Barnsley were minutes away from a huge victory over Stoke City only for Lewis Baker to majestically sweep home in the 95th minute.
Domingos Quina's left footed peach was a goal worthy of winning any game, flying into the top corner and leaving the Tykes with 20 minutes plus stoppages to stand firm.
A win would have reduced the gap to Reading to just three points and Poya Asbaghi will have seen plenty of positives to take with 11 matches remaining.
The Potters have been far from convincing in recent weeks after an impressive January transfer window, Baker's classy finish ends a run of four straight defeats in all competitions but it will not stop the pressure building on Michael O'Neill's place in the dugout.
Quina, who appears to have transformed the Tykes' season on his own, took to Twitter to express his emotions after the game.
He wrote: "Tough one to take.. #wekeepfighting."
Barnsley have experience of staying up against the odds from 2019/20, leaving it until second half additional time on the final game of the season to save themselves through Clarke Oduor against Brentford.
That will ensure that belief remains present in the camp right until the final whistle and with X Factor players like Quina and Amine Bassi in the final third, Reading in particular will be very worried.
The Verdict
Emotionally it was a really crushing blow just looking at the players' reactions to Baker's strike flying past Bradley Collins.
It would have been three wins on the bounce at Oakwell, and possibly more importantly it would have seen Barnsley boast a better goal difference than Reading.
The Royals have been mainly looking over their shoulders at Derby County in the last few months, but the Tykes' sudden resurgence does not look to be going away and despite the painful equaliser conceded, coming so close against a capable side in Stoke, has to be seen as a step in the right direction.
Reading still have a nice cushion but it feels like the gap is going to shorten ahead of a dramatic final few matches of the season.