Norwich thrash Bristol City 5-0 as Ashton Gate turns on Skubala
Norwich City extended their prolific away form to nine goals in successive away wins with a 5-0 rout at Ashton Gate that left Bristol City supporters venting their frustration at manager Michael Skubala.
Bristol City supporters turned on manager Michael Skubala as Norwich City ran out 5-0 winners at Ashton Gate in the Sky Bet Championship, with the Canaries making it nine goals scored across successive away victories.
The scale of the defeat compounded a miserable week for Skubala's side, who had gone into the fixture on the back of a damaging 2-1 home loss to Wolves in midweek, a result that was their fifth defeat in seven home league games under the manager, according to Yahoo Sports.
Bristol City had started the weekend 15th in the Championship table, three places and only goal difference behind Norwich, making this a meaningful fixture for both sides' standing in the division.
Instead, it was Norwich who underlined their improving form. The Canaries arrived at Ashton Gate having followed a five-match losing streak with three consecutive victories, beating Charlton 3-1, Watford 3-2 and Derby 4-0, scoring at least three goals in each of those matches, per Yahoo Sports.
That run meant Norwich had not previously strung together four consecutive league wins while scoring three or more goals each time since December 1985, a landmark now matched by the five-goal demolition of Bristol City.
Paris Maghoma had been among Norwich's in-form players heading into the weekend, having scored in each of his previous three league games, as many goals in that spell as he had managed across his previous 41 appearances for the club, Yahoo Sports reported.
The result also reversed a recent trend in the fixture. Bristol City had alternated between victory and defeat in their last five home league meetings with Norwich and had gone down 4-2 in this corresponding match a year earlier.
Historically the Canaries had struggled at Ashton Gate, losing four of their previous seven away league meetings with the Robins after an 11-match unbeaten run in the fixture between 2010 and 2022. Saturday's win offered a reminder that recent history had been edging back in Bristol City's favour before this latest setback.
The timing will sting further given Bristol City's record in early kick-offs. Since the start of last season they had lost just one of eight Championship fixtures played in the 12.30pm slot, winning both of their previous home games at that time.
None of that proved any protection against a Norwich side finding their scoring touch at the right moment, and the margin of defeat was enough to turn home supporters' frustration directly towards Skubala, Sky Sports Football reported.
For Norwich, the victory extends a sequence of away goalscoring form that now stands at nine goals in successive away league wins, continuing the upward trajectory that followed their earlier five-match losing run.
Bristol City will need to regroup quickly, with questions over Skubala's position now likely to follow them into their next Championship assignment, while Norwich will look to carry their scoring form and growing away confidence into their following fixture.