David Wagner’s first game in charge of Norwich City ended in defeat as the Canaries were knocked out of the FA Cup by Blackburn Rovers at Carrow Road.
Jack Vale gave the visitors the lead in the All Championship third round tie just after the half-hour mark following a confusion in the Norwich defence.
Rovers keeper Aynsley Pears denied Onel Hernandez, Max Aarons and Jordan Hugill as Norwich looked to equalise.
Danel Sinani then had a deflected shot wide in injury time as Rovers held on.
Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side will face League 1 contenders Forest Green Rovers or his other Championship side Birmingham City in the fourth round, with matches to be played between January 27 and 30.
Wagner was named friday on a rolling 12-month contract, filling the vacancy created after Dean Smith was sacked on December 27.
The 51-year-old has made six changes since the 1-0 loss to Watford on Monday, with goalkeeper Tim Krul among those recalled.
Norwich threatened with a header from Scotland defender Grant Hanley and a shot from striker Teemu Pukki over the bar before falling behind after a back pass from the centre-back sold Krul short.
Dilan Markanday shut down the former Netherlands keeper and the loose ball fell to Bradley Dack, who squared in for Vale to pass a covering defender on the line.
Pears fended off a low shot from Gabriel Sara before Ben Brereton Diaz missed a good chance to make it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time, sending his left-footed shot over the bar at 12 meters.
Six-time FA Cup winners Blackburn put on a solid defensive display after the break to advance to the fourth round for the first time since the 2016-17 season, while Norwich suffered a third-round exit for the first time in four Seasons.
Former Huddersfield Town boss Wagner will now focus on reviving Norwich’s fortunes in the league, with the side three points clear of the play-off places in 11th following relegation from the Premier League last season.
Norwich boss David Wagner told BBC Radio Norfolk:
“Sometimes in football you don’t get what you deserve.
“In terms of performance, it was quite good after just a few days of working together. I saw some really good things.
“The players were very brave with the ball and really wanted to play from behind. That means you sometimes make mistakes, like we did before the goal.
“I raise my hand for that – it happens. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen often. Unfortunately, we didn’t create enough clean chances.”
Blackburn manager Jon Dahl Tomasson told BBC Radio Lancashire:
“We all know it was a brilliant win.
“Coming here with a new manager, you could feel the positive energy around the stadium.
“They asked us a lot of questions but I think all the players got very good answers.
“We played with extreme discipline and intensity. The clean sheet was the key to the game.”
