Andy Carroll scored to help Reading produce one of the narrow football scores of the weekend action in the Championship. Paul Ince’s team took the lead when Andy Carroll scored his third goal of the year, and it may have been two goals in as little as five minutes if Yakou Meite hadn’t carelessly sent his penalty over the crossbar. Early in the second half, the Royals did score again when Tom Ince’s deflected shot caught Steven Benda off guard. Despite the fact that Liam Cullen cut the deficit in half with 19 minutes remaining, it was not enough to inspire the Swans’ necessary comeback. Reading moves from 16th to eighth in the Championship after their 11th league victory of the year, level with Norwich, Millwall, and QPR on 35 points but outside the top six on goal differential alone.
Although the game was initially played at a fast pace, it did take some time for everyone to warm up and for the opportunities to start to flow. That was always going to be the case given the 22 goals scored in the teams’ previous four games. After Benda leapt to punch away a free-kick but instead directed the ball right to the towering striker, who did not require a second invitation, Carroll scored the game-winning goal from 15 yards out.
Four minutes later, Carroll was fouled by Jay Fulton in the box, drawing a penalty kick from referee James Linington. To the pleasure of the Swansea supporters behind the goal, Meite blasted the next shot high over the crossbar. However, once Swansea was caught playing out from the back less than ten minutes after the half, the hosts did increase their advantage. Ince received the pass, and his composed low effort took a nasty deflection, leaving Benda helpless as the ball over the goal line. Swansea persisted in their efforts to stay in the game, and when Cullen assisted the ball in at the far post, they were able to recover.
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