Norwich City opened their League Cup campaign with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Milton Keynes Dons at Carrow Road on Friday evening. The hosts advanced through the Round of 128 with goals from M. Toure, A. Slimane, B. Chrisene and A. Brooks securing their passage to the next stage.
It was a storming start from the home side. Toure found the net in the first minute, then Slimane doubled the advantage just six minutes later before Chrisene added a third on the half-hour mark. By then the visitors had already picked up a yellow card through Cordoba and were looking deeply troubled.
And here's the thing about the twentieth minute — Stacey picked up a booking for Norwich, but the real significance was that the home side had already done the damage. They had worked three goals into the early exchanges and the match was effectively over before the interval.
The second half brought a brief flicker of hope for MK Dons when Wintle pulled one back in the fifty-sixth minute. Mendez-Laing had missed a penalty moments before, and the visitors pressed forward. Brooks restored the three-goal lead six minutes later, then Slimane and Brooks were both replaced, each making way for fresh legs.
The statistics tell the story of dominance. Norwich held 65 per cent possession and created seven big chances compared to three for the visitors. Their expected goals figure of 2.64 reflected the quality of opportunities, while MK Dons managed just 1.1 despite landing five shots on target from six attempts.
The result puts Norwich through to the next round with plenty to build on. MK Dons' recent form — a 4-1 win over Maidenhead followed by a 1-1 draw with Fleetwood — leaves them searching for consistency. Norwich will return to league action knowing they have opened their cup campaign in commanding fashion.