The garrulous Blades boss had made signs indicating a 1-1 draw to Ipswich supporters at the end of the game but he insisted the banter with the crowd was good-natured.
He said: “They are fantastic supporters who really get behind their team. They were calling me names and asking what the score was when we were 1-0 down and I responded with a laugh and at the end I was signalling 1-1 and they appreciated a bit of humour.”
Although they dropped points on Reading, United maintain a healthy gap between themselves and third place and Warnock insisted his team are not looking over their shoulder.
United have not won in 31 years and 17 attempts at Portman Road and admitted his side did not deserve to win this time.
He said: “It would have been a travesty if either side had lost so it was a good point for us, with just 17 games to go.”
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Warnock had been looking for a pick-me-up after spending the week in bed with flu and his side’s FA Cup defeat by Colchester United last weekend.But the tonic was not to include all three points.
Ipswich went ahead through Jimmy Juan after 54 minutes and looked good for a win until Danny Webber equalised 13 minutes from time.
Frenchman Juan, on a season-long loan from Monaco, curled in a powerful free kick from 25 yards, which beat Paddy Kenny and went in off the underside of the bar.
The confidence visibly surged through Ipswich, who played with belief and substitute Danny Haynes’ pace troubled United for a while.
The 18-year-old Haynes might have found his first league goal when new acquisition Alan Lee, signed during the week from Cardiff, won the ball in the air for him, but while his touch beat Kenny, it also evaded a post and trickled wide.
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The Blades made changes and were rewarded when Michael Tonge found Webber with a through ball. He rounded Shane Supple and his shot squeezed past Scott Barron and Richard Naylor on the line.
Deep into the four minutes of time added on substitute Steve Kabba scorned a good chance and dragged his angled shot wide.
Willie Donachie, Ipswich’s assistant manager, felt inexperienced Haynes’ miss cost Town all three points. He said: “If Danny had scored that chance it would have been a good result, but it was still a fine achievement for us playing against a side second in the league and an experienced team.
“A second goal at that stage would have been enough. Our lads don’t have that much belief after the recent few months but if we had got that goal it would have been enough because Sheffield were not really causing us that many problems at that stage.”
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STAR MAN: Jason De Vos (Ipswich)
Player ratings. Ipswich: Supple 7, Wilnis 7, Naylor 6, De Vos 7, Barron 6 (Sito 86min, 5), Williams 6, Juan 7, Garvan 7 (Magilton 83min 6), Westlake 6 (Haynes 53min, 6), Currie 6, Lee 6
Sheffield United: Kenny 6, Geary 6, Bromby 7, Morgan 6, Unsworth 8, Ifill 6 (Kabba 65min, 6), Jagielka 6, Tonge 7, Armstrong 5 (Quinn 75, 6), Shipperley 6, Webber 7 (Montgomery 88min, 6)
Scorers: Ipswich: Juan 54
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Sheffield United: Webber 77
Referee: C Penton
Attendance: 23,794