When Darren Huckerby hit his first Premiership goal for newly promoted Norwich City the home side looked odds on to collect all three points, but a spirited second-half Crystal Palace comeback brought an equaliser from Andrew Johnson and in the end a draw was probably a fair result.
The visitors kicked off attacking the River End goal. Emmerson Boyce and Wayne Routledge combined well down the Palace right in the opening exchanges, but it was the home side whose attacking play forced the first three corners of the game.
The Norwich goal came in the 16th minute. Huckerby beat Mark Hudson to Matt Svensson's throughball and from 14 yards out on the right of the penalty area he beat Julian Speroni at the far post with a blistering right-foot shot.
In the 25th minute Huckerby began his run just too soon and was flagged offside with only the keeper to beat.
This situation was repeated three or four times throughout the game.
However, he was on side when he collected a pass from David Bentley that his cross was blocked before it reached Svensson.
Bentley's next contribution was to pick out Simon Charlton with a low left-wing corner that the centre-back's first-time shot flew over the bar.
Inside the first minute of the second half Bentley's left-wing cross was headed over by Svensson.
Robert Green then denied Sandor Torghelle with a spectacular block after the burly striker got the better of Charlton.
At that stage the Eagles were playing as if they had had a half-time pep talk because they forced Norwich to do a lot of defending.
Former Canary Danny Granville was the only player to be booked when he tripped Norwich new boy Mattias Jonson in the 58th minute.
Huckerby was denied a second goal by Speroni's fingertips with half an hour left to play, but no City player was quick enough to tap in the loose ball and it was cleared to safety.
Jonson made way for Paul McVeigh in the 64th minute and eight minutes later Bentley made way for defender Marc Edworthy.
The Palace equaliser came almost immediately when the impressive Routledge picked out Johnson, whose run had taken him behind the Norwich defenders and he was able to beat Green to his right with his low right-foot shot from just eight yards.
Palace sent on Shaun Derry and Aki Riihilahti and in the dying minutes Leon McKenzie came on for Norwich and Dougie Freedman came on for Palace.
Late on Speroni again denied Huckerby when he dived to clutch his 18-yard volley from Damien Francis' knockdown.
However it was Green who made the last save of the game, when he held Johnson's shot at the second attempt just before the final whistle.