Reading 3-1 Bournemouth: Lucas Joao on target as Veljko Paunovic's Royals move fourth

Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Reading and Bournemouth at the Madejski Stadium as goals from Josh Laurent, Tom McIntyre and Lucas Joao helped Veljko Paunovic's men up to fourth

By Dan Long

Saturday 30 January 2021 07:02, UK

Reading re-affirmed their automatic promotion intentions as three goals in a ruthless 19-minute period earned a 3-1 win over Bournemouth at the Madejski Stadium.

Josh Laurent set the Royals on their way after a spell of pressure (24), before Tom McIntyre seized upon a loose ball inside the six-yard box to add a second just after the half-hour (31).

A fourth goal in as many games from in-form frontman Lucas Joao extended the hosts' lead before the break (43) and while Junior Stanislas pulled one back late on (85), that was where the Cherries' comeback started and finished.

Veljko Paunovic's men move above Brentford into fourth as a result, level on points with second-placed Swansea and third-placed Watford. Meanwhile, Middlesbrough and Bristol City could move level on points with sixth-placed Bournemouth with victory in their respective fixtures on Saturday.

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How Reading took another step towards the top two

Back in November, Reading and Bournemouth had played out one of the games of the season in the reverse fixture at the Vitality Stadium, where the Cherries had come from 2-0 down to eventually triumph 4-2 after a blistering second-half period of their own.

In his pre-match interview with Sky Sports, Paunovic earmarked this game as "maybe the biggest game of the season so far". It did not disappoint, as proceedings started at a high tempo.

The Royals began to build up a head of steam midway through the first half, which they finally took advantage of when midfielder Laurent showed his inner No 9 instincts to hit the opener after the visitors struggled to clear their lines from a corner.

Within seven minutes, they were gifted a second. The returning Michael Olise struck a low free-kick from 20 yards and though goalkeeper Asmir Begovic initially blocked the shot, he pushed the ball into the path of McIntyre, who jumped at the chance to slam in a second from close range.

While the third goal in the previous meeting had sparked a stunning comeback, on this occasion, it was the hosts who scored it. Ovie Ejaria threaded the ball through to Joao, who skilfully rolled the ball onto his left foot and tucked it home.

Bournemouth boss Jason Tindall introduced Jack Wilshere, Adam Smith and David Brooks at the break and the latter was at the heart of a second-half revival, most notably delivering a cross which Philip Billing nonchalantly hooked at goal, forcing a diving save from Rafael.

The breakthrough finally came five minutes from time, when Stanislas came off the bench to fire in direct from a free-kick, though he might not have had the chance to do so had Joao not peeled away and left a gap in the wall. But, for Bournemouth, it was nothing more than a consolation.

Man of the match - Tom McIntyre

Sky Sports' Andy Hinchcliffe...

"He epitomised Reading's performance and grabbed a goal, too. Stepping in for Liam Moore isn't an easy task and there is always the possibility of being scrutinised, but he was simply superb."

What the managers said...

Reading's Veljko Paunovic: "It was a huge, huge effort and a phenomenal game from the whole team. I'm very proud. But I want to keep everyone's feet on the ground. We haven't done anything and there's a long way to go, but wins like this help a lot.

"The whole first half I think we played with so much energy, with so much focus and concentration, the execution was fantastic, set-plays worked perfectly. You can't ask for more."

Bournemouth's Jason Tindall: "It was a disappointing first half. Individual responsibility let us down and we gave ourselves a mountain to climb, especially with conceding two goals from set-plays. The goal right on half-time made it extremely difficult for us.

"There are still 60 points to play for. There's opportunity with the way the Championship is and how thick and fast the games come. There's another game on Tuesday and we certainly need to perform and get a result. There's no two ways about that."

What's next?

Bournemouth are next in action at 7pm on Tuesday, February 2, when they host Sheffield Wednesday at the Vitality Stadium, while Reading play again at 3pm on Saturday, February 6, when they travel to the Bet365 Stadium to face Stoke.