A Jamie Mackie brace has given Reading a 2-1 win against Brighton & Hove Albion in this evening's Championship clash at the Madejski Stadium.
© Getty Images
The first chance of the game fell to the hosts, as Mackie's cross into the box fell to Jake Cooper, whose effort was cleared off the line.
Hal Robson-Kanu was next to threaten for the Royals, but despite having good sight of goal, his shot from the left flank was too high to bother the opposition keeper.
Brighton then enjoyed a decent spell, but Reading struck first midway through the first half as Mackie seized on a loose pass to fire home from around 20 yards.
The visitors were then gifted a penalty in the 53rd minute when Cooper brought down Emmanuel Ledesma in the box. Chris O'Grady stepped up and fired past Adam Federici to level proceedings.
Reading were back ahead just three minutes later, however, as Mackie cut in from the right and curled a low effort into the far corner.
Nick Blackman nearly added to his side's tally through a powerful 35-yard free kick just after the hour, but David Stockdale was able to save, and just a few minutes later, he fired inches above the post with a volley.
Reading continued to push forward, but Stockdale was able to pull off three saves in quick succession to keep Brighton late on in the game.
Ultimately, the Royals were able to hang on and secure all three points to put them 16th in the Championship table, while Brighton remain in 19th place.
Giuseppe Labellarte
