Marcelino Nunez's first-half free-kick settled the East Anglian derby as Norwich enhanced their promotion hopes and dented Ipswich's with a 1-0 win at Carrow Road.
Championship table-toppers Ipswich arrived at their greatest rivals having failed to beat them in their previous 13 attempts, and rarely looked like ending that hoodoo against an organised Norwich side, who thoroughly deserved victory.
The game had all the tension of a derby with few clear-cut chances at either end, but an increasing number of niggly fouls given away by the visitors before half-time.
Norwich finally made one of those count when Nunez's dipping free-kick caught out Vaclav Hladky at his near post six minutes before the break in the only shot on target of the first period.
It took over an hour for Ipswich to finally register one of their own and more than 80 minutes to trouble the Norwich goal when they mounted their trademark late onslaught and Omari Hutchinson's lob was blocked by Angus Gunn.
But there were to be no last-gasp heroics from the visitors this time, as they opened the door to Leeds and Leicester who could both leapfrog them later on Saturday. Norwich's victory laid down a marker for Coventry and Preston below them by increasing their cushion inside the play-off places to seven points.