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Championship | Gameweek 9
Sep 25, 2021 at 12.30pm UK
Madejski Stadium
ML

Reading
1 - 0
Middlesbrough

Halilovic (55')
Tetek (49'), Southwood (79'), Rahman (81')
FT(HT: 0-0)

Jones (43'), Peltier (61'), McNair (90+2')
Crooks (86')

Alen Halilovic scores only goal as Reading rally to beat Middlesbrough

:Headline: Alen Halilovic scores only goal as Reading rally to beat Middlesbrough:
Boro's frantic search for a late equaliser was not helped when forward Matt Crooks was sent off in the 86th minute.
Sports Mole

Reading cast aside their off-field worries with a hard-earned 1-0 Sky Bet Championship victory at home to Middlesbrough – their third successive win.

An even first half, high on endeavour yet low on quality, only sparked to life when Middlesbrough goalkeeper Joe Lumley made a sprawling save to deny home top scorer John Swift.

But Swift set up what proved to be the Reading winner in the 55th minute, with Alen Halilovic somewhat fortuitously guiding home from the cross for his first goal for the club.

Middlesbrough's frantic search for a late equaliser was not helped when forward Matt Crooks was sent off in the 86th minute after clashing with home goalkeeper Luke Southwood.

Reading had taken seven points from their previous three games, including a 2-1 victory at Fulham last Saturday.

But reports in midweek claimed that they faced a deduction of up to nine points for alleged breaches of the EFL's financial guidelines. The Berkshire club have yet to make an official comment on the issue.

Middlesbrough had won only two of their opening eight league matches, including just one of their past six.

Injury-hit Reading, without 10 first-team players, fielded a bizarre outfield line-up featuring two defenders and eight midfielders or wingers.

Josh Laurent, a midfielder, and Andy Yiadom, a full-back, stood in as emergency central defenders – with none of Reading's five senior centre-backs available.

In a cagey opening, neither side managed to create much going forward.

Middlesbrough momentarily thought that they had gone ahead in the third minute, when Crooks nodded in from an Isaiah Jones cross.

But the ball had been taken over the byline by Jones before his cross and Crooks' effort was quickly disallowed.

Reading replied decisively and, after Ovie Ejaria had a shot blocked, Halilovic found Swift in space inside the Middlesbrough area.

Swift had only Lumley to beat but he shot too soon and the keeper did well to deny him his eighth goal of the season.

Middlesbrough threatened only sporadically but, when striker Andraz Sporar did manage to wriggle free of attention, he fired wildly wide.

Reading made the more promising start to the second half, with Chelsea loanee Danny Drinkwater releasing Tom Dele-Bashiru with a superb pass.

But Dele-Bashiru's finish was poorly directed and Lumley saved with his right foot.

Reading, though, finally managed the breakthrough 10 minutes after the break – with a touch of fortune.

A good cross from Swift saw Halilovic totally miscue his attempt, thereby wrongfooting Lumley and allowing the ball to trickle into the empty net.

Middlesbrough worked hard for the equaliser but Crooks saw red four minutes from the end when lunging at Southwood as the keeper tried to gather a loose ball in the home area.

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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd22155232112148
2Leeds UnitedLeeds22136341152645
3Burnley2212822891944
4Sunderland22127334181643
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn2111462518737
6Middlesbrough22105738281035
7West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom22811326161035
8Watford2110473028234
9Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds229582830-232
10Millwall217772118328
11Swansea CitySwansea227692424027
12Bristol City226972628-227
13Norwich CityNorwich226883734326
14Queens Park RangersQPR2251072328-525
15Luton TownLuton2274112538-1325
16Derby CountyDerby2266102728-124
17Coventry CityCoventry2266102834-624
18Preston North EndPreston2241172229-723
19Stoke CityStoke2257102330-722
20Portsmouth204882535-1020
21Hull City2247112131-1019
22Cardiff CityCardiff2146111934-1518
23Oxford UnitedOxford Utd2146112137-1618
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth2146112245-2318
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