Norwich manager Alex Neil said his players were "angry with themselves" after being held to a 2-2 draw at Fulham.
The Canaries were 2-0 up at half-time after Graham Dorrans converted two penalties - both conceded by Scott Malone.
But Fulham dominated the second period and drew level thanks to Stefan Johansen, who got the final touch on a Chris Martin shot.
And it was former Norwich striker Martin who equalised in the 66th minute to ensure the Canaries were knocked off top spot following Newcastle's win.
Neil was not too concerned about that as the season is less than a third of the way through, but he was not impressed with his players' performance in the second half.
"We lost concentration for 15 minutes and didn't defend well enough to absorb the pressure we were under," he said.
"It's really frustrating because Fulham's tactics didn't change - we knew what we were up against. But the players are angry with themselves because they know how much it means.
"It doesn't matter as long as you are in and about the top at Christmas. You don't want anybody getting away from you."
Sky Bet Ch'ship
1 Newcastle 28
2 Norwich 27
3 Brighton 25
4 Huddsf'ld 25
5 Birm'ham 23
6 Bristol C 20
7 Sheff Wed 20
8 Brentford 19
9 QPR 19
10 Reading 19
11 Fulham 18
12 Ipswich 17
13 Leeds 17
14 Barnsley 16
15 Wolves 16
16 N Forest 15
17 A Villa 14
18 Burton Alb 14
19 Preston 14
20 Derby 14
21 Blackburn 12
22 Wigan 11
23 Cardiff 11
24 Rotherham 6