Burnley vs Reading. Sky Bet Championship.
Turf MoorAttendance18,684.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash between Burnley and Reading at Turf Moor as goals from Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury sealed a turnaround victory for the Clarets.
Saturday 29 October 2022 18:50, UK
Anass Zaroury headed a Burney winner deep in added time as they came from behind to beat Reading 2-1 in the Championship at Turf Moor.
The goal came after Manuel Benson's equaliser had levelled Tom Ince's shock opener, as the Clarets extended their unbeaten record to 15 in the league and stayed above neighbours Blackburn in the tussle for top spot in the Championship.
Ince's goal had given Reading a second-half lead in a tight encounter, raising hopes that his father Paul's team could build on last week's victory over Bristol City that ended a run of three straight defeats.
The Clarets, however, hit back through substitute Benson after the wing trickery of Belgium Under-21 international Zaroury, which gave Reading problems throughout, had created the chance.
Burnley were without their midfield kingpin Jack Cork and it showed in a performance that lacked shape at times, while Reading set out to steady their rocking ship after a run of five defeats in their last seven away trips.
The Royals always stood a chance of snatching something with Ovie Ejaria's pace on the break and from set-pieces.
When the Clarets defenders switched off from Ince's early corner, Mamadou Loum and Andy Yiadom were both left unmarked at the near post but got in each other's way, and Loum's header glanced harmlessly across the box and out.
Zaroury, now a fixture for Vincent Kompany's team after his arrival late in the transfer window, was a continual torment to harassed wing back Amadou Mbengue, but Connor Roberts headed wide from one of several dangerous crosses.
Jay Rodriguez wasted the best chance of the opening 45 minutes, which came after brilliant work by the livewire Nathan Tella.
The on-loan Southampton youngster stole the ball from a hesitant Tom Holmes, skipped past Mbengue's sliding challenge and composed himself before teeing up the striker. Rodriguez blazed the chance way over the crossbar.
The visitors took a shock lead courtesy of a route one attack launched by goalkeeper Joe Lumley. His punt was flicked on by Yakou Meite and when Taylor Harwood-Bellis failed to intercept, Ince ran clear to tuck his shot past Aro Muric.
The lead lasted 10 minutes and inevitably it was Zaroury who was the architect for the Clarets.
He teased his way past Mbengue and slipped a pass into the lurking Josh Brownhill. His cross was headed clear but only as far as Benson, whose left-footed volley from the edge of the area flashed past goalkeeper Joe Lumley.
Zaroury saw one late chance saved by Lumley but - deep in the seven minutes of added time - Benson drove at the defence and lifted a delicate cross to the far post where Zaroury headed past the Royals goalkeeper to snatch all three points.
Burnley's Vincent Kompany: "It gives belief, which is key. On paper, when we made the squad in the summer, I could've written it down that I thought these kinds of players can do that. I think [Manuel] Benson can do what he did, I've seen him do it at his previous club. [Anass] Zaroury, Nathan Tella, and all the other players we've got, they are all capable of doing that, but for it to come together it gives you belief.
"I think once you've done it you should never doubt whether you can do it, and then you can take that into every game. With the season being that long, with that many games, the proof is there so now they have to continue doing it and working hard at getting better.
Reading's Paul Ince: "I'm going to have to say it. The referee is a joke, absolute total joke, and that's why we've come away with nothing. I don't have a go at referees because it's a tough job, but as much as I have to be in front of you guys (the media) and be accountable, they should do the same. The penalty on Thomas is a blatant penalty. I can understand the one before that when Brownhill has handballed it as there's a lot of people there, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
"But when it came to the 92nd minute and Thomas is running in the box and Maatsen fouls him and the AR (assistant referee) is 15 yards from the right-hand side and has a great view of it, and the referee is 20 yards behind him, and they haven't got the balls to make a decision for us to go on and win a game. If we had scored the pen…then they go up and get the winner. That's what makes me angry.
"They'll probably say 'I need to have a look at it and get back to you' but that's no good to me because I've got to go down the motorway now, five hours feeling like I've been robbed by the officials. If that had been at the other end he probably couldn't wait to give it.
"The typing is, the referees don't get to watch it four, five times like we do with the laptop and we say 'deffo a pen' but the fact is that when the AR is there and can see it perfectly and hasn't got the balls to make the right decision, that makes me angry. I'm angry for the players because it was a great performance and they deserved a lot, lot more.
"Listen, we'll probably get (a reply), 'we got it wrong, we got it wrong, we've seen it again and it was a penalty'. That's no bloody good to me, no bloody good to my players, our fans and our club. I feel like I've been conned by the referees today and that's what makes me angry."
