Reading vs Wycombe Wanderers. Sky Bet Championship.
Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at the Madejski Stadium
Tuesday 20 October 2020 23:35, UK
Reading moved to the top of the Sky Bet Championship and extended their unbeaten start to six matches with a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Wycombe at the Madejskii Stadium.
Winless, yet energetic, Wycombe dominated the first period but failed to create many clear-cut chances.
Reading almost went ahead on the stroke of half-time but Yakou Meite made a mess of his attempted close-range header.
Improving after the break, Reading broke the deadlock just past the hour mark when top scorer Lucas Joao thundered in his sixth goal of the season in all competitions.
Reading had won their first four matches - their best start to a league campaign for 35 years - but they lost their 100 per cent record when having to settle for a goalless draw at Middlesbrough on Saturday.
Wycombe's maiden term in the second tier had opened miserably with five successive defeats.
They did at least score their first league goal of the season - through Scott Kashket - in the 2-1 home loss to Millwall on Saturday.
Neither side threatened in the early exchanges with both teams content to move the ball slowly as they looked for space.
It was Wycombe, though, who showed the greater urgency and could have gone in front after just seven minutes.
Full-back Jack Grimmer escaped along the right flank and crossed cleverly into the home box.
Unmarked Alex Samuel met the ball first time on the volley but his tame effort was comfortably gathered by Reading goalkeeper Rafael.
Samuel's team-mates Matt Bloomfield and Dennis Adeniran should also have done better but failed to trouble Rafael from long range.
Reading were poor going forward, laboured in their approach play and unable to break down the rigid away defence.
Ovie Ejaria fell in the Wycombe area after a good run from the left wing but referee Andy Davies deemed the challenge from Grimmer to be fair.
Ejaria then crossed well from the same flank but Meite mistimed his dive at the far post and barely connected with his head.
Wycombe again played positively after the interval with a dangerous Grimmer centre hastily cleared by the home defence.
Reading gradually began to make headway and - after Ejaria had driven an effort wide - they took the lead in the 64th minute.
Skipper Liam Moore launched a long pass upfield and Joao collected it, turned superbly and lashed a fierce shot past Wycombe goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.
The visitors replied quickly but, when Adeniran found himself free on the edge of the Reading box, he drove his effort wastefully wide.
Substitute Fred Onyedinma forced a fine sprawling save from Rafael in stoppage time but, after Bristol City's 1-0 home loss to Middlesbrough, Reading climbed above City to the Championship summit.
Reading's Veljko Paunovic: "We will have to keep working hard because it is not going to be easy. This is a marathon. We know that people's expectations are changing and they are already looking at the standings, which is fine.
"But I will always warn people - especially those who I am working with - to always keep their feet on the ground. This is very important. We have to stay humble and put in the work every day. We learnt a lot from this game - about ourselves and how to win games like this, how to win ugly."
Wycombe's Gareth Ainsworth: "It hurts so much to lose. A neutral would have said that these two teams were very evenly matched. That gives me hope and great pride on being in the Championship and mixing it with the big boys. Reading are top of the league and I think that we've taken them all the way tonight.
"A goal at the end for us wouldn't have been begrudged to Wycombe by anyone. We probably deserved something out of the game. But it's the key moments in the Championship that count. In Leagues One and Two, you'll probably get away with graft and spirit and togetherness. But in those key moments, you've got to have that quality. We let Reading score far too easily from a long ball."
