Andy Rinomhota earned Reading an unlikely point deep into stoppage time after they had fallen victim to yet another late Norwich raid.
His pinpoint left-footed strike from the edge of the box silenced a Carrow Road that had moment earlier been bouncing following a breath-taking turnaround led by Ben Godfrey and Christoph Zimmerman.
Norwich have made an art form of late smash and grab raids in their Premier League promotion push this season and this one carried a certain inevitability.
In the dying seconds Andy Rinomhota earned Reading a point at title-chasing Norwich
NORWICH (4-2-3-1): Krul; Aarons, Zimmermann (c), Godfrey, Lewis (Vrancic 81); Trybull, McLean; Cantwell (Rhodes 70), Stiepermann, Hernandez; Pukki (Klose 90)
SUBSTITUTES NOT USED: McGovern (GK); Leitner, Hanley, Srbeny
MANAGER: Daniel Farke
SCORERS: Godfrey 86; Zimmermann 88
READING (5-3-2): Martinez; Gunter (Loader 94), Yiadom, Miazga, Moore (c), Blackett; Rinomhota, Baker (Baldock 94), Ejaria; Barrow (McCleary 77), Meite
SUBSTITUTES NOT USED: Walker (GK); Marriott, Barrett, McIntyre
MANAGER: Jose Gomes
SCORERS: Meite 30; Rinomhota 90+7
BOOKED: Martinez, Baker
REFEREE: Keith Stroud (Hampshire)
ATTENDANCE: 26,662
Indeed, we all wondered how Daniel Farke’s side had trailed for so long after Yakou Meite had handed relegation-haunted Reading a shock lead in the first-half.
This result will merely delay Norwich’s return to the Premier League after three seasons away but the point could prove priceless for the Royals in the increasingly feverish scrap to avoid finishing 22nd.
They led when Meite turned home Modou Barrow’s left-wing cross on the half-hour, but then were clinging on for all of the second-half, with keeper Emiliano Martinez making a string of crucial saves.
The pressure eventually told and four minutes remained when Marco Stiepermann laid the ball off to defender Godfrey, whose thunderbolt of a shot from the edge of the box soared past Martinez into the top corner.
Two minutes after that, Kenny McLean popped what seemed like Norwich's millionth cross of the match into the box and there was their captain Zimmermann, rising above the Reading defence to head home the winner.
The entire Norwich team raced to manager Farke to celebrate as a raucous Carrow Road chorused 'we're gonna win the league.'
