TWO red cards and a lacklustre display made for a terrible afternoon for City against Wolves at Molineux.
They already faced an uphill task as goals from Kevin Foley and Andy Keogh gave the home side a deserved advantage after a one-sided first half.
But after the break things got even worse as first Jason Shackell became the second City captain to receive his marching orders in five days for a late challenge on Karl Henry - and then Julien Brellier joined him for an early bath after picking up a second yellow.
It was an afternoon to forget all round for City who struggled to muster a serious threat to the Wolves goal all afternoon.
City boss Peter Grant made a number of changes to the team which lost 2-0 at Charlton on Tuesday night.
Skipper Jason Shackell returned from injury to replace the suspended Dion Dublin in the centre of City's defence as expected. Less expected was the sight of summer signing Ian Murray starting at left back in place of Adam Drury, who may have suffered a late recurrence of his recent back problems.
There were changes up front too, with Tuesday's lone striker Chris Brown starting on the bench and a recall for leading scorer Jamie Cureton, partnered by David Strihavka.
In midfield Darren Huckerby was on the left with Simon Lappin inside him. Julien Brellier filled the other central midfield place and Darel Russell moved out to the right.
Wolves started the brighter of the two teams and after some consistent early pressure carved out the game' s first half-chance in the 6th minute. Keogh played a lovely weighted pass inside Murray and into the box and Kightly ran on to it before firing a low effort from a very tight angle into the side-netting.
It was an early warning for City who had so far struggled to gel with the reshuffled personnel up front and in midfield.
Five minutes later the lively Kightly again posed problems down City's left, making space for himself before firing in a dangerous low cross which Elliott got the faintest of touches to and deflected well wide of the far post.
The Canaries had so far failed to mount a single attack, though they had coped well defensively with some concerted pressure from the home side. In the 16th minute there was a nervous moment for David Marshall in City's goal as he failed to notice Keogh lurking behind as he shaped up for a routine kick from hands and nearly dropped the ball into his path.
It was largely one-way traffic however and it didn't come as a surprise when persistent Wolves pressure finally paid off as they took the lead in the 23rd minute. The goal came when Darel Russell's defensive header from a corner came out to Kevin Foley just inside the Norwich half.
There seemed little enough danger with virtually every City shirt back defending but Foley powered past Huckerby and straight to the edge of the box without any challenge - and then unleashed a cracking drive from 20 yards into the far corner which left Marshall clutching at air.
On the half-hour Wolves came close twice within a minute. First Skipper Breen side-footed Kightly's free-kick into the box wide from close range. Then Kightly's scuffed shot from 22 yards nearly caught the City defence out as it spun into the box to Kightly. The Wolves striker was perhaps as surprised as anyone to find himself on-side and mis-hit his effort badly.
But on 35 minutes the Canaries found themselves two goals down and with a real mountain to climb. It actually started with City mounting a rare attack into the Wolves box - but when Otsemobor and Cureton found their way to goal blocked the ball ran out to Andy Keogh on the half-way line.
The Wolves striker sprinted forward, angling his run in from the left towards the City box and was given far too much time and space by a back-pedalling Norwich defence.
He duly punished them with a clinical low finish from 22 yards, which Marshall could only stand and watch as it cannoned into the net off the foot of his right-hand post.
As the game approached the half-time interval Wolves were a whisker away from adding a third, Olofinjana slotting a lovely diagonal ball into the Norwich box for Kightly to run on to and his attempt to lift the ball over the on-rushing Marshall curved inches wide of the far post.
Referee Steve Bennett then booked Darel Russell, presumably for a foul on Kightly as he shaped up to hit the shot.
Half-time score: Wolves 2, Norwich City 0
Wolves again started full of purpose and endeavour as the second half got away and Marshall was at full stretch as he palmed a corner from Kightly away to safety in the 49th minute.
Two minutes later after a Norwich free-kick from 25 yards out from Lappin came to nothing, Wolves hared the length of the pitch and when Kightly swung in a low cross it eluded everyone in the City box - including Elliott as he slid in at the far post.
It was clear something was going to have to change if City were going to get anything from a match fast slipping firmly out of their grasp. Grant duly made the afternoon's first change in the 57th minute, young striker Chris Martin replacing David Strihavka.
Within two minutes however it was again Wolves who threatened. Kightly's corner was headed goalwards by Craddock and diverted just over from close range by the head of Elliott.
As the game moved into the 62nd minute the issuing of two cards in quick succession by ref Steve Bennett further tipped the scales in Wolves' favour.
First Karl Henry of Wolves was booked following a late challenge which caught the legs of Julien Brellier. When City's free-kick broke down the ball broke to Henry, only for the home midfielder to be sent crashing to the ground by a heavy challenge from Norwich skipper Jason Shackell.
Mr Bennett seemed in no doubt whatsoever that the offence merited a straight red card - City's second for a central defender in five days - and Shackell was duly consigned to the long walk back down the tunnel.
Peter Grant had been planning to bring on Lee Croft before the sending off occurred - instead on 68 minutes he brought on Chris Brown to play as a lone striker in place of Cureton for ten-man City.
But in the 75th minute what can only be described as a nightmare afternoon for Norwich became even worse as they were reduced to nine men.
Frenchman Julien Brellier was the culprit this time. Already with a yellow card to his name, he first brought down Kightly with a foul on the touchline - and then kicked the ball away in frustration. It seemed it was this offence rather than the challenge which prompted Bennett to produce the game's second red card.
Kightly had been having a brilliant game meanwhile and his 76th minute curler from 25 yards produced a brilliant one-handed stop from Marshall.
Two minutes later a foul by Stephen Ward on Huckerby earned the Wolves man a yellow card - and Huckerby was promptly replaced by youngster Micky Spillane.
Final score: Wolves 2, Norwich 0
Wolves: Hennessey, Olofinjana, Breen (c), Craddock, Kightly, Henry, Keogh, S Ward, Elliott, Foley, Gray.
Subs: N Collins, Bothroyd, Potter, Eastwood, Stack.
Norwich: Marshall, Ostemobor, Shackell (c), Huckerby (Spillane 78), Brellier, Cureton (Brown 68), Murray, Lappin, Russell, Strihavka (Martin 57), Doherty.
Subs: Gilkes, Croft, Brown,
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