Mark Hughes conceded Norwich had a case over the first half penalty awarded to the visitors – but rejected Chris Hughton's post-match calls for a re-take after goalscorer Bobby Zamora had clearly encroached inside the City penalty box.

The Rangers' manager insisted players from both sides were guilty of breaking ranks as Djibril Cisse initially stepped up to test John Ruddy.

The England keeper pushed Cisse's right footer onto the base of a post but Zamora slotted to cancel out Simeon Jackson's early header.

Hughes' charity extended only to a point regarding a pivotal moment in Norwich first Premier League home game of the season.

'I don't think it was just Bobby. I think there were about seven players in the area, including Norwich ones, so the referee has let it go. It probably evened itself out,' said Hughes.

'I've seen the penalty incident and there's contact and if there's contact then you give away penalties. I think his trailing leg has clipped Djib as he was trying to get on the end of the ball. By the letter of the law it's a penalty although I'm sure that Chris will feel a bit aggrieved by it and anyone connected to Norwich will feel it was a little bit soft. You have to say there was contact made.'

Hughes was adamant his men were full value for an opening point of the season after withstanding a late onslaught from the Canaries.

'We had a poor weekend last weekend and it was important that we got something out of this game,' he said. 'It's the first away point that I've been able to accrue since I've been manager so that's a bonus. It's something to build on.

'It was a game of few chances but on occasions I just felt we lacked the right ball at the right time. Towards the end of the game they were asking a few questions which we had to deal with but we were able to do it.

'In terms of performance we can certainly get the ball down and play with a bit more but in terms of a result and where we are at the moment then we'll take it.'

The former Manchester City boss revealed he had been forced to substitute yellow-carded back Clint Hill at the interval as a precautionary measure following a muscular running duel for most of the opening period with City skipper Grant Holt.

'There was a danger that Clint might have got a second booking and I think that it was important that we didn't go down to 10 men – we had enough of that last year,' he said.

'I thought it was a good tussle. Initially in the first half,we thought he got the better of us. All in all, it was a good battle.

'We were able to see the game out and we were able to get Jose Bosingwa on as well which will be of benefit for us. There were a number of positives from our point of view.

'I thought we defended well because you know if you come here there will be a number of long balls going into your box that you have to deal with.

'Certainly in the second half I thought Anton Ferdinand did really well and nullified that threat.'

Hughes believes Zamora and Cisse can potentially wreak havoc at the opposite end of the pitch this coming season – although the former England striker is a doubt for this week's League Cup and Premier League commitments after finishing the game with a head injury.

'They did really well for me last year and there's potential in it,' said Hughes. 'We've got to check Bobby, he's got a nasty gash, so he's a real doubt for Tuesday and probably for the weekend.

'I thought Bobby did really well in terms of his link up play and understanding what was required from his role. It was important to have that focal point to our attacks, which on occasion last week we struggled to find.

'On a couple of occasions we could have freed Djib, but we didn't give him the service that he thrives on. We were always dangerous on the counter without making the right pass.'