Reading 2 – 1 Stoke

Reading eased their Championship relegation fears as they moved eight points clear of the drop zone with a hard-fought 2-1 home victory over Stoke.

Skipper Michael Morrison put Reading ahead in the 13th minute as the home side dominated much of the first half, but Stoke substitute Romaine Sawyers equalised shortly before the interval.

Reading restored their lead midway through the second period when Lucas Joao’s header was deflected in by Stoke defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

The hosts had gone into the game unbeaten in three matches under interim manager Paul Ince.

Midfielder Josh Laurent scored an 82nd-minute equaliser in their 1-1 draw at relegation rivals Barnsley on Saturday, adding to his late winner in the previous 1-0 home win over Blackburn.

Mid-table Stoke had ended a winless run of eight league games with successive home wins over Millwall and Sheffield United.

However, they had not won on the road in seven outings since mid-January.

Reading’s Stoke loanee Tom Ince was ineligible to play against his parent club, with Junior Hoilett filling the gap.

And it was Canada international Hoilett who caused numerous problems for the Stoke defence on the right flank early on. From one of his many crosses, Reading went in front.

Morrison’s header was smartly saved by goalkeeper Jack Bonham at close range, but, fortuitously for the hosts, the ball rebounded back off Morrison and over the line.

Little was seen of Stoke as an attacking threat, with Reading goalkeeper Orjan Nyland not called upon in the early stages.

Stoke’s cause was not helped either when midfielder Jordan Thompson was injured after a poor tackle from Ovie Ejaria and had to be taken off on a stretcher.

One minute before the break, Stoke levelled through Sawyers, Thompson’s replacement, from their first attempt on target.

Sawyers sent in a powerful drive from the edge of the area and it flew through Nyland’s weak attempted save into the roof of the net.

Reading tried to quickly regain their lead after the break, but Laurent’s speculative effort from a tight angle was easily caught by Bonham.

Stoke replied through 11-goal top-scorer Jacob Brown, yet his optimistic 20-yarder flew well over the bar.

Bonham made a superb stop to deny Hoilett, but, in the 63rd minute, Reading went back in front.

Joao headed on John Swift’s corner and the ball ricocheted past Bonham off team-mate Harwood-Bellis.

Stoke tried to rally towards the end and should have made it 2-2, only for Brown to blast over an open goal from Tyrese Campbell’s pass.

And Reading held on for the much-needed win.

What the managers said…

Reading interim manager Paul Ince: “I’m just drained, I’m not used to this stuff anymore. I’m getting too old for all this. But it was so important to get the victory and I thought that we thoroughly deserved to win.

“We came out of the traps really quickly, we started well and looked really confident. That makes a change [from usual]. And, at last, it was nice to get a goal first. We then tried to protect it, kept dropping off and allowed Stoke back into the game.

“We still couldn’t believe that it was 1-1 at half-time. We had to go again and show that spirit and belief that we have got at the moment. We got the next goal. Lucas [Joao] is claiming it but I don’t think that he’s going to get it. We mustn’t be complacent now, though. We can’t think that we’re safe yet, things can change so quickly in this division.”

Stoke’s Michael O’Neill: “We didn’t play well enough. We didn’t start the game quick enough, we had too many players who were sluggish. We turned the ball over too much in the first half. But we got the goal just before half-time and, in the second half, you think that we’re going to go out and be better.

“We had chances but we didn’t take them and then we lose a poor goal off a corner and lose the game. Our performance certainly wasn’t at the level that we would like it to be but we still should have taken something from the game. Every game is still important. We’re not just seeing the season out.”