Brentford head coach Dean Smith insisted James Maddison's stunning finish was rough justice.
The Bees' chief claimed his side were full value for a Championship win which would have kept them firmly in the hunt for a play-off place.
'I feel that the better team got beaten,' he said.
'I think Norwich will feel fortunate that they have gone away with all three points.
'We played some good stuff up to the final third but then rushed it. I felt we needed to wait for the right moments and we didn't do that often enough.
'I certainly can't knock the lads for effort or passion.
'Norwich is a good team and we pinned them into their half for the second period. Unfortunately, it was one of those days as, on another day, you go and win that game comfortably.
'The boy stuck their goal in the top corner and, unfortunately, one of the disappointing things for me was that our lads tried to do that a little bit too often. When there were better opportunities we were shooting from big distances.'
Smith confirmed after the game Lasse Vibe, who notched both goals in the Bees' 2-1 win at Carrow Road before Christmas, missed out as he looks to finalise a move.
'Lasse is negotiating with another football club, which is his prerogative,' he said. 'The club is fully aware of what is happening but all parties have to agree. Romaine Sawyers was ill this morning so we had to make a couple of changes.'
• For the latest Norwich City news and opinion follow Group Football Editor Paddy Davitt on the following channels…
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