THE Canaries' 13-game unbeaten run came to an end in spectacular style at the Walkers Stadium, with the visitors crashing to their heaviest defeat of the season.
Norwich were already two-goals down early in the second half thanks to strikes by Leicester's Iain Hume and Steve Howard before Darel Russell was sent-off for a late lunge on Richard Stearman, a challenge which saw the right-back leave the field on a stretcher.
And the home side certainly made the most of the numerical advantage, with goals from DJ Campbell and Stephen Clemence completing the rout.
It was the first time this season the Canaries had conceded four goals, with the visitors offering precious little in the final third, particularly once Russell had been given his marching orders, picking up a three-match ban to boot.
To compound the misery, captain Mark Fotheringham also picked-up his fifth booking of the season, which means Roeder must plan for his next game without the services of his two first choice midfielders. Dion Dublin will now also miss the match with Barnsley after collecting his fifth yellow in stoppage time.
Glenn Roeder made two changes from the side which drew 1-1 with Hull City in midweek. Ryan Bertrand was left out of the squad altogether for the trip to the Walkers Stadium due to illness, with Mo Camara earning a recall at left-back.
Kieran Gibbs dropped to the bench, and this allowed a first start for on-loan Reading winger James Henry.
While the Canaries were looking to make it 14 games unbeaten, the home side were looking to arrest a slump which had seen them lose their last three matches and drop to within two points of the relegation zone.
Former Derby man Steve Howard parternered DJ Campbell in attack, with former Ipswich man Jamie Clapham also a familiar face for the travelling army of 3,000 City fans.
The sun might have been shining, but it was still a chilly day in the midlands, with playing conditions not helped by the state of the pitch, which resembled a ploughed field in places, particularly in one of the goalmouths and on the side closest to the dug-outs.
Leicester kicked off, with the Canaries defending the most weather-beaten of the two penalty areas.
The first serious attack of the game came on eight minutes, with Darel Russell putting Lee Croft in the clear down the right. The winger got level with the Foxes penalty area before pulling a cross back towards Ched Evans, but his half volley was well blocked by Iain Hume.
A minute later and David Marshall was forced into the first save of the afternoon. Leicester won a corner on the right, and when City failed to clear their lines home skipper Stephen Clemence sent in a ferocious effort from 15 yards which seemed to be heading towards the top corner. But the Scotland international added yet another excellent save to his end of season collection, tipping the ball over angle.
It was the visitors seeing most of the ball in the opening 15 minutes of the game, with a good turn and shot from Evans forcing Ben Alnwick to be alert at his near post.
With the Norwich goalmouth in a terrible state, City's defence appeared to have been directed not to play any pass-backs into an area where a miss-kick from Marshall could result in the ball ending up in the net.
But on 15 minutes Shackell's ball back to his goalkeeper under pressure sent the custodian rather too wide, with Marshall almost conceding a corner before being forced into a hurried clearance.
On 21 minutes the home side had loud shouts for a penalty waved away when Hume's free kick from 20-yards smashing into the defensive wall. In fairness, the moment happened so quickly it would have been nigh on impossible for referee Clive Oliver to have given anything, although home boss Ian Holloway clearly disagreed.
Set-pieces were proving a real threat to the Canaries, and on 22 minutes Marshall was forced into another fine save, this time getting down low to keep out a far post header from Gareth McAuley.
But a minute later and Marshall was helpless to keep out Leicester's next attack. Fans' favourite Hume danced past a couple of challenges outside the box before outpacing Camara to slide the ball beneath the Norwich 'keeper and relieve the tension among the home support.
It was a fine finish, but left real question marks over Norwich's defending, with Roeder clearly unimpressed by the way he made his way down the stands to the dug-outs.
On 29 minutes goalscorer Hume made it into Oliver's notebook after taking down Camara in full flight wide on the left, despite the City defender's appeals not to book his opponent.
The Canaries were looking slightly jaded after going behind, with Campbell failing to hit the target from 18 yards out after wrong-footing Shackell just outside the area. In a bid to freshen things up, Roeder instructed Croft and Henry to switch flanks, with the latter in particular so far seeing little change out of right-back Stearman.
But the home side continued to press, with Russell almost punished for being caught in possession on 36 minutes when Clemence sent a bobbling shot just wide of Marshall's far post.
City's frustrations were starting to get the better of them, and on 41 minutes Fotheringham picked-up his fifth booking of the season after clattering into the back of Clemence, meaning a suspension was now on the cards for the Canaries' captain.
Evans was the player who had looked most of a threat for City in the first half, and he flashed another volley on the turn over the bar a minute before the break as the Canaries looked to get into the interval a goal down at worst.
Half time: Leicester 1-0 Norwich City
City's players were back out on the pitch well before their Leicester counterparts for the second half, with a few well-chosen words from Roeder no doubt still ringing in their ears.
Indeed, the Norwich boss could be seen out on the playing surface as they waited for the arrival of the home team, giving some final words of advice to his troops as they looked to keep their unbeaten run going.
But regardless of what he'd said, it was Leicester who continued to threaten, with Shackell needing to produce a goal-saving challenge on 52 minutes. Giant striker Howard switched the play beautifully across to the right to find Hume in space, and the midfielder fizzed a low cross into Campbell's path no more than 10 yards from City's goal.
But Shackell had read the danger brilliantly, sliding in to block the shot before regaining his footing to bring the ball to safety.
At the other end Dublin saw a tame side-footed effort finish well wide of Alnwick's near post, much to the delight of the Leicester fans behind the goal.
And on 57 minutes City's excellent unbeaten run really did look precarious when Leicester doubled the lead through Howard.
A big clearance from the back was missed completely by Norwich's rearguard, allowing the former Derby man to sneak in at the back post and slide the ball past Marshall at full stretch, despite belated pressure by Shackell.
It was a soft way to concede, with Norwich now left with a real mountain to climb.
And two minutes later Norwich's afternoon went from bad to worse when they were reduced to 10-men. Russell lost the ball on the corner of Leicester's box, and when he went in for the second tackle he left Stearman in a crumpled heap on the ground.
A melee ensued, with Russell having to be seperated by his team-mates from some of Leicester's players, who clearly wanted some retribution. And referee Oliver provided it for them, giving Russell a a straight red and three game suspension to boot. And with Fozzy now facing a ban too, Roeder was now left contemplating life without his first choice central midfielders for a while.
The red card was little consolation for Stearman however, who left the field on a stretcher and was replaced by James Chambers.
The sending off forced Roeder into his first change of the game, with Henry making way for Matthew Pattison.
Ten minutes later and Cureton joined the game with Camara making way. This saw City adopting a bold 3-3-3 formation as they went for broke.
But on 77 minutes it was three. Campbell timed his run to perfection, making a mockery of City's shouts for offside, and the striker took a touch before producing an assured finish into the far corner. With City's away following the biggest since their 6-0 humilation at Fulham almost four years ago, you began to fear that history was repeating itself as Doherty was forced to throw himself of a goalbound shot by Oakley.
And on 82 minutes it started to look that way when Clemence made it four. Laczko had time and space on the right to pick out his skipper 12 yards out, and the former Spurs man fired a low shot through a crowd of player and past the unsighted Marshall into the far corner.
City were now well on course for their heaviest defeat under Roeder, and were certainly ending their 13-game unbeaten run in spectacular style.
There was some respite for Norwich on 85 minutes when Evans stung Alnwick's fingers with a rasping drive, but it had so far been the only real effort of note for Norwich in what had been a woeful second half.
Full time: Leicester 4-0 Norwich City
Leicester: Alnwick, Kisnorbo, McAuley, Clemence (c), Hume, Campbell (Fryatt 85), Clapham, Stearman (Chambers 61), Mattock (Laczko 25), Oakley, Howard. Subs: N'Gotty, Hayles,
Norwich City: Marshall, Otsemobor, Doherty, Shackell, Camara (Cureton 72), Croft, Fotheringham (c), Russell, Henry (Pattison 61), Evans, Dublin. Subs: Gilks, Pearce, Gibbs.
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