Norwich City supporters returned to Carrow Road for the first time since December as the Canaries continued their pre-season preparations with victory over Gillingham.
Given football has been played with a backdrop of empty seats and turnstiles closed, there was plenty to enjoy as fans poured back into NR1.
This was the biggest event Carrow Road had hosted since February 2020, with a full house expected for their opening game of the new season against Liverpool. New signing Pierre Lees-Melou gave them something to cheer after nine minutes as his deflected strike found the net.
A brace from Adam Idah, Lukas Rupp's close-range strike and a bullet header from Jacob Sorensen made this an enjoyable homecoming for those City fans in attendance.
A flurry of City players were absent in their penultimate warm-up fixture prior to the big Premier League against Liverpool.
Eight first-team players were missing including Teemu Pukki, Milot Rashica, Przemek Placheta, Jordan Hugill, Onel Hernandez, Bali Mumba and Grant Hanley.
City's previous two friendlies scheduled to be against Coventry and Sheffield United last week were postponed after a 'small number' of positive Covid-19 cases inside their first-team group.
After a full-throated On the Ball, City! was performed by those in attendance, the attention turned to the actual football. The Canaries nearly gave their supporters an early reason to cheer after Dimitris Giannoulis' cross was glanced over the bar by Idah.
It took just nine minutes before that famous Carrow Road roar was heard, and it was one of the summer additions who snatched the lead for Daniel Farke's men.
When Pierre Lees-Melou shifted the ball onto his left foot after Todd Cantwell was tackled, few expected the Frenchman to unleash a strike with such venom. Jamie Cumming was left with a watching brief as the ball flew into the top corner of the net.
Norwich were firmly in the ascendancy and making their divisional advantage count as they dominated possession.
Andrew Omobamidele went close with a header after 23 minutes. The youngster failed to hit the target from Kieran Dowell's deep free-kick.
Billy Gilmour went close soon after, the on-loan Chelsea midfielder burst into the box with a direct run but his effort curled wide of Cumming's far post.
With City in firm control, at points during this fixture it felt somewhat of an attack versus defence exercise. Max Aarons will have been frustrated not to have doubled their lead after seeing his shot saved by Cummings before Gilmour blasted an effort just over the bar in the same attack.
Gillingham did see an effort cannon off the bar after trialist Mustapha Carayol won his side a corner. The ex-Ipswich winger delivered the set-piece onto the head of Vadaine Oliver, whose fierce header left the woodwork shaking.
After that brief foray forward, City resumed control and had their second of the evening through Idah. The 20-year-old had plenty to thank Cantwell for after he acrobatically picked him out at the far post. Idah was left to tap into the net after the attacking midfielder's overhead kick cross.
The second half descended into more of a standard pre-season affair as both coaches began to shuffle their packs and offer valuable minutes to those on the bench ahead of their respective campaigns.
City's third goal was orchestrated by a wonderful pass from Gilmour, who was impressive in his first outing at Carrow Road. The Scot's threaded ball found Giannoulis who in turn crossed for Lukas Rupp to find the net from close range.
Idah added a fourth with an emphatic finish after a lengthy spell of possession from City. The striker received the ball from Dowell before firing a fierce strike into the top corner to add gloss onto an enjoyable evening for Farke's men.
Sorensen wrapped up a fine evening in NR1 with a fifth goal. The Dane, who only returned to training this week following his positive coronavirus diagnosis, nodded Cantwell's free-kick into the net.
- Norwich City (4-2-3-1): Krul (Gunn, 45); Aarons, Omobamidele, Gibson (C) (Zimmermann, 62), Giannoulis; Rupp (Sorensen, 62), Gilmour (Adshead, 86), Lees-Melou (McLean, 62); Cantwell, Dowell (Tomkinson, 81); Idah.
- Bookings: None
- Goals: Lees-Melou 9, Idah 36 & 73, Rupp 61, Sorensen 89
- Gillingham (4-2-3-1): Cumming (Chapman, 78); Tutonda, O'Keefe (C), Ehmer, Tucker, Lee (Lloyd, 45), Carayol (Hall, 62), Crowley, Bennett (Linlott, 62), Oliver (Akinde, 45 (Sithole, 71), Phillips. Subs not used: Maghoma
- Bookings: None
- Goals: None
- Added on time: 1 min/ 1 min
- Attendance: 10, 692 (82 away)
- Referee: Andy Woolmer
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