Millwall 1-1 Reading: Joao equaliser helps Royals end losing Championship run
- Published
Millwall top scorer Jed Wallace's fifth goal of the season put the Lions ahead against Reading at The Den
Reading had to come from behind to end their four-game losing run at Millwall.
The former Championship leaders, who had a seven-point advantage a month ago, had sunk to sixth in the table.
But Lucas Joao's angled 53rd-minute equaliser cancelled out Jed Wallace's super first-half injury-time free-kick.
Both sides had chances to win it - the best falling to Joao in the very last minute but it stayed 1-1 to put Reading back on course on 23 points, within four points of leaders Norwich, and lift Gary Rowett's Millwall to 10th, still four points behind.
Reading had lost on their previous three trips to The Den - and after the four straight losses that had knocked Veljko Paunovic's side off the top, it looked ominous for the Royals when they fell behind a minute into first-half stoppage time.
Lucas Joao's angled 53rd-minute equaliser went in off keeper Bartosz Bialkowski's legs
Andy Rinomhota's foul on Troy Parrott was fully punished when Wallace floated his right-foot free-kick up and over the wall into the top left corner.
But, within eight minutes of the restart, the Royals were level when Michael Olise's cleverly weighted, angled pass clipped over the top carved open the home defence to set up Joao's chance.
It put the Reading forward in space and, although his left-foot finish was not the cleanest of strikes, it went in off keeper Bartosz Bialkowski's legs for his 11th goal of the season - his eighth in the Championship.
Millwall sub Jon Dadi Bodvarsson came close to restoring his side's lead on 68 minutes when Wallace fed him on the edge of the area but Bodvarsson's first-time right-foot shot was tipped over by visiting keeper Rafael Cabrel. But the last chance of the night fell to Joao in the dying seconds when he missed after again being set up by Olise.
Reading now move on to Saturday's lunchtime home date with promotion challengers Bristol City (12:30 GMT).
After four straight Championship draws, Rowett's next test comes the same day back at one of his old haunts, St Andrew's, when Millwall play Birmingham City (15:00 GMT).
Millwall manager Gary Rowett:
"Troy Parrott gives you that extra bit of movement and link off the front and we looked really bright. We controlled the first half and gave them absolutely nothing, without creating enough good chances.
"Second half, we probably had a five-minute spell where we looked a little bit nervy being 1-0 up, maybe that's because we haven't won as many games as we would have liked, particularly at home.
"But we played a lot better than Saturday. Reading, although they've lost the last four games, showed early in the season they're a really difficult team to play against. "
Reading boss Veljko Paunovic:
"From the perspective of the competitor, I am not happy with a point. But from the perspective of a manager seeing a long-term picture and moving from that enchanted number 22, getting a point is positive.
"We're not a team that has many draws. In the Coventry game (last month) we had a very similar situation when we were level but then, because we wanted to win, we emphasised going for the win.
"We conceded and lost so that didn't happen this time. That helped us to at least get the point that can serve as a catalyst for the future."