Wycombe Wanderers bowed out of this season's Carabao Cup with a 4-3 defeat to Championship side Norwich City after a thrilling clash at Adams Park.

The Canaries looked comfortable after a Jordan Rhodes brace put them 2-0 up.

However, the Blues fought back valiantly to make a real game of it.

Rhodes opened the scoring on 11 minutes, bundling the ball home from three yards after a wicked cross from Emil Buendia.

The former Middlesbrough striker made it two on 14 minutes when he sent a beauitful curler past the stranded Allsop.

Paris Cowan-Hall pulled one back on 16 minutes, lashing home a rebound after Ben Godfrey headed against his own bar.

Norwich looked to make the game safe on 41 minutes when Tom Trybull headed home Buendia's corner.

It definitely looked all over when Rhodes got his hat-trick on 51 minutes, poking home Ivo Pinto's teasing cross.

However, the Chairboys fought back brilliantly. Sam Saunders scored a penalty on the hour from the penalty spot after the lively Alex Samuel was fouled by Christoph Zimmermann.

And on 74 minutes, Adebayo Akinfenwa pounced from a yard and Michael McGovern made an incredible save from Craig Mackail-Smith, which fell to Samuel who laid it to McCarthy to score.

Norwich made a quick start to the game and McCarthy had to clear Felix Passlack’s cross after just 20 seconds.

Wycombe had their first opportunity on four minutes when Mackail-Smith got in behind Zimmermann but his long-range effort was easily held by Michael McGovern.

The Canaries looked a threat on the break and the lively Passlack seized upon a poor defensive header from Darius Charles on seven minutes but skyed his shot high and wide.

Daniel Farke’s men edged the early exchanges and Jordan Rhodes saw his header brilliantly saved by Ryan Allsop on 10 minutes but he was flagged for offside.

However, a minute later, Rhodes chested home to give his side the lead.

The Championship side were looking dangerous and Rhodes got another goal on 14 minutes after lovely build-up play.

Wanderers were rocked by those twin strikes and Matt Bloomfield came close to reducing the arrears on 16 minutes when his piledriver was superbly tipped away by McGovern.

From the resulting corner, Godfrey made a mistake and Cowan-Hall slammed home.

Rhodes nearly had an eight-minute hat-trick but he headed wide with the goal gaping after a cross from Pinto.

It was a really open affair with Wanderers looking hungry for goals. Nick Freeman was next to have a crack on 21 minutes but his firm strike went well wide.

The Chairboys still posed the Norwich defence problems with Mackail-Smith and Samuel’s running stretching their backline.

Rhodes thought he had notched his hat-trick on 33 minutes when he got the better of Allsop and stroked the ball into an empty net but the referee ruled it out for a foul on the Wycombe keeper.

Norwich then got their third of the night on 41 minutes when Buendia’s corner found Trybull who firmly headed into the net from 10 yards.

Sido Jombati had a half-chance for the home side in first half injury-time when he met Saunders’ free kick but his header dribbled wide of the far post.

Daniel Farke’s men nearly made it four on 48 minutes when a deep cross found Passlack but his first time effort drew a smart save from Allsop.

A minute later, Dennis Srbeny crashed his shot off the crossbar from 12 yards after some scintillating trickery from Mario Vrancic.

On 51 minutes, Rhodes did finally get his hat-trick when he toed it past the helpless Allsop.

Wycombe weren’t lying down and the home side got a penalty on the hour when Samuel was shoved over by Zimmermann and Saunders coolly dispatched the penalty past McGovern.

Wanderers sensed a sniff of an opportunity to put Norwich under pressure and Samuel drew a magnificent save out of McGovern on 66 minutes after a superb cross from Mackail-Smith.

Sixty seconds later, Freeman drilled wide from 25 yards after excellent approach play from Saunders.

The tireless Mackail-Smith almost scored a sensational goal on 71 minutes when he turned Pinto inside out before striking fiercely into the side netting.

Wanderers had a spring in their step and got a third on 74 minutes when Akinfenwa pounced from a yard out after McGovern produced an incredible save to deny Mackail-Smith.

Samuel hit it back across goal and McCarthy gobbled up the chance.

Akinfenwa was causing chaos for the Canaries defence and he chested down for Freeman on 86 minutes, who saw his shot well held by McGovern.

Saunders came so, so close to getting a deserved equaliser for the hosts when his cross-shot on 89 minutes went inches wide with McGovern beaten.

Norwich were hanging on grimly in a frantic last few minutes but held on for the win.

WYCOMBE WANDERERS: Allsop, McCarthy, Jombati, Charles (sub: Harriman, 61), Cowan-Hall, Gape, Saunders, Bloomfield (sub: Akinfenwa, 61), Freeman, Mackail-Smith, Samuel (sub: Kashket, 81). Subs: Yates, Morris, Thompson, Williams.

NORWICH CITY: McGovern, Passlack, Godfrey, Zimmermann, Pinto, Trybull, Thompson (sub: Lewis, 76), Vrancic, Srbeny (sub: Stiepermann, 87), Buendia (sub: Klose, 85), Rhodes. Subs: Krul, Leitner, Lewis, Pukki, Aarons.

REFEREE: Jeremy Simpson

ATTENDANCE: 3,947