Norwich City 1 Manchester United 0: match report David De Gea missed the game after having two teeth extracted on Friday, and his team's attack looked equally toothless, at least for the opening 45 minutes. Without the injured Wayne Rooney, United struggled to impose themselves in the final third of the pitch, where Norwich have built a deserved reputation for being miserly in recent weeks. Javier Hernandez and Robin Ven Persie were nullified for the most part by the excellent Michael Turner and Sebastien Bassong, and when Van Persie did get a clear sight of goal, five minutes before the break, he missed his cue and the ball, failing to connect with Ryan Giggs' cross from close range. The Dutchman's long shot brought a fumbled save from John Ruddy in the opening stages, but the goalkeeper was decisive and determined to keep out a low drive from Ashley Young that went through a thicket of legs towards the far corner of goal. Young, booed throughout by the home supporters for his propensity to tumble easily, showed the more positive side of his game when he curled a shot towards the far corner of goal, but again Ruddy was equal to it. It was not all United, though. Norwich came into the game on a run of five games unbeaten, including victories over Arsenal and Spurs, and played with the confidence such form brings. Grant Holt was always a threat, with his muscular presence unsettling Chris Smalling in particular. But the England defender, back for only his third game of the season, showed his sharpness to get in an important interception shortly before half-time as Holt closed in on Robert Snodgrass' low cross. Anthony Pilkington flashed a shot across the United goal after a swift Norwich counter-attack, Wes Hoolahan shot tamely at Anders Lindegaard with his weaker right foot, and Javier Garrido's low cross flew across goal without anyone able to poke the ball past the keeper. The Swede had another lucky escape early in the second half when he failed to deal with a Snodgrass free-kick, but the flapping keeper's blushes were spared as the ball was scrambled clear. Van Persie had a chance on his favoured left-foot, but his shot was straight at Ruddy, who saved comfortably. Both sides were playing tidy passing football on a perfect surface without looking really dangerous in front of goal, but the deadlock was finally broken on the hour mark by Pilkington, who spent a year at the Manchester United academy in his teens. The goal was a beauty. Hoolahan and Bradley Johnson exchanged passes patiently in the centre of the pich, before Hoolahan set Garrido free down the left. The Spanish full-back crossed towards the near side of the goal area and Pilkington timed his run perfectly to send a powerful header looping over Lindegaard and into the far corner of goal. The home supporters erupted in delight, conscious of the fact that their team have come a long way since being thrashed 5-2 here by Liverpool at the end of September. After a 4-1 defeat at Chelsea the following week, Chris Hughton set about tigthtening up his defence, and the result is that Norwich are much harder to break down. Those supporters that were beginning to express doubts about the former Newcastle manager six weeks ago were signing his name yesterday, at around the same time as Sir Alex Ferguson walked to the touchline from the dugout. Feguson sent on Paul Scholes and Danny Welbeck in the hope of nicking a goal, and the striker went close with two headers in the space of a minute. His first was diverted away for a corner, and when that was cleared, he met Michael Carrick's cross with a firm header that Ruddy saved. Welbeck had another header saved in the closing stages, but Norwich could - and should have made it 2-0 in the 89th minute when substiute Jonny Howson was sent clear of the United defence. But as he drew Lindegaard, he also dragged his shot wide of the far post. It mattered little, as his side held on for a famous victory. Norwich City (4-4-1-1): Ruddy; Whittaker, Bassong, Turner, Garrido; Snodgrass, Tettey, Johnson, Pilkington; Hoolahan (Howson 83); Holt (Morison 83). Subs: Bunn, Jackson,, E Bennett, Tierney, R Bennett. Manchester United (4-4-2): Lindegaard; Rafael, Ferdinand, Smalling, Evra; Valencia (Scholes 69), Carrick, Giggs, Young; Hernandez (Welbeck 69), Van Persie. Subs: Johnstone, Jones, Anderson, Cleverley, Fletcher. Ref: A Taylor. Norwich City