Birmingham City vs Reading. Sky Bet Championship.
St. Andrew's StadiumAttendance19,525.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at St Andrew's
Saturday 7 March 2020 20:09, UK
Reading produced a stunning comeback to end Birmingham's 10-match unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship with a 3-1 win at St Andrew's.
Matt Miazga was at fault as Scott Hogan put Birmingham ahead in the sixth minute with his seventh goal in eight games since arriving on loan from Aston Villa.
But the on-loan Chelsea centre back made amends when he equalised seven minutes after the break - before Yakou Meite's 12th goal of the season in the 56th minute - then substitute Judilson Gomes sealed victory for Mark Bowen's side three minutes from time.
Hogan produced a glaring miss for Birmingham in the first half and Lukas Jutkiewicz headed over in the second, while Gary Gardner should have done better with two efforts after the break.
Birmingham were good value for their early lead. Hogan showed a real poacher's instinct to send a looping header over goalkeeper Rafael Cabral after latching on to Miazga's poor back header from Marc Roberts's long ball forward.
Hogan was guilty of a huge miss in the 17th minute, blazing over at the far post from Jutkiewicz's cross.
Ivan Sunjic then fired a rising, angled effort into the side-netting from Hogan's pass as the Blues remained on the offensive.
But Reading forced the first save, in the 25th minute when Royals right back Andy Yiadom dispossessed Blues left back Kristian Pedersen and fed Meite, whose left-foot shot was beaten away by goalkeeper Lee Camp.
Birmingham had the better of the rest of the half but were wayward with their chances.
Jutkiewicz glanced well wide before Hogan sent an overhead kick comfortably over the bar.
Shortly after half-time, the Blues missed another chance to have made it 2-0, when the unmarked Jutkiewicz got too much on his header from Bellingham's free kick and the ball floated harmlessly over the bar.
Reading made the Blues pay by equalising three minutes later.
Miazga met Andy Rinomhota's right-wing cross full on the volley from 10 yards, giving goalkeeper Camp no chance in the Blues goal for his second goal of the season.
Reading turned the game on its head by taking the lead shortly before the hour mark.
Meite got across Pedersen to meet John Swift's deep free-kick to glance home a powerful downward header from seven yards out.
Gardner forced Cabral into routine saves from his 25-yard drive, then a glancing header.
But Reading hit the Blues on the break with a third goal as Gomes raced away on the counter-attack before coolly curling low past Camp.
Birmingham's Pep Clotet: "I am relieved there is no points deduction. The club was always very confident that would be the outcome, but you always take it as a big relief because you don't want to be mixed with bigger problems that it would mean.
"It wasn't on the players' minds - we all took it for granted that a deduction would not happen, but it would have been a blow. It means the end of the season is a bit more straightforward. We know where we are, we want to get to 50 points as soon as possible and try to win as many games as possible until the end."
Reading's Mark Bowen: "[Miazga] showed great character. I wouldn't blame him for the first goal - he tried to head it back. It was more the case of Hogan being a goal poacher and he read the situation well.
"Miazga has now got two goals for me since I took over and he is a quality player. There's an extra special mention for him because he was out for six weeks with an ankle injury and has now played three games in eight days and his standard in all three has been top class."
