Reading FC score in each half to beat Swansea City

Yakou Meite missed a penalty in the first half while Liam Cullen netted for the Swans in an action-packed Championship encounter.

Kicking off in RG2 for the final time of 2022, it was the hosts who started on the front foot. Intent on making the early pressure count, Yakou Meite was unstoppable as Matty Sorinola took the Ivorian out for an early free kick. Nothing came from it, but it was an early sign that the hosts were keen to make things happen against the Swans. Settling as it progressed, the first effort on target fell to Reading, with a quick counterattack from front to back. Tom Ince evaded the defenders and curled a cross into Carroll, who’s header landed in the arms of Steven Benda. Joe Lumley was forced into action before the half hour mark, diving low to prevent Oli Cooper, before Ryan Manning fired over in the last of three attempts in Reading’s box.

Heading up the other end, the Royals were given the chance to take the lead three minutes later when Ince’s free kick was only half cleared and Carroll was on hand to turn the ball home on the half volley. It could have been even better moments later, when Carroll was hauled to the ground and awarded a penalty. Meite, who had a strong first half, fired the ball high over the crossbar and kept Russell Martin’s Swans within one. It should have been level shortly after as a wicked cross into the box evaded star striker Joel Piroe, only for Manning to slash wide at the back post. As the game looked to be petering toward the break level, the game was paused as a Swansea supporter needed medical assistance in the stands. After a short break, the final few minutes drifted toward the half-time whistle, where thankfully the supporter was taken away on a stretcher conscious to the rapturous applause of fellow fans.

The visitors started the second half on the front foot, forcing Lumley into a couple of simple saves, but within five minutes Ince had doubled the lead. A mix-up at the back saw Benda pass the ball straight to the feet of Carroll. Ince picked up the loose ball and curled an effort home, with the help of a small deflection. The Swans continued to press hard, going more direct as the match wore on and the Royals dropped deeper and deeper. Ince thought he had made it three, latching onto a threaded ball and clipping over Benda, only for the linesman to raise his flag. Eventually the pressure told, and the Welsh outfit pulled one back with 20 minutes to go through subsitiute Liam Cullen. The forward tapped into an empty net after Piroe’s header bounced off the bar back into play. All coming down to the final few minutes, Darling could have made it 2-2 with a point-blank header, while Ince could have sealed the win with the last kick, only for his shot to be cleared away.

Putting last week’s defeat to Birmingham City behind them, it is back-to-back home wins for the Royals.