3 takeaways from Manchester City's win over Norwich: Citizens survive frenzy

Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure scored a late penalty to prevent a potentially embarrassing draw against Norwich City and confirm a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

A header from Nicolas Otamendi off a corner kick from Kevin De Bruyne finally broke the resolve of a determined Norwich outfit after 67 minutes. The result fell in doubt seven minutes from time, however, with goalkeeper Joe Hart dropping the ball in his area and allowing Cameron Jerome to prod in the equaliser.

It looked like both sides would share the spoils, but another goalkeeping error ensued on the other side of the pitch. Norwich shot-stopper John Ruddy jumped out of his area and forced defender Russell Martin to deny a clear goal-scoring opportunity off the line.

Except he used his elbow - a clear handball - and was sent off. Toure stepped up and dispatched from the spot, as he tends to do.

Aleksandar Kolarov missed a second penalty deep in extra time. But unlike the first, it would've made no difference.

Here are three takeaways from City's madcap win:

Norwich does admirably to resist City

Norwich kept its shape for long periods of the match as City launched wave after wave of attacks. It was a peculiar look for the Canaries, who usually play a freer game and do all they can to keep the ball.

Manager Alex Neil seemed mindful of the fact that his charges have won just a single time on the road this season. They're a porous away side, so this time, Norwich decided to hunker down and strike on the counter-attack. It worked for more than an hour, with a clear philosophy of man-marking cancelling out several threats.

But Otamendi's header broke their resolve, a momentary lapse that afforded the Argentinian the chance to score his first goal for City.

Lack of finishing hurts City

The win didn't have to be so difficult to get. City attempted 21 shots, but only six of them reached the target. Striker Wilfried Bony, who has deputised for Sergio Aguero while he deals with a hamstring problem, was particularly wasteful.

No one in the match had more chances than the Ivorian. He managed nine shots, of which only a single one hit the net. Many of his attempts looked promising in the build-up, but ultimately failed to deliver the prize. He would muscle his way into space, only to launch a fierce strike into the stands.

It was a disappointing performance against Norwich, a side City has dominated in recent years, scoring 27 goals against the Canaries in the seven league matches prior to Saturday's fixture.

Hart's blunder raises questions

Hart may be one of a handful of goalkeepers to record 100 or more clean sheets with a single Premier League club, but he is still Joe Hart, liable for the odd blunder or two. On this occasion, he bobbled a cross and coughed up the ball, which Jerome had no problems with. The Norwich striker equalised, throwing the match into a final 10-minute frenzy which ultimately resulted in a loss for the visitors.

City would have to call on Hart again, but this time he was up to the task, denying a deflected shot from full-back Martin Olsson moments after Toure scored the penalty that snatched all three points.