Reading ended a run of three defeats as they produced one of the most comfortable football results of the weekend in the Championship. In a dull first half, neither team contributed much offensively, and the goalkeepers were rarely put to the test. However, Reading finally got on the board in the 52nd minute when loanee Mamadou Loum headed in from a corner kick by Tom Ince. In the last seconds of regulation time, Andy Carroll expertly finished a swift counterattack to secure the points for the home team. Reading had lost their previous three games and earned just one point out of a possible twelve, falling from third place to tenth in the standings.
Reading got off to a good start when Ince carefully crossed into the City area from a spot on the right. Yakou Meite attempted a fantastic diving header but his connection was poor, so the opportunity was lost. City responded right away after winning a risky free-kick on the left, but Jay Dasilva’s delivery was subpar, and the chance was squandered. After some strong work from Antoine Semenyo, City once more threatened, but the home defence handled Dasilva’s cross with ease. Joe Lumley of Reading rose to try to catch the ball after another free kick from the active Dasilva. He originally mishandled it, but he quickly recovered it before City could exploit it.
Midfielder Loum, who is on loan from FC Porto, forcefully nodded in a corner from the right by Ince for his first goal for the team. In an effort to score an equaliser, City manager Nigel Pearson combined forward substitutes Andi Weimann, Chris Martin, and Tommy Conway. As City pushed for that leveller, Mark Sykes should have done better than shoot wildly wide. However, Reading’s defence remained solid, and Carroll, who was a fellow substitute, converted a selfless ball from Shane Long to make it 2-0 in overtime.
For more football results, click here
