Norwich claimed a crucial 2-1 victory at the City Ground to leave Nottingham Forest in deep trouble.
Cohen own goal seals victory for Canaries
Norwich claimed a crucial 2-1 victory at the City Ground to leave Nottingham Forest in deep trouble.
Forest had been unbeaten in their previous four games and were given an early boost when Norwich's Gary Doherty was sent off in the 20th minute.
Matt Pattison opened the scoring for the Canaries just three minutes later, only for Paul Anderson to equalise before half-time.
However, Chris Cohen turned the ball into his own net after 73 minutes to lift Norwich four points clear of the relegation zone and leave Forest back at the foot of the table.
Forest keeper Lee Camp was the first to be tested as Norwich looked to establish an early advantage.
Doherty's long ball sent Lee Croft scampering down the right and his low cross made its way to Bell on the left side of the area, but his fierce strike was superbly blocked by the Forest stopper.
Norwich keeper David Marshall made an even better stop, though, to keep out Joe Garner's side-footed effort after Cohen's square pass had picked him out completely unmarked in the area.
Norwich were dealt a major blow in the 20th minute when Doherty was shown a straight red card for bringing down Nathan Tyson just outside the area as the Forest man looked to run through on goal.
Marshall prevented further punishment by palming Matt Thornhill's low drive round his right post after Anderson had touched the resulting free-kick to his team-mate.
And it was Norwich who went ahead just three minutes later, Pattison slotting Croft's cross through a packed six-yard box and into the net.
Luke Chambers could only head weakly straight at Marshall as Forest sought out a leveller, while Garner also saw his header brilliantly tipped away by Marshall at full stretch.
The stopper was beaten in the 38th minute, though, when he slipped as Anderson - having been sent clear by Thornhill - closed in on goal down the left and then guided his finish past Marshall as the keeper tried to regain his footing.
Unfortunate
Forest started the second half the brighter and Chambers fired in a cross-shot from just inside the area on the right which Tyson in the middle should have diverted goalwards.
In the 59th minute Marshall clawed away Garner's goal-bound effort from a yard inside the area.
Tyson then got to the byline down the left and pulled a cross back for Cohen, whose fierce 25-yard effort was parried down and collected by Marshall.
The unfortunate Cohen did, though, find the net at the wrong end in the 73rd minute when, under pressure from Leroy Lita, he headed Croft's cross past the despairing dive of Camp, who got fingertips to the ball but could not keep it out.
Forest, with Tyson a willing runner up front, pressed in search of a second equaliser, but a cutting edge was woefully absent.
