A dramatic added-time goal from substitute Adam Idah made it a winning start to the new Championship season for Norwich as they beat Hull 2-1 at Carrow Road.
The Republic of Ireland international was in the right place at the right time in a late goalmouth melee to prod the ball home and settle an entertaining encounter.
Hull had taken the lead against the run of play in the first half with a well-taken goal on his debut from Liam Delap, only for the Canaries to level on the stroke of half-time with another sumptuous strike from youngster Jonathan Rowe – his first for his club.
Norwich made a bright start in the miserable conditions, with Gabriel Sara firing a decent effort just wide after just 40 seconds and Rowe grazing the outside of the upright with a low shot from distance.
But it was the visitors who got their noses in front with their first effort of the match in the 17th minute as some poor home defending was ruthlessly punished by Delap.
The on-loan Manchester City striker caught Shane Duffy in possession some 30 yards out and he outmuscled Ben Gibson before producing an emphatic finish into the top corner.
Angus Gunn then had to be alert to thwart Ozan Tufan after the ball had fell kindly for the Turkish midfielder in the area.
But apart from that the first half was all Norwich, with Duffy hitting the crossbar with a glancing header from a deep free-kick, Jack Stacey firing over when well placed and Matt Ingram producing an outstanding save to keep out a Josh Sargent header.
The hosts kept plugging away, however, and were finally rewarded in stoppage-time with a cracker of a goal.
A fast-breaking Dimi Giannoulis did well to find Rowe in a central area and the young winger advanced to the edge of the box before cracking an unstoppable shot past Ingram to give a much fairer look to the half-time scoreline.
It was more of the same after the break, with Norwich on top, but the visitors almost regained the lead just past the hour mark when Delap burst through the centre before letting fly with a shot that appeared to be heading into the top corner until it was superbly tipped over by Gunn.
As the game headed into the final quarter, the Norwich threat appeared to be diminishing although Duffy should have better with a free header with 82 minutes on the clock.
It seemed as though the hosts would have to settle for a point but deep into added time they secured all three.
After a corner had only been half-cleared, the ball was fed back into the box and took a fortunate deflection to land at the feet of Idah, who steered it home from close range with Hull appealing in vain for offside.
Ryan Lowe expects his Preston team to have more goal power this season following impressive starts by summer signings Will Keane and Mads Frokjaer in a 1-1 draw against Bristol City.
Ireland striker Keane marked the beginning of his second spell as a North End player with an opportunist late equaliser at Ashton Gate, while Frokjaer also played a key role in a determined fightback after
Sam Bell’s 47th-minute strike had threatened to give City a winning start.
Lowe was delighted with his team’s efforts and said: “Will is capable of adding 14 goals to our team this season. That’s how many he got last season and, while I don’t want to put pressure on him, I have faith in his ability to excite our fans.
“His goal was a fantastic finish, a great swivel and a shot into the bottom corner. It showed that if we give him opportunities, he will score for us.”
Watford laid down an early marker of their promotion credentials with a 4-0 hammering of QPR at Vicarage Road.
After a disappointing campaign last time out, where they fell short of the playoffs, the Hornets hit the ground running and took the lead after just 36 seconds through Tom Dele-Bashiru.
Imran Louza, Matheus Martins and Vakoun Bayo added first-half goals as they ran riot against a woeful QPR.
Stoke also did the heavy lifting of their 4-1 win over Rotherham in the first half.
They led in the fifth minute thanks to Ki-Jana Hoever’s opener before Andre Vidigal scored twice in first-half injury time.
Lee Peltier gave the Millers hope after the break but Cafu’s red card ended any hopes of an unlikely comeback, with Jacob Brown adding a late fourth for the hosts.
Plymouth registered their first Championship victory since April 2010 as they beat Huddersfield 3-1.
Last season’s League One champions started the season in style as Morgan Whittaker put them ahead after just six minutes.
Michael Helik equalised for the Terriers on the stroke of half-time but Bali Mumba and Ryan Hardie won it for Argyle in the second half.
Two goals in two first-half minutes laid the foundations of Blackburn’s 2-1 win over West Brom.
Dilan Markanday got the first in the 20th minute and then straight after Ryan Leonard stroked home.
Matt Phillips gave West Brom hope after the break but they could not find a leveller and a frustrating day for boss Carlos Corberan ended in him being sent off.
Romain Esse’s 79th-minute goal gave Millwall a 1-0 victory at Middlesbrough while Jerry Yates’s debut goal for Swansea earned a 1-1 draw against Birmingham, who went in front through Siriki Dembele’s first-half effort.
