The Dons made a grandstand finish but it didn't stop the Canaries collecting the three points.
In the second minute an early chance for Iwan Roberts to mark his first-team comeback with a goal, but his header from Clint Easton's cross went wide.
Damien Francis took just nine minutes to score against his former club. He collected a throughball from Mark Rivers, shrugged off two defenders and hit a left-foot shot wide of Steve Banks.
Adam Nowland fired wide with a free-kick a quarter of an hour into the game and Marc Edworthy delivered an inviting right-wing cross after a surging run but Roberts' header flew over the bar.
Francis then set up Paul McVeigh but he fired into the sidenetting from an acute angle.
Mikele Leigertwood felled Gary Holt and Mark Rivers made it 2-0 in the 27th minute with a well-taken penalty. Banks guessed correctly but his dive to the right failed to keep out Rivers' shot.
Alex Tapp was booked for a foul on Craig Fleming in the 39th minute and McVeigh followed him into his book just before half time for failing to retreat ten yards from a free-kick.
Francis became the first booking of the second half for a clumsy challenge on Tapp after 52 minutes.
Five minutes later Rivers scored the third Norwich goal when he arrived at the far post to slide in Adam Drury's left-wing cross.
Edworthy was booked for a foul on Jermaine Darlington and Dean Holdsworth replaced Nowland after 58 minutes, before Robert Green made his first save of the game to keep out a fierce drive from Tapp.
In the 68th minute there was a second Dons substitution, Scott McDonald replacing Patrick Agyemang, while two-goal hero Rivers made way for Ian Henderson.
The Dons' final change saw Joel McAnuff replacing Michael Gordon.
Peter Hawkins was booked for a foul and Jermaine Darlington for dissent with a quarter of an hour left to play and five minutes later McVeigh was replaced by Elvis Hammond.
Then came the grand finale, Holdsworth lobbed Green with a right-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area when put through by Nigel Reo-Coker.
Hawkins was shown a red card for something he said or did to the ref, then deep into added time Gordon set up Leigertwood for the goal of the game when he hit a 30-yard drive which flew past Green into the top left-hand corner.