Huddersfield Town 0 Norwich City 4: Terriers' failings making any good football irrelevant

The weather said it all on David Wagner's triumphant return – right now it never rains but it pours for his former club.

As they chased shadows in the second half, West Yorkshire was hit by an absolute downpour so bad they had to turn the floodlights on at 4.35 on an August afternoon. Stood in short sleeves in the sunshine at the start of the second half, Town manager Neil Warnock was huddled under the hood of a touchline jacket by then.

The party last season ended with has been well and truly rained on by one point from the opening four matches.

Huddersfield's early-season football and their results have not tallied up, and although no one could make that argument with a straight face at full-time, they might have had a case at the interval.

But there can be no hard-luck stories – by and large they only have themselves to blame.

If they could complain about Norwich's second goal, from a soft penalty, the first was all of their own making.

From 2-0 down, they were always ripe for the sort of lightning counter-attack the Canaries inflicted at the start of the second half when the hosts failed to take another chance.

It is an area Ben Wiles – signed a minute too late to feature, according to Warnock – will have to sharpen up, but the former Rotherham United man cannot be expected to transform this team on his own. Not when there is so much to do.

The one area of Huddersfield's shooting which has been spot on this season has been when they take aim at their own feet, and it has often been the more reliable players who have been to blame.

After 11 minutes on Saturday Jonathan Hogg underhit a backpass to Lee Nicholls which Josh Sargent was able to close down. As the pair scrambled for the loose ball, Nicholls shove in the American's back only succeeded in injuring him, twisting his ankle as he fell, but only after heading into the net.

So to concede again minutes later was a real blow.

This time Matty Pearson could count himself unlucky, his boot raised but not as high as Jonathan Rowe as the pair competed for a ball bouncing up from Dimitris Giannoulis' throw-in.

Ashley Barnes sent Nicholls the wrong way from 12 yards.

It was a pity because the Terriers had started well, Josh Koroma's dipping shot hitting the post in the fifth minute, and Sorba Thomas whipped in a dangerous cross Pearson was just unable to convert.

Once they calmed down, wound up by the 2-0 deficit, Barnes' trademark gamesmanship and some erratic refereeing – Koroma was rightly booked for dragging his man back but it came a minute after Shane Duffy escaped a card for cynically clipping Brahima Diarra as he ran onto a Danny Ward flick on, and Nicholls ought to have been booked for the opener – Huddersfield began playing well again.

Norwich struggled with straight ball from the many deep free-kicks given, Koroma shooting hopelessly over when they failed to get one clear in the 37th minute, and Ward unable to stay over his volley from another, and the quality crosses kept coming in.

Josh Ruffels was celebrating as he headed a Tom Edwards delivery on the run, only for Angus Gunn to get across to make an excellent save.

The second half started in Norwich territory, Koroma having a shot blocked, and a dangerous right-wing cross passing through without a touch. But Norwich blitzed down the other end, a cute backheel releasing Adam Idah, whose cross resulted in Jonathan Rowe's fifth goal in a season only five games old. He has scored in all of them, putting this one in at the near post.

It made what happened in the remaining 42 minutes plus five minutes of added time – Edwards' volley, Jack Rudoni's blocked shot, Gunn's save from substitute Pat Jones and Delano Burgzog's volley over – irrelevant.

It was no surprise that Norwich picked off a fourth, Idah finishing a sweeping move down the left from an embarrassing amount of space before the substitute limped off injured.

An offside flag stopped Barnes making it worse still with game's penultimate touch.

Huddersfield have to start making the good things they do matter.

Huddersfield Town: Nicholls; Edwards, Pearson, Helik, Ruffles; Diarra (Headley 85), Hogg, Rudoni (Jackson 78); Thomas (Austerfield 67), Ward (Burgzorg 67), Koroma (Jones 67).

Unused substitutes: Edmonds-Green, Maxwell, Harratt, Nakayama.

Norwich City: Gunn; Stacey, Duffy, Gibson, Giannoulis (Gibbs 85); McLean, Sara; Fassnacht (Springett 76), Barnes, Rowe (Placheta 76); Sargent (Idah 14 (Nunez 85)).

Unused substitutes: Omobamidele, Long, McCallum, Forshaw.

Referee: D Whitestone (Northampton).