Bristol City 1-1 Reading: Lucas Joao leveller helps Royals pick up point

LUCAS JOAO’s leveller ensured that Reading FC picked up a vital point away at Bristol City to improve their Championship survival hopes.

Following a run of seven successive away defeats, the Royals managed to put a point on the board on their travels thanks to substitute Joao who latched onto Andy Carroll’s header to equalise in the 72nd minute.

Bristol had gone in front on the brink of half-time through Tommy Conway, but the Royals point keeps them in 18th before an inevitable points deduction.

Currently on 46 points, a deduction would see Paul Ince’s side drop to 20th in the table and just one point above the drop zone after relegation rivals Huddersfield Town beat Middlesbrough.

Looking for their first points on the road this calendar year, Reading faced a Bristol City side that has an unbeaten record at Ashton Gate in 2023 with Nigel Pearson’s side sitting in 14th.

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Lucas Joao dropped to the bench as striker Andy Carroll was deemed fit enough to start and was joined up top alongside Yakou Meite who returned from injury.

Amadou Mbengue returned to the starting eleven to take the place of Scott Dann who is one of several first-team players out injured which left a youthful looking bench for the Royals.

Vice captain Tom Holmes picked up an early caution after his mistimed tackle on Tommy Conway meant that he had to play more than 85 minutes on a booking.

The first attempt at goal came from the hosts when a cross swung into the middle was met by Nakhi Wells who hit a shot harmlessly wide.

Wells then had the ball in the net, but the offside flag had gone up well in advance of his finish to deny him the opening goal.

Carroll proved his worth in the defensive third by hooking a volley from Andreas Weimann off the line before Wells found a wall of Reading bodies in the way of the target.

Reading’s best opening came in the 17th minute when Tyrese Fornah showed superb vision and execution to pick out the run of Meite who wasn’t able to convert.

A brave piece of goalkeeping from Joe Lumley stopped the Robins from breaking the deadlock when he smothered the ball at the feet of Wells after he was played in by Anis Mehmeti.

After a subdued period in the game, the Royals came close to giving Bristol a scare by utilising Meite’s pace.

The Ivorian rounded goalkeeper Max O’Leary after latching onto Mbengue’s long ball, but was forced out to the touchline and saw his shot hacked away.

With the half petering out in what looked like would be a goalless opening 45 minutes, Reading suffered a significant blow a minute before the break.

After failing to clear properly from a cross, Conway was afforded far too much room in the box and he made the Royals pau when he dispatched the ball into the bottom corner

Needing a response in the second-half, Fornah tried his luck quickly after the restart, opted to try and beat the keeper from range after a surging run from skipper Andy Yiadom.

Ince decided to make changes with half an hour to play as Lucas Joao and Femi Azeez replaced Nesta Guinness-Walker and Fornah.

Joao’s substitution proved to be effective as he popped up with the equaliser.

Carroll flicked the ball on in the box and Joao connected to nod past O’Leary.

With another injury to contend with, Mbengue had to be replaced for the final 10 minutes by Kelvin Abrefa.

City thought they had regained the lead when Wells had the ball in the net, but the linesman was quick to raise his flag to deem the forward offside.

The home team tried to snatch a winner with a corner in the dying seconds of the game, but Lumley came to the rescue again to keep out a header as Reading gained an important point.