Brentford win despite Reading fightback

By

Brentford 3 Reading 1

Brentford survived a second-half fightback from Reading to grab their second successive home win.

Summer signing Jota scored his second goal in three games and Alex Pritchard also struck as the Bees took a 2-0 half-time lead.

But Reading hit back four minutes after the break when half-time substitutes Jamie Mackie and Simon Cox combined for Cox to score.

The visitors dominated the second period and had a number of chances to draw level before Jonathan Douglas’ late header went in off the crossbar.

Spaniard Jota, who bagged his first Bees goal in last week’s win over Leeds, tapped in at the near post from Alan McCormack’s cross.

And Pritchard, who replaced Toumani Diagouraga as the side’s only change, and hit the post inside the first two minutes, drilled in the second from inside the box after Andre Gray was tackled.

Reading, above Brentford in the table before the game but without a win in four, had their best first-half chance when Nick Blackman cut inside and curled an effort past the far post.

But the Bees could have had a third before the break when goalscorers Pritchard and Jota combined for Jota to head just over.

Royals manager Nigel Adkins’ half-time changes saw Mackie and Cox join Glenn Murray up front and the change worked wonders when Mackie’s shot was diverted in by Cox on 49 minutes.

But they were made to pay for missing chance after chance when Douglas nodded home off the underside of the bar, after James Tarkowski’s earlier header was cleared off the line.

Brentford (4-3-3): Button; McCormack, Tarkowski, Craig, Bidwell; Judge, Douglas, Pritchard (Toral 83); Odubajo, Gray (Proschwitz 59), Jota (Diagouraga 65).
Subs not used: Bonham, Dean, Tébar, Betinho.