Reading 1-1 Norwich City: Jeff Hendrick's first Royals goal denies Canaries top spot
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Jeff Hendrick's goal was his first in 12 games for Reading
Norwich City were denied the chance to go top of the Championship after Jeff Hendrick earned fellow high-flyers Reading a well-deserved draw with his first goal for the Royals.
The Newcastle United loanee's dipping finish from outside the box was enough to keep Reading third and just two points adrift of the Canaries in second spot after Grant Hanley put the visitors ahead.
The draw moves Norwich equal on points with leaders Sheffield United, who were beaten 1-0 by Queens Park Rangers.
Hendrick had seen a fierce first-half effort brush the post, while Tim Krul brilliantly kept a header from Andy Carroll out for a Reading side that could have gone above the Canaries with victory.
An attempted clearance from Tom McIntyre that looped onto the top of the crossbar was the closest Norwich came to breaking the deadlock before the break.
Canaries captain Hanley met a deflected corner to crash home the opening goal just after the break, only for Hendrick to find the bottom corner as the points were shared and the gap closed on the Blades at the top.
The result extends Norwich's unbeaten run to nine league games, while Paul Ince's Royals ensured they continued their fine home form - which has seen them win five and lose just one of their seven league games at the Select Car Leasing Stadium this season.
Norwich dominated early possession, but it was Reading who played with more attacking intent before the break after a cautious start against the competition's in-form side.
Krul made a brilliant left-hand save to deny Carroll with the game's first chance in the 19th minute, with the former England international testing the Canaries goalkeeper with a powerful downward header after meeting a floated cross from Junior Hoilett at the back post.
Hendrick saw a half-volley clip the outside of the post minutes later, while Tom Ince agonisingly failed to reach an inviting low ball from Hoilett, which skipped across the six-yard box, as Reading pressed for a first-half opener.
While Norwich's biggest first-half chance was a fortuitous one in the 39th minute, with McIntyre directing a low Kenny McLean cross onto the woodwork, they were quick to assert themselves after the interval.
Hanley met a deflected Marcelino Nunez corner - which was first flicked on by Sam Byram and then directed into the skipper's path by the unsuspecting Joshua Sargent - to hammer the visitors in front just five minutes after the restart.
Hendrick restored parity 10 minutes later, doing well to control the ball at the top of the box while creating space and time to pick his spot to beat Krul at his near post.
The midfielder continued to threaten, but was more wayward in search of a winner while Andrew Omobamidele sent a late header wide for Norwich in an entertaining game.
Reading manager Paul Ince:
"It was a hard-earned point. We were very good in the first half and disappointed at half-time not to be winning.
"It was then disappointing to concede the first goal, I don't like conceding from set-pieces - we spend a lot of time on that.
"But we got spurred on by the crowd and the players again showed that bouncebackability - they never gave in.
"We thoroughly deserved to get the equaliser from Jeff [Hendrick], who I thought was outstanding.
"The lads are in the changing-room and they're disappointed that they've not won the game, that we've not got the three points. That's how far we've come."
Norwich boss Dean Smith:
"It was a frustrating night. We've taken the lead but ended up not winning the game. I would normally expect us to go on to win the game when we've taken the lead.
"We gave a poor goal away, in terms of us having nine or 10 bodies inside our box when a shot from outside it goes in.
"We've had a lot of comfortable possession today but we've probably not been as effective with it as we'd like in the final third.
"Sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition. I think that Reading defended the spaces behind them really well.
"It was a game that was really starved of clear-cut chances. There wasn't a lot of them throughout the whole game. On reflection, it was probably a fair result."