Reading’s winless start to their league campaign extended to six games, after goals from Adam Reach and Lucas Joao ensured victory for Sheffield Wednesday at the Madejski Stadium.
Owls secured a third consecutive league win thanks to Reach’s first-half strike and Joao’s goal just 14 seconds into the second half, with a Liam Moore header on 64 minutes proving insufficient as Royals launched a late fightback.
Paul Clement made six changes from the midweek cup defeat to Watford, but more notably two from the draw at Aston Villa with Jon Dadi Bodvarsson missing out while Tyler Blackett dropped to the bench. Yakou Meite and Chris Gunter came in to replace them.
The first chance of the afternoon fell to Meite, who connected with Sone Aluko’s teasing delivery from a free-kick, but the Ivorian’s effort flew off target.
Wednesday came close inside five minutes when Lucas Joao skipped inside Gunter with ease before rifling a shot towards goal from the edge of the box, but Vito Mannone was on hand to tip it over the bar.
Owls took the lead after 11 minutes, as Matt Penney brought the ball down the left before squaring it to Adam Reach, who drove the ball low, past Mannone and into the Reading net.
At the other end, a neat spin from Sam Baldock in the Wednesday box saw him through on goal but Liam Palmer recovered to intercept and clear it out for a corner.
Royals came within an inch of an equaliser on the half-hour mark, with David Meyler’s glancing header drifting a fraction wide of Cameron Dawson’s far post from a Leandro Bacuna free-kick on the right.
Reading’s best chance of the half fell to Modou Barrow, who was put through one-on-one with the goalkeeper by Baldock, but his effort was blocked out by Dawson for a corner, under pressure from Penney and Dawson, leaving Royals a goal behind at the break.
The task got even tougher for Royals as they conceded a second, just 14 seconds after the restart. Barry Bannan linked up with Adam Reach who found Joao in space on the edge of the box, and the Portuguese forward curled a smart finish into the bottom right corner.
At the other end Bacuna stung the palms of Dawson from a free-kick out wide on the left, as Reading looked to pull one back instantly.
It was the visitors, however, who looked more likely to add to their tally, and Atdhe Nuhiu would have added a third on the counter, without a crucial stop by Mannone.
Paul Clement opted to make a triple change on the hour mark, bringing on Josh Sims, Marc McNulty and Liam Kelly for Aluko, Barrow and David Meyler.
Yakou Meite had a disappointing afternoo
Four minutes later Royals got themselves back in the game, as Moore rose well to guide Bacuna’s corner into the net and set up an exciting finish at the Madejski.
Bacuna looked to produce the equaliser from a free-kick after Sims was scythed on the edge of the area, but his effort was just over Dawson’s crossbar.
Bannan, who excelled in the middle for Wednesday, initiated a neat move with Adam Reach who found Penney in space on the left, but Gunter was there to block the attempt out for a corner.
Reading threw plenty of bodies forward in search of the all-important equaliser in the latter stages, with Sims looking a danger down the left but quality was lacking in the final third, with Baldock misguiding another shot off-target.
Substitute McNulty found the target late-on from range, but again his effort was comfortably saved by Dawson as Wednesday held on for the three points.
