Brilliant Barnsley getting the message as they are kept in check by hard taskmaster Valerien Ismael

Valerien Ismael’s side managed to simultaneously be deserving winners – “I have to say it was one of the best,” he commented when asked where the performance rated alongside others in his tenure – and fortunate to go through during the 90 minutes.

If that “but” sounds unnecessarily harsh when reviewing Barnsley’s excellent first win over Championship opposition (all of them strong promotion contenders) in 2021, this is a squad driven by a harsh taskmaster.

To this observer, Romal Palmer seemed to more than play his part in an excellent first-half performance from the four-man midfield which controlled the opening 45 minutes, but was substituted at half-time with Ismael citing fatigue.

“He was always too late in the duels and the decision-making,” he argued.

“It’s normal when you don’t play regularly,” he added, softening the blow, but not by much.

For Callum Styles, not only scorer of the only goal but the man behind the brilliant block which stopped Emil Buendia equalising after 77 minutes, there was the most backhanded of compliments: “I’m delighted he’s back from his deep sleep in the last weeks.”

“Conor (Chaplin) had a few possibilities in the second half to finish the job and make it a quieter afternoon for us,” Ismael pointed out.

And that, really, was the sub-plot of a good day.

Barnsley were brilliant, their direct football creating 16 chances, but their wayward finishing only converting one. This was a classic case of what over the years, it seems, is becoming an increasing decisive factor in domestic cup ties – a hungrier team overcoming a loftier one with a more lukewarm attitude towards cup football.

“Barnsley totally went for this game, they more or less went for their strongest line-up and we decided we had to rotate a bit more and give some valuable game-time to some players who desperately needed it,” explained Daniel Farke, manager of Championship leaders Norwich.

And yet he was also right to argue “it was possible to win this game.”

A Max Aarons shot dipped marginally off target with Brad Collins rooted to his line, Jordan Hugill missed a good chance with a header, Przemyslaw Placheta hit the crossbar when he ought to have scored, and when he declined to shoot and squared for Buendia, Styles drew extra attention to what a good performance his had been.

Had one or two of those gone in, it would have been daylight robbery, but that is the sort of heist teams that win titles can pull off, and Norwich are one of those sides.

A side that only scraped staying up last season could be forgiven for patting itself on the back at beating the best team in their division and setting up their first FA Cup fifth-round tie in eight years – at home to the Chelsea side they memorably knocked out in 2008 – but on Saturday Ismael preferred a kick up the backside.

If he is this demanding of his players, you can bet he will be the same with the Barnsley board, and they have not risen to the challenge under predecessors Daniel Stendel and Gerhard Struber. If the imposing Ismael is insistent on another forward having bombed out Elliot Simoes and Luke Thomas with fleas in their ears over professionalism – and be in no doubt he is – it would be a brave man to tell him “no”.

The victory, he quickly pointed out in his post-match press conference, was reward for three scoreless performances against Norwich, Swansea City and Watford where he was fairly pleased with the performance levels, just not the details or the outcome.

He is, above all, a very good coach and having drummed his message into the players, “The guys understood how we can put the opponent under more pressure.”

The result was a goal for Styles, spinning on the ball Aarons half-headed away from yet another Callum Brittain cross, and beating Tim Krul.

But with Alex Mowatt brilliant again in midfield, showing a lovely range of passing and a hunger belying a contract ticking down, and the wing-backs penetrating, the result of Ismael’s ‘message’ was also a blocked shot for Tony Sibbick, Palmer’s two long-range shots, Dominik Frieser’s two volleys and Michail Helik’s header saved at a corner.

Then there was Cauley Woodrow’s weak and off target header as Frieser got in his way – and his right-footed swipe at a nod-down from the Austrian when the left might have buried it – Styles just failing to get to a Brittain centre, and three good chances for Chaplin late on.

Only Chaplin, in the 80th minute, forced a really good save from Krul, an excellent Championship goalkeeper.

There is, then, still much to be done, but in Ismael, Barnsley can console themselves with the knowledge they have a coach who will not rest until it is. And probably not then either.

Barnsley: Collins; Sibbick (Solbauer 63), Helik, Andersen; Brittain, Mowatt, Palmer, (Kane 46) Styles; Frieser (Miller 79), Woodrow (Schmidt 79), Adeboyejo (Chaplin 55). Unused substitutes: Walton, Odour, Moon, Omar.

Norwich City: Krul; Aarons, Hanley, Gibson, Sorensen; Rupp (Martin 78), Tettey (Skipp 63); Hernandez (Buendia 63), Dowell (Vrancic 78), Placheta; Hugill (Omotoye 65). Unused substitutes: Mumba, Omobamidele, Barden.

Referee: J Brooks (Leicestershire).