addy Davitt delivers his Oxford verdict from Norwich’s impressive 3-0 Championship win.

1. The Clement effect

When Philippe Clement took charge of a squad who seemingly had lost belief and lacked direction Norwich City had nine Championship points.

They left the Kassam stadium seven points clear of the relegation zone. It is a remarkable body of work in less than three months. But to win 3-0 against a team scrapping for survival, and set against a backdrop of fresh injury woe, felt like the best yet.

Norwich lost Vladan Kovacevic on Monday. They lost Jovon Makama and Papa Amadou Diallo on Saturday. Despite Clement’s desire to leave Oxford guessing in the build up. Add Pelle Mattsson and Manchester United loanee Harry Amass since the turn of the year.

But adversity seems to fuel the Belgian and a squad who now, as vanquished Oxford rival Matt Bloomfield had noted pre-game, all know their jobs and have coalesced around Clement into an effective, cohesive unit.

One that can keep clean sheets, score goals in large quantities and demonstrated against Oxford an almost dismissive level of control to dictate the tempo, territory and possession.

Clement has said on a few occasions in recent weeks what separates the best sides is the ability to keep producing.

There was a window into his demanding mindset during his post-match media when he cautioned he had been unhappy City did not go for the jugular and add the fourth and fifth goals their dominance deserved.

But by his own measure Norwich now look a serious outfit worthy of respect in the Championship.

2. Matchball Mo

A hint of disbelief in that broad smile as Mohamed Toure was reluctantly shoved forward by his new team mates at the final whistle to accept the acclaim of the travelling support.

Ten days or so ago the Australian international was preparing for the return to action in the Danish Super Liga after a mid-winter break. Now he has four goals in less than 100 minutes in a Norwich shirt, and a new found fan club in Norfolk.

Clement sought perhaps to lower the hype after his Blackburn match-sealing late cameo on Saturday by making it clear any striker in his team will get chances. Toure’s part of that contract was to get himself into the right positions to take them.

His opener showcased his pace and movement. The second had shades of his Carrow Road strike in the way he was on the move between defenders when Ben Chrisene whipped in a low cross.

But it was the third goal that should really set the pulse racing among friend and foe. The speed of thought to anticipate a costly turnover inside the Oxford half and then the clinical intent to fend off a full back and smash into the bottom corner.

Toure was brought to Carrow Road with the mid to longer term in mind. But like Makama before him this season he exudes self belief and a fearlessness that this is also his time.

Given the absence of both Makama and the wantaway Josh Sargent this may have felt like a sink or swim moment.

The challenge from here for Clement and his coaches might be less about building Toure up to handle the Championship than ensuring he stays grounded with the exposure that will now inevitably come his way.

3. A cruel twist

What a season of highs and lows for both Makama and Diallo. Both now face a race to feature again at the back end of this campaign, after Clement confirmed foot and quad injuries respectively.

The luckless Makama broke a bone trying to avoid a grounded Blackburn defender. While for Diallo it was the act of shooting in the warm up that has now brought more quad-related issues.

Although Clement was quick to stress after the game not to the exact same area as the quad injury that sidelined him for months, after his eyecatching League Cup impact at Watford.

Then everything was shiny and new for both a highly-rated signing from Ligue 1, and for Makama plucked from the less rarefied air of League One.

To have scored 10 Championship goals by the halfway mark of your first season at this level in England was a testament not only to his goalscoring ability but his capacity to learn.

No doubt the weeks ahead will be tough for both. Particularly if Clement’s alchemist touch continues to propel Norwich onwards and upwards, and they must observe from the sidelines.

The City boss spoke recently how the likes of Mirko Topic and Ante Crnac are part of every team meeting and in the dressing room after games to retain that sense of togetherness as they plot routes back from season-ending ACL knee injuries.

The latest double blow, coming so soon after lengthy lay-offs for influential midfielder Mattsson, and right winger Matej Jurasek, may have the potential to check City’s surging momentum.

No trace of that at the Kassam but in the weeks and months ahead to be without two young, exciting attacking talents will be a real test of Clement’s hunt for even more upward mobility.

4. The case for the defence

A second consecutive Championship clean sheet, despite the disruption of losing Kovacevic to a quad injury.

Clement cautioned afterwards on the sliding tariff of current lay-offs the City number one is at the favourable end of the spectrum. Expect him back in a ‘number of days’ was the verdict after matchday scans to assess the extent of a issue that came to light in training on Monday.

But the same back four erected a similar ring of steel around Daniel Grimshaw. The understudy’s biggest contribution was not with his hands but his feet less than a minute into the game when he arrowed a ball between Oxford’s Sam Long and his keeper, Jamie Cumming, for Toure to pounce and open the scoring.

Clement name checked the training intensity of Jakov Medic and Harry Darling in the build up, but it is clear Ruairi McConville and the ever-improving Jose Cordoba are the preferred centre back pairing. Kellen Fisher and Chrisene bring bite, in their one-versus-one defensive work, and a desire to get up in support on the overlap.

Chrisene relished the wide open spaces at the Kassam with Oxford’s narrow five leaving a profitable avenue down the City left. Clement may have wanted more goals in the final analysis of another one-sided away day, but that quartet would have been desperate for the clean sheet when the game was effectively over as a contest prior to the hour mark.

Of all the facets that have improved under this head coach chief among them has to be the defensive transformation.

Compare the structure and aggressive intent to go and compete from his Norwich with the passivity and desperation the same players relied on to mine points at Coventry, Stoke or Portsmouth. No longer backs-against-the-wall but front foot forward.