Bolton dropped back into the Premier League's relegation zone after conceding late goals in a 2-0 loss at Norwich on Saturday.
Andrew Surman put Norwich ahead in the 70th by pouncing on a loose ball to smash home, then fellow midfielder Anthony Pilkington sealed victory five minutes from time with a close-range strike.
Bolton had beaten Liverpool and drawn with Arsenal in its last two league matches but the loss at Carrow Road saw the team fall back into the bottom three, with Wolverhampton Wanderers climbing above Owen Coyle's men thanks to a 2-1 win at Queens Park Rangers.
''We never got to the level we are capable of, we are better than we showed,'' Coyle said. ''We have to take our medicine, dust ourselves down and come back stronger next week.''
Norwich stayed ninth - a point behind Sunderland - in its first season back in the topflight after promotion, and rebounded well from a lackluster 3-0 loss to the Black Cats on Wednesday.
''I thought the players were colossal,'' said Norwich manager Paul Lambert, who lost center backs Daniel Ayala and Zak Whitbread to injury in the first half.
''Everyone was brilliant for me in the second half - we were relentless. We lost in midweek and now we bounced back strongly and that is a great credit to the players. Nobody expected us to be where we are in the table.''
