the EDS to get on the scoresheet against West Ham last time out as they rescued a point against the run of the play at the AJ Bell Stadium before the international break, thanks to Olivier Ntcham’s late equaliser.
Vieira opted to make four changes to the line-up from that encounter and chose to reshuffle some of those who had started against the Irons.
Ian Lawlor, George Evans and Brandon Barker came into the XI, as well as Portuguese flyer Jorge Intima, who made his first start of the season.
Jose Angel Pozo took up the central striker role, while Sinan Bytyqi was handed a rare opportunity to function as the no.10, floating in between the lines behind the Spaniard and providing support to George Glendon and Fofana in the centre of midfield.
Norwich had yet to pick up a point from their two encounters so far this season and some detectable insecurity was evident from the East Anglians in the early stages as City shot out of the blocks and immediately began to put pressure on their goal.
In the very first minute, Pozo had a penalty appeal turned down after he was felled by Louis Ramsay but referee Gareth Mellor wasn’t convinced and waved away what were, in truth, faint-hearted protests.
A minute later, Initima was through on goal, following a delightful reverse pass from Bytyqi but the u19 international was unable to generate the necessary power to beat Ben Kilip in the Norwich goal.
In Barker and Intima, City had a torpedo-like quality to their wing play, with the pair utilizing their rapier pace and direct dribbling to torment the Canaries full-backs in the early stages.
In turn, this pulled Norwich’s central defenders out of position which made space for Fofana and Bytyqi to pull the strings and it was from this source that the game’s first goal originated.
Although the match was only in its 10th minute when City did break the deadlock, it was a goal that felt like it had been coming and it was certainly worth the short wait.
A sublime team move, spearheaded by Fofana, culminated in the Parisian exchanging passes with Pozo to carve open the Canaries defence, before he produced the most definitive of finishes into the bottom corner, leaving Kilip with no chance.
Eight minutes later, Barker nearly doubled the advantage but the England youngster’s shaped header just flew the wrong side of the post, though it had the Norwich keeper at full stretch.
It was a sign of City’s early dominance that newly-capped Ireland u21 international keeper Lawlor was required for the first time on 25 minutes but the Dubliner produced a fine save to maintain his team’s lead, denying Cameron King with a powerful wrist when the Norwich no.10 had broken through.
There were further chances for Angelino and Bytyqi in the closing minutes of the half but Vieira’s side would have to be satisfied with their narrow 1-0 lead going in at the half-time break.
Although City had been on top for the majority of the half, a couple of lapses in concentration had threatened to undo all of their impressive first-half work.
If their manager had emphasised this at the break, it showed, as the home side tightened their grip on the game after the restart, turning in a powerful, well-organised second period, sprinkled with moments of real quality.
One of these memorable moments came five minutes into the second half when Fofana’s barnstorming dribble was cynically ended by Conor McGrandles 25 yards from goal.
Bytyqi stepped up to take the resulting free-kick and sent it into the very top corner, beyond Kilip’s despairing dive to make it 2-0.
Barker couldn’t have come much closer to making it 3-0 after 71 minutes but his arcing thunderbolt from the left corner of the box hit both posts before rolling into Killip’s grateful arms.
Three minutes later, the deficit was halved through Eaton-Collins as the Norwich no.9 strode clear through a chasm in City’s defence and thumped it past Lawlor.
However, a Hiwula two-yard special allayed any fears of a comeback after 77 minutes, as the first-half substitute capitalised on some excellent work from Pozo on the left, arriving at the right place at the right time - as he so often does - to tap home and make it 3-1.
The cherry on top came from Bytyqi on 85 minutes as he lobbed the goalkeeper, took a touch and slotted into the back of the empty net for his second and City’s fourth.
The EDS are next in action away at Liverpool on Monday 22 September.
