Norwich head coach Daniel Farke got more than he bargained for at Reading

Norwich head coach Daniel Farke would have settled for a draw at Reading but a 2-1 victory made the evening “even sweeter” for him as his side went back to the top of the Championship.

City went ahead in the 11th minute through an individual effort from Emiliano Buendia but Michael Olise equalised just three minutes later.

Norwich top scorer Teemu Pukki claimed his 10th goal of the season, from a penalty, 10 minutes into the second half.

It secured City a fourth successive win – all by a 2-1 scoreline – and sent them three points clear at the summit.

“The lads are not surprising me, they are impressing me,” Farke said. “That’s for sure.

“We knew that it was a top game today against a really good side. It was a TV spotlight game and Reading were highly motivated.

“We spoke beforehand and said that a draw would have been a good result because it would have protected our position and our points difference to Reading.

“But to be allowed to go back home with three points feels even sweeter.

“Reading had their spells but it was a deserved win for us and, for that, I’m pretty delighted. Many compliments to the players.”

On winning so many close matches this season, Farke said: “After 19 games, you would think that there would be one or two easy ones that were a bit more comfortable.

“But it’s like we more or less win all the games just by one goal. That just shows the fine margins in this league.

“That’s why we always have to stay fully focused. Just one per cent less is not enough.

“It says a lot about the mentality of my team. We are winning and we are there when it counts.”

Reading fell to a second consecutive home defeat.

“It’s a tough one to take,” Reading manager Veljko Paunovic said. “Especially when you have given your best.

“Our fans helped us tons with their support during the whole match and their applause at the end.

“They know that the team gave everything and you can’t really ask for anything more.

“Norwich were consistent in the way they played and they were waiting for our mistakes.

“Unfortunately, those mistakes came. And Norwich were capable of converting them.

“We did well in the first half to recover so quickly after conceding a goal.

“I was happy with that because, in the past, it would take much longer for our team to bounce back.

“The goal didn’t affect us, we came back very quickly. We were still looking for opportunities and were very creative in the final third and our goal came.”