Norwich City 4-3 Stevenage: Carabao Cup player ratings

George Long

A first half to forget for the City stopper, who topped 45 minutes of unsuccessful long balls with the concession of a corner he should have claimed. Improved in the second period, saving well from Harvey White and going shorter with his distribution.

Still highly unlikely to trouble Angus Gunn, and could see pressure from Archie Mair for the second-choice slot before long. A wealth of young and hungry goalkeepers waiting in the wings. 5

Jack Stacey

The former Bournemouth man was on top form again after a difficult pre-season and little help from his team-mates at Oxford. Defended well for the most part, and regularly found space down the right when Norwich played through the away press.

His personal highlight was inch-perfect ball for Onel Hernandez, who dispatched with a fine finish for 2-1. 8

Jaden Warner

A good night for the 21-year-old, who many have eschewed in favour of the en vogue Brad Hills this summer. Kept his cool in possession, started the move for that sublime second goal, defended well in the channels and stood up to the physical battle.

Some of the collective responsibility is his for the two set-piece goals, but he'd departed the pitch before Stevenage's third. An encouraging step forward for the defensive prospect. 8

Brad Hills

Plenty of the yellow and green discourse has centred around Hills after Saturday's no-show from his more experienced colleagues, and he largely lived up to the hype here. Similarly calm in possession and impressively aerially dominant.

Body position in question for his own goal, but in the end it felt like simply an unfortunate footnote in another positive display. 7

Brad Hills made further positive strides at Carrow Road (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

Kellen Fisher

Put in challenging circumstances at left-back, his natural right-sided strength meaning he constantly and understandably had to cut inside to affect the game.

Composed and technically good when he got on the ball in midfield areas, but struggled defensively on his weaker side at times. 6

Kenny McLean

Began to show some of the reasons he claimed last season's Barry Butler Memorial Trophy, even if it wasn't a stellar display from the Scot. Much improved on the ball from Saturday's mixed effort, his instinctive pass setting Stacey away for that Hernandez assists.

He and his midfield comrades struggled to stem the counter-attacking flow at times, however, with defensive work still to do in that department. Still looks like he could be suited to a role playing further forward, but he'd struggle to displace Amankwah Forson and Marcelino Nunez. 6

Marcelino Nunez

 A suitably switched-on showing from the Chilean, who took his delightfully casual touches with purpose this time round. Seemed to have a better idea of what he was doing, and found himself in advanced areas much more often.

Similar concerns around the defensive side of his game in this current system, but this was a step in the right direction for a player who could be key under Johannes Hoff Thorup. 7

Amankwah Forson

Arguably the best player on the pitch when he got involved, as highlighted by his turn, movement and duo of passes before the opener. Adds a lively and dynamic presence to a midfield that needed it.

His quality on the ball shone whenever he got on it, but if there's one small criticism of the Ghanaian it's that he didn't do so as much as he could have. Even so, that's nitpicking. 8

Abu Kamara

Perhaps the best he's looked in a Norwich shirt, and marked with the tangible contribution of his first goal in yellow and green. Sharper and more involved than his pre-season offerings, as well as his ineffectual substitute appearance at the Kassam.

Still a long way to go for him to hit the heights many behind the scenes believe he can, and more involvement is essential in future, but this felt like progress. 7

Onel Hernandez

A tireless shift, two goals and an (admittedly fortunate) assist. What more can you ask? That will be the Cuban's question to Thorup as he makes his team selection for this weekend's visit of Blackburn Rovers.

After failing to score in NR1 for nearly five years he found two within 25 minutes, re-establishing his place in the conversation in the process. Although his positional future is unclear as of now, he'll be incredibly pleased with that performance. 9

Borja Sainz

Similarly proud will be Borja Sainz, whose consistently good work was rewarded with a fine finish to take the lead again in the second half. He'd been a thorn in the visiting side throughout, most notably bursting into the box to find Hernandez before Kamara's tap-in.

There was an inevitability to his angled drive for 3-2, a statement of intent for a big season in his City career. 8

Borja Sainz topped a strong showing with a fine goal (Image: PA)

SUBSTITUTES

Callum Doyle (on for Warner, 61)

Showed plenty of his technical quality despite playing only a third of the game. Defensively solid for the most part, too, and underlined his versatility with stints at both centre-back and left-back. 7

Liam Gibbs (on for Forson, 61)

Covered plenty of ground, did the simple things well and avoided any errors. A solid stint. 6

Gabriel Forsyth (on for Sainz, 69)

Another 25 minutes in the tank after making his senior debut for the club only three days earlier. Clearly very highly rated by Thorup. Nothing of note in this one aside from a 60-yard strike after the whistle had gone. That sublime finish sadly earned him a booking. 5

Elliot Myles (on for McLean, 81)

Another first-team debut for an academy product, which is always good news. The 17-year-old is seen as a very hot prospect at Colney. 5

Shane Duffy (on for Fisher, 81)

A couple of trademark booming headers after taking the captain's armband late on. 5