Huddersfield Town vs Reading. Sky Bet Championship.
The John Smith's Stadium.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Huddersfield and Reading at the John Smith's Stadium as Fraizer Campbell puts the Terriers in front but Lucas Joao's second-half double earns win for the Royals
Saturday 2 January 2021 18:06, UK
Reading ended Huddersfield's excellent home run as they came from behind to claim a 2-1 Championship win.
Lucas Joao's classy second-half double cancelled out Fraizer Campbell's opener as the high-flying visitors ended Town's five-match winning streak at the John Smith's Stadium.
Huddersfield were out to make it six successive home victories for the first time since 2003 and got off to the ideal start.
They began brightly and got their reward when Campbell rose highest to head home Isaac Mbenza's wicked inswinging cross from inside the area after six minutes.
Reading struggled to get near their hosts, who were buoyed by the early strike and looked confident in possession.
That self-belief was evident as Campbell attempted an audacious second only to see his attempt go well over the bar.
Reading were reduced to half-chances, with Sone Aluko drilling an effort straight at Ryan Schofield from outside the area.
But he then missed a gilt-edged chance for the visitors.
A collision between two players on the edge of the area saw the ball break for Aluko, who shifted it on to his right foot only to skew his effort wide of the goal, with Schofield frozen to the spot.
Town had to soak up a lot of pressure as the half wore on, but Pipa saw an effort deflected just over in between plenty of Reading possession.
In the final action of the half Schofield pulled off a fine point-blank save to keep out Tom Holmes' header.
The Royals picked up where they left off after the restart, with John Swift's free-kick just clearing the bar.
Lewis O'Brien then dashed down the other end and perhaps regretted not shooting as his unselfish centre just evaded the boot of Mbenza.
That missed chance came back to haunt Huddersfield as Joao equalised in the 53rd minute.
The Portuguese latched on to a long ball over the top and he calmly guided his finish beyond Schofield.
He completed the turnaround after 65 minutes when he lashed home a superb effort from outside the area for his 16th goal of the season.
Town fought valiantly in a bid to draw back level, but Mbenza could only poke an effort narrowly wide with their best chance as Reading held on.
Huddersfield's Carlos Corberan: "The team started really well and the opening minutes were fantastic. After we scored we had lots of the ball. But in the second part of the first half they grew into it. We needed to adapt better and then after the break they created more chances.
"We had a chance (to go 2-0) but missed and then with one long ball they drew level. Then they started to feel more confidence. They went 2-1 up but we reacted, unfortunately it was not enough from us."
Reading's Veljko Paunovic: "We know we win a lot when we take the lead first, but we knew due to the data that when we concede first we're not capable of winning usually. We needed to improve that and to be honest I've heard that's been a problem (for the club) in the past. We are addressing that now. It was a fantastic win and especially coming from behind.
"Conceding early affected our plans, but we put in one of the best performances this season. I'm so excited with the performance that we put in and am grateful for everything they did today. This is a huge improvement in our identity and mentality. Belief will only grow now."
