Norwich City 5 Bristol Rovers 1: Bristol Rovers five-game unbeaten run came to a shuddering halt at Carrow Road as Norwich scored four goals before the break and then completed a convincing win late in the game.

The main damage was done in the opening period as Chris Martin fired the Canaries in front after eight minutes, curling a 25-yard free kick around the Pirates wall and past keeper Mikkel Andersen after Chris Lines had been penalised for upending Wes Hoolahan.

Rovers were back on level terms after 26 minutes from the penalty spot after Jens Berthel Askou was judged to have pulled back Jo Kuffour inside the box as the striker attempted to latch on to a Jeff Hughes cross.

Hughes took the spot kick well, finding the top corner to give teenage keeper Declan Rudd no chance.

But referee Andy Hall then awarded Norwich a contentious penalty of their own.

He punished Byron Anthony for what looked an innocuous challenge on Wes Hoolahan, who despatched the penalty to Andersen’s left to put the home side back in front on the half-hour.

Three minutes later, Norwich were further in front when Rovers failed to deal with Simon Lappin’s corner and Grant Holt had a simple task in converting from close range.

And Rovers were left licking their wounds again before the interval. They were all over the place at the back as Holt ran past a clutch of defenders before crashing an angled shot past Andersen for number four.

Norwich should have increased their lead early in the second half but Martin headed off-target from eight yards with the goal at his mercy.

Then Carl Regan drilled in an angled shot which was steered around the post by Rudd. A pass would have been a better option as the right-back had team-mates well-placed on the edge of the six-yard box.

Danny Coles also shot into the side netting from a tight angle, then Andersen had to make a low save from a Holt volley before substitute Stephen Hughes went close to grabbing a fifth for the Canaries.

His 25-yarder flew narrowly wide of Andersen’s right-hand post.

But Norwich went nap in stoppage time to complete a miserable afternoon for the visitors as substitute Jamie Cureton capitalised on more poor defending to ram the fifth goal high into the net and heap humiliation on his former club.

Norwich: Rudd, Drury, Doherty, Askou, Spillane (McVeigh 50), Smith, Russell (Hughes 77), Lalppin, Hoolahan, Martin, Holt (Cureton 83). Subs (not used): Forster, Adeyemi, Daley, McDonald.

Rovers: Andersen, Regan, Anthony, Coles, Lescott, Wright (Williams 57), Campbell, Lines (Blizzard 58), Hughes, Kuffour, Dickson (Duffy 71). Subs (not used): Elliott, Reece, Swallow, Evans.

Attendance: 24,117.