Chris Hughton wants to prolong the feelgood factor swirling around Norwich City for as long as he can after another encouraging Premier League outing at Aston Villa.

The Canaries deserved a second consecutive league win against a home side reduced to 10 men for the last 40 minutes after Joe Bennett picked up a second yellow card for hauling back Elliott Bennett.

Michael Turner's superb glancing late header cancelled out Christian Benteke's first half opener, but City were unable to find a way past the inspired Brad Guzan in the closing stages. Hughton conceded the visitors' left Villa Park with a sense of frustration, although the City chief preferred to dwell on the positives.

'This is a very tough job and Paul (Lambert) will tell you exactly the same,' he said. 'Results determine what sort of mood you're in for most of the week and we're on the back of not only some results, but two I think really good performances. So it's always a better feel about that then when you're not.

'In this Premier League points are so tough to come by and performances and you just hope that you can produce a level of form and that the results come along with it. To get four points from two games, one away from home at a place which was always going to be tough irrespective of the table, then that is form we need to maintain.

'We know what we are – which is a team who have to be playing on top of their form to get results. There is a clear indication of that in the last two games what we have to do to get those results.'

City's lack of precision in the attacking third irked Hughton, despite Guzan's heroics to deny Wes Hoolahan and Grant Holt in either half.

'Yes it did, and not just me but the team,' he said. 'We appreciated the areas we got into, that if we have that little bit more quality, we go and win the game. And in another game that will be the difference between getting a good result and not. I think if it is 0-0 then it is different, but when you are 1-0 down you are always delighted to get back into the game. If it was 0-0 and we had the chances we had at the end then you are probably more disappointed.

'You could almost look at the game, apart from possession and the balance of play in the final third, you could almost look at it as three clear-cut chances. They had one they put away with (Christian) Benteke and we had arguably two just as good with Wes and Holty, and we didn't.

'We stuck in the game and came out with a real good attitude in the second half and we forced the issue. I think I would have been confident enough we would have got back into the game even with 11 men on the park.'

City's travelling support made it abundantly clear where their allegiances lay after a build-up predictably centred around the Paul Lambert factor. Hughton will not take that backing for granted as City look to push on from some heavy early season Premier League defeats.

'It doesn't make any difference whether it was the former manager or me or whether it was Carrow Road or Old Trafford or here at Villa Park. Any chanting towards me is a reflection of what they see on the football pitch,' he said.

'Certainly they are not going to chant my name if they don't like what they see and I certainly think they enjoyed seeing the team in the last couple of games.

'The response from the team since Liverpool has been excellent and that's all you want. We know where we are, it's just about how you respond from that and the players have responded excellently. Like I say, I think we have to be playing at that type of level to get results.'