Going into this one it was second against third in the Championship, and the two sides showed exactly why they are near the top of the table in an entertaining draw.
Despite Reading dominating in the first half, it was the away side who took the lead in the 50th minute through their captain Grant Hanley, before the home side equalised ten minutes later through Jeff Hendrick.
After being denied the chance to go top, Norwich remain in second whilst Reading also remain in third.
Ince got it spot on tactically
Paul Ince has got slack in the past for poor tactical decisions, but last night was definitely not one of those nights.
Setting up in a very defensive, compact shape in his side's usual 5-3-2 formation, this worked wonders in nullifying Norwich's ability to play through the middle. It meant Norwich kept a lot of possession at the back - with three of their back four having the most passes of any player on the pitch.
Ince also made sure the height and aerial prowess of Andy Carroll was utilised to the maximum, with the plan being when Joe Lumley in the Reading net was in possession, he would play it forward to Carroll to knock down and then start an attack. This worked very well with Carroll winning seven aerial duels - more than any other player.
Junior Hoilett was superb - even out of position
The Canadian international has primarily played out of position this season at both left and right wing back, a more defensive role compared to his more natural position as a winger.
Hoilett will want to start playing well in the hopes that he will be included in Canada's World Cup squad next month, and he is certainly making an impression on the Royals faithful. Defensively, Hoilett won all attempted tackles, and made eight recoveries, more than any other Reading player. Whilst doing this he also showed his attacking abilities, with some brilliant crosses, one coming close to a goal when it met the head of Carroll, only for his shot to be saved.
Norwich fail to make possession count
In the Championship this season, Norwich have the second highest average possession with 61.2%. Last night they had 65%, however failed to make the most of it. In what was a slow first half for the Canaries, it took until around 40 minutes in for them to show an attacking play that caused Reading some problems.
Admittedly, they weren't helped by Reading's aforementioned tactical shape, but manager Dean Smith did state post-match that his side weren't as effective as he would have liked them to have been, however he mainly put that down to how Reading played, and how their shape affected their style of play. Norwich can't afford for this to become a regular theme, with away games at Watford, Sheffield United and Burnley coming up in the next three weeks.
Liam Gibbs stars
Norwich have had their fair share of academy prospects in the last five years, some becoming regular starters for the side in that time like Max Aarons and Todd Cantwell. They may have another one in Liam Gibbs, who was one of their better players last night.
Gibbs was making his first league start in seven games, coming in for Onel Hernandez who was dropped to the bench, and in what was a big game this early on in the season, he didn't disappoint.
Despite Norwich's attacking threat at points during the game being minimal, Gibbs was a player who had some urgency about him and willingness to go forward with the ball. He ended the game with 87% pass accuracy and 100% dribble success rate, whilst also doing the dirty work, winning four duels. He is one to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.