Reading 2-1 Preston North End: Goals from Femi Azeez and John Swift help Royals beat Preston
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Femi Azeez put Reading on their way to victory over Preston
Femi Azeez scored his first-ever senior goal as Reading picked up their first win of the Championship season.
The 20-year-old netted on only his second start for the Royals as they edged out Preston North End at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
The visitors equalised from the penalty spot through Daniel Johnson in the second period before John Swift grabbed the winner.
Defeat leaves Frankie McAvoy's side bottom of the table, having lost both of their two matches.
Reading finished seventh last season, seven points outside the play-offs, but they ended badly, having been in the top six for all but seven matches, and Veljko Paunovic's side began this campaign with a narrow defeat at Stoke City.
Azeez made his first start in that game, filling the gap left by Michael Olise's departure to Crystal Palace this summer, and on his first home appearance, the academy graduate tapped in the opener.
He almost had a second but was narrowly off target, while last season's top scorer Lucas Joao hit the post early in the second half.
Then when Michael Morrison was penalised for handball, Johnson drew the visitors level. That lasted for eight minutes until Swift restored the Royals' lead scoring via both posts.
But the visitors were close to taking a point back up to Lancashire with substitute Brad Potts denied by Rafael Cabral deep into injury time.
Reading manager Veljko Paunovic told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"I'm very pleased with the win, although it was a dramatic win in the last five minutes as we ground out a very important three points.
"It was a game where we were the better squad, we played very good football and created super opportunities that we should have converted and not had to suffer so much at the end.
"The win helps align everyone and get back to what we were and what we want to be. We recovered the warrior spirit, the urgency and the sports anger to deal with adversity when we had to. When we have these ingredients, we win games."
Preston North End manager Frankie McAvoy told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"I'm disappointed we lost the game but I didn't think we did well enough first half. The second half was better from us.
"But I just thought both goals, from our point of view, were poor defensively. When you are conceding goals like that, it is always going to be difficult."