Reading vs Nottingham Forest. Sky Bet Championship.
Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Report and highlights to follow from Reading's 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship as Lucas Joao's penalty and Michael Morrison's header downed the visitors following Ryan Yates' early red card
Saturday 5 December 2020 17:51, UK
Reading gave 2,000 fans a return to remember as they cruised to a 2-0 victory over 10-man Nottingham Forest.
Playing against 10 men for 75 minutes following Ryan Yates' early red card for handball on the line, Veljko Paunovic's side were comfortable from the moment Lucas Joao converted the resulting penalty to put them ahead.
Michael Morrison (53) doubled the lead shortly after half-time with a header from the excellent Michael Olise's corner, while Forest's best chance came before the sending off, as Lyle Taylor failed to convert from close range.
The victory puts Reading level with on points with second-placed Bournemouth and just one behind leaders Norwich, while Forest remain in trouble, sitting just one place and two points clear of the relegation zone after failing to score for the fifth successive game.
It was an emotional day at the Madejski Stadium as a select few Reading supporters were able to watch their side for the first time in nine months - even the Forest players were applauded out onto the pitch.
The mood should have turned sour just nine minutes later though, as Taylor failed to take advantage of a glorious chance inside the six-yard box. Anthony Knockaert's free-kick found the striker, who saw his well-struck effort somehow clawed behind by Rafael in the Reading goal.
And it all went horribly wrong for the visitors shortly after. As Brice Samba stood still, waiting for a tame free-kick to drift into his arms, Tom Holmes sensed an opportunity and jumped up with the Forest keeper. Samba failed to gather the ball and saw it rebound off Holmes' head towards goal. Yates was alert to the danger, but couldn't get back in time and foolishly decided to punch the ball off the line.
Referee Gavin Ward was eagle-eyed in the box and had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, before brandishing the red card in Yates' direction. And there was never any doubt when Joao stepped up to the spot to net his 14th goal of the season already.
That lead should have been doubled before the halfway point of the first half. The fantastic Olise fed Yakou Meite in the box with a wonderful ball. Meite turned and put Yuri Ribiero on his backside in the process, only to then blast the ball high and wide when he had the time and space to pick his spot.
Forest did well to stem the Reading pressure after that and the only close call before the break came as the shaky Samba fumbled a low Meite cross at the front post and had to scramble back to reclaim it on the line
But the Royals meant business after half-time and Olise had already seen a low effort pushed away before they did open up a two-goal lead. His corner into the box was met by the head of Morrison, who shrugged off Tobias Figueiredo and guided the ball past Samba into the back of the net.
Despite the impending defeat, the visitors never gave up and continued to battle hard to stop the Royals running away with it. Holmes had a low drive from the edge of the box diverted behind for a corner, while Morrison tried to smash the ball home from the resulting corner only to find more Forest bodies in the way.
The one time Forest did manufacture a shooting chance inside Reading's box, Sammy Ameobi's scuffed effort hit a defender and bounced clear of goal.
Reading boss Veljko Paunovic was able to make changes as the game wore on, resting key players and giving minutes to others. Sam Baldock was one of those but he couldn't direct a low Sone Aluko cross on target and the hosts had to settle for a 2-0 victory.
Reading's Veljko Paunovic: "Michael is super talented. He had a very good game. When the team plays well, individuals will pop up and show their talent. Everyone else had solid performances, everyone else had their moments.
"We acknowledge Michael's talent but he also has to keep learning. He still needs to grow. He still has things that he can implement in the future and be an even better player. This is why I encourage him not to get content with what he is right now but to go on and show what he can be. We all see huge potential in him. It's not good for him to think that he has it done it, he must stay humble and focused."
Nottingham Forest's Chris Hughton: "It was always going to be very difficult after the sending-off. Especially against a team like Reading who are in such good form and a team that uses the spaces so well.
"The two biggest disappointments are the goals that we conceded. With the penalty, it was a good ball into the box but one that we should have dealt with. It put Ryan (Yates) in a difficult position and he had to make an instinctive decision. But no real blame attributed to him. At 1-0, we were still in the game. And what you least need to do is concede from a set-play.
"If it's in general play and with the man advantage that they have got and they wear you down, you probably might expect that. But to concede from a corner was disappointing. But this was all after a start in which we probably had the best chance. This is an area where we've found it very difficult lately."
Michael Olise doesn't turn 19 for another week, yet he was quite fantastic against Nottingham Forest as he picked up his sixth assist of the season, whipping in a perfect ball for Michael Morrison to head home Reading's second.
The teenager picked up pockets of space all over the pitch, was happy to receive the ball at any moment and produced one wonderful pass in the first half, from which Meite really should scored.
Sky Sports Andy Hinchcliffe said: "He's been the standout individual in a really dominant team performance. He is such a creative talent but works hard to, so has both sides to his game. He picked up so many good positions and Nottingham Forest just couldn't handle him."
Reading return to the Madejski Stadium on Wednesday night for the visit of Birmingham City, while Forest have a tough trip to Daniel Farke's Norwich on the same evening. Both games kick off at 7.45pm and are available to watch via the red button on Sky Sports Football.
