Norwich lifted themselves away from the Premier League relegation zone with a nervy win that leaves rock-bottom Aston Villa further adrift of safety.
In a game devoid of quality, Jonny Howson's crisp strike at the far post separated the sides for over an hour.
Villa rarely looked like scoring, with Jordan Ayew heading their best chance straight at home keeper Declan Rudd.
Norwich ensured they moved three points clear of the bottom three when Dieumerci Mbokani powerfully headed in.
Ayew's 20-yard free-kick stretched Rudd in injury time, but Villa did not do enough to avoid falling 11 points from safety with 19 games remaining.
Relieved Canaries ease pressure
Norwich's sense of relief was palpable when Mbokani sealed victory in a match that Canaries manager Alex Neil had described as a "must win".
The Canaries had only won one of their previous six matches - the shock 2-1 success at Manchester United - and started the afternoon just a point above the relegation zone.
It was far from a fluent attacking performance by Neil's side, who only managed four shots on target throughout.
But they showed steel and patience to end Villa's resistance.
Neil will also be pleased at his side's defensive organisation, albeit against a toothless Villa team, as they kept only a second clean sheet of the season.
Any encouragement for Villa?
In short, no. The Birmingham club, who have not been out of the top flight since 1988, rarely looked like ending a club-record run of 17 matches without a league win.
Villa went into the game on the back of successive draws against Newcastle and West Ham United, but realistically needed all three points against Norwich, who occupied 17th place at kick-off, to begin bridging an already formidable gap.
Despite showing some early signs of promise, the Premier League's lowest scorers mustered only three shots on target - they have scored 15 goals in 18 top-flight matches this season, with Jordan Ayew contributing a third of that total.
And had the Ghana international directed his 16th-minute header either side of Rudd - after finding space inside the home penalty area - the game would have had a different look.
However, Villa rarely looked like rescuing even a point once Howson met Nathan Redmond's clipped cross for the opener.
Even manager Remi Garde, who has not won in eight attempts since replacing Tim Sherwood, admitted afterwards his team did not deserve to leave with a point.
Man of the match - Dieumerci Mbokani
Manager reaction
Norwich manager Alex Neil: "I think getting the three points is the priority, but it was great to back that up with a clean sheet.
"Once we got the first goal, we settled down and it allowed us to be compact and try to catch Villa on the counter attack. Thankfully we got a second goal, which killed the game off.
"I am delighted for the players - they have worked extremely hard this year. We know we could have done better in the 19 games, so hopefully we will do better in the next 19. If we can do that, we will be fine."
Aston Villa boss Remi Garde: "I would like to say we deserved a point but at the end I think Norwich deserved the win. Nothing more to say.
"We did not play as well as we did in the last two games. We tried to do our best, of course, but did not create many chances. If you don't score in a game, you don't deserve to win.
"I will be the last man not to believe we can still win games. It is my job to make the players believe we will win the next one. I know it has been a long time for them to win, me as well, but we have the quality to win games.
"Sometimes in football you have to cope with this kind of situation. January will be important."
What's next?
Villa are back on the road - again going to one of their closest relegation rivals. Garde's team travel to second-bottom Sunderland on Saturday, 2 January.
Norwich will be aiming to move further away from the relegation zone when they host Southampton on the same day.
LINEUP, BOOKINGS (7) & SUBSTITUTIONS (6)
Norwich City
- 13 Rudd
- 05 Martin Booked
- 24 R Bennett Booked
- 06 Bassong
- 12 Brady
- 08 Howson
- 27 Tettey
- 18 Dorrans (O'Neil - 85' )
- 22 Redmond
- 14 Hoolahan (Odjidja-Ofoe - 88' )
- 09 Mbokani Bezua (Jerome - 88' )
Substitutes
- 01 Ruddy
- 02 Whittaker
- 10 Jerome
- 19 Lafferty
- 23 Olsson
- 28 O'Neil
- 32 Odjidja-Ofoe
Aston Villa
- 01 Guzan
- 21 Hutton
- 04 Richards Booked
- 06 Clark
- 07 Bacuna (Gestede - 69' )
- 08 Gueye Booked
- 15 Westwood Booked
- 09 Sinclair (Traoré - 58' )
- 17 Veretout Booked (Grealish - 81' )
- 18 Richardson
- 19 J Ayew Booked
Substitutes
- 16 Lescott
- 20 Traoré
- 25 Gil
- 31 Bunn
- 38 Lyden
- 39 Gestede
- 40 Grealish
Ref: Graham Scott
Att: 27,071
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