Huddersfield 3-1 Reading: Town back in winning form

Huddersfield bounced back from two straight defeats with a 3-1 home win as second-half goals from Nahki Wells, Jamie Paterson and Flo Bojaj halted Reading's five-game unbeaten league run.

Wells atoned for squandering two first-half chances by firing Huddersfield into the lead early in the second period with further goals from Paterson and substitute Bojaj sealing an impressive win and a first success in four league games for David Wagner's side.

Reading, perhaps with one eye on Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace, offered little as an attacking threat as Town avenged their third-round replay defeat in January and Ola John's effort deep in stoppage time offered the visitors little consolation.

Huddersfield, who had failed to beat Reading in three previous meetings this season, were first to threaten when skipper Mark Hudson volleyed Joe Lolley's sixth-minute corner over the crossbar.

Reading centre-back Jake Cooper blazed a 30-yard shot way off target soon after but that was as good as it got for the visitors in the opening 20 minutes as Huddersfield enjoyed the lion's share of the ball.

Huddersfield probed patiently but without carving out a chance until the 28th minute when they should have taken the lead through Wells.

Town's leading goalscorer got the better of big Reading centre-half Michael Hector after being sent through one-on-one with Ali Al-Habsi by midfielder Kyle Dempsey's fine ball, only to fluff his chance by firing a low shot straight at the Reading goalkeeper.

Wells spurned another golden chance on the stroke of half-time when sent clean through again, this time by Paterson, with the striker's shot blocked by the sprawling Al-Habsi.

But the Bermuda international made amends six minutes after the restart. Reading defender Andrew Taylor mis-hit his backpass and Wells raced clear to round Al-Habsi and slide the ball into an empty net for this 15th goal of the season.

The goal was nothing more than Huddersfield deserved having taken the game to Reading at the start of the second half and it was almost 2-0 in the 58th minute when Wells just failed to connect with James Husband's excellent cross.

But Town did double their advantage three minutes later. Winger Sean Scannell, a 60th-minute replacement for Harry Bunn and making his first appearance since early January due to a knee injury, raced to the by-line with his first touch of the ball and fired in a superb low cross for Paterson to side-foot home 90 seconds later.

Reading skipper Chris Gunter escaped a booking for his clumsy late challenge on Paterson and Reading's response was restricted to a tame long-range shot by Danny Williams before Wells headed just wide at the other end.

Town were out of sight in the 87th minute when Bojaj, an 81st-minute replacement for Wells, turned home Dean Whitehead's cross and although John converted Andrew Taylor's ball into the box deep in added time, it did little to take the sheen off Huddersfield's convincing performance.