Reading 2-3 Blackpool: Seasiders bounce back for first away win over Royals in 41 years
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Jerry Yates' second goal of the night won all three points for Blackpool at Reading
Blackpool came from 2-0 down with 21 minutes left to score three times and win at Reading for the first time since 1980.
The Royals looked comfortable at half-time when they led thanks to two goals inside the first 21 minutes from Scott Dann, set up by John Swift's cross, and the unmarked Tom Dele-Bashiru.
But on-loan Crewe Alexandra man Owen Dale began Blackpool's revival on 69 minutes when, just five minutes after coming on, his right-foot volley through a crowded penalty area found the roof of the net.
Four minutes later Jerry Yates levelled - and there was still more drama to come.
With just five minutes left, Yates struck again from the penalty spot for his fourth goal in three games as Blackpool earned a first victory in their 10 visits since Reading opened their then new home at the Madejski Stadium in 1998.
The Seasiders, who had lost their last six trips to this ground, had not won an away game against the Royals since a 1-0 victory at Elm Park in April 1980.
Reading, who had won five of their previous six games, opened the scoring on 11 minutes when Swift added to his eight goals this season with his sixth assist when Dann rose to head his first goal for the club since joining from Crystal Palace in the summer.
But George Puscas then gathered a loose ball on the edge of the area to feed Josh Laurent, whose quick pass released on-loan Watford forward Dele-Bashiru who fired past Dan Grimshaw.
Reading could have put the game out of Blackpool's reach early in the second half when Puscas scampered on to a through pass from Danny Drinkwater, but drove straight at Grimshaw.
And Blackpool made Reading pay when substitute Dale snatched the first before crossing from the left for the unmarked Yates to head in.
Yates then completed the comeback when, after Andy Yiadom had brought down Sonny Carey, he slammed home the spot-kick which Luke Southwood got a hand to, but could not keep out.
Reading manager Veljko Paunovic:
"Definitely, in the second half, we failed as a team. We have to acknowledge that we didn't do a good job. We didn't confront our opponent properly, especially when we conceded the first goal.
"We crumbled, we lost composure and we couldn't come back. That's something that is disappointing to see but we all acknowledge this mistake and accept our responsibility for this as a whole team.
"But we are a good team, we have a very good group, and I am 100 per cent we are going to fix this. The good thing is that we have a game on Saturday (Blackburn away). This team can do great things when we are all on the same page."
Blackpool head coach Neil Critchley:
"There were no Churchillian speeches at half-time. It was just a case of reinforcing what we had been doing and giving the players some belief to carry on the way we had been playing.
"It's hard to predict that you're going to come back from 2-0 down against a team in such good form. But we knew, if we carried on performing how we did in the first half, then we'd have a chance of creating an opportunity or two.
"We knew that if we were to get the third goal, the game might change - and obviously it did. Perhaps the margin of victory could have been greater. Our spirit wore Reading down in the end. They were tired, dead on their feet, and we contributed to that."