Reading 2-1 Stoke City: Reading edge closer to Championship survival with win
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Lucas Joao put Taylor Harwood-Bellis under pressure to force the Stoke City centre-back to head into his own net
Reading edged closer to securing Championship survival as a second-half own goal gave them victory against Stoke City.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis headed into his own net under pressure from Lucas Joao as Reading retook the lead just after the hour.
Michael Morrison had headed them into an early lead, but Stoke substitute Romaine Sawyers equalised just before half-time when home keeper Orjan Nyland failed to hold his shot.
But Harwood-Bellis' own goal would prove the difference and enough for Reading to make it four games unbeaten and stretch the gap between them and the bottom three to eight points with six games to play.
Stoke missed chances to level again when Tyrese Campbell flashed a shot across goal and Jacob Brown missed the target from close range after Campbell's cross had found him unmarked.
Despite the nervy atmosphere, Paul Ince's Reading picked up a second win in as many home games and also built on their crucial 1-1 draw at third-bottom Barnsley on Saturday.
Stoke were unable to capitalise on back-to-back home wins and clean sheets - and are now without an away win in their past nine league games.
Centre-back Morrison put Reading into the lead after 13 minutes when he capitalised at the second attempt with a header from a Junior Hoilett cross.
Jack Bonham had managed to block his initial far-post header but the ball ricocheted back to Morrison for him to nod in the rebound.
Stoke midfielder Jordan Thompson was stretchered off in a leg brace following a rash challenge by Reading's Ovie Ejaria.
But having shown little threat for most of the first half, Thompson's replacement Sawyers brought them level just before the break with a right-foot shot from outside the penalty area.
It seemingly caught Reading keeper Nyland by surprise as he failed to keep it out and the ball burst through his palms into the roof of the net.
The game struggled to pick up the tempo again after the restart until Hoilett tested Bonham with a shot through a crowd of players.
From the resulting corner by John Swift, Joao put Harwood-Bellis under enough pressure for him to head the ball back into his own goal.
Barnsley have a game in hand on Reading despite the gap between the sides widening, but face play-off chasing Millwall on Saturday, while the Royals host Cardiff City.
Reading interim manager Paul Ince told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"It many ways that was outstanding. It was nice to get the first goal, we conceded first at both Bournemouth and Barnsley and although you always feel you've got the spirit to fight back, it can take it out of you as a team.
"The first 15 minutes, we really took the game to them and we got the goal rightly so. But in a way, it also hindered us as we tried to protect it too much rather than going on.
"We came here today really desperate to get the three points by any means, but overall I just feel there was an atmosphere. We felt together, it felt whole and overall, it looked like we all won today as a club.
"We managed it well and took our time towards the end of the game to see it out. We've put ourselves in a great position now and if we can get another three points Saturday, it will round off a great week for us."
Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill told BBC Radio Stoke:
"Their first goal is handball and we don't have VAR in the Championship and if we did, it would've been disallowed. He looked a touch offside from the angle I was at, Michael Morrison, but he puts the ball back into the goal with his arm off his shirt sleeve.
"But we didn't start well, we got better towards half-time with the goal but then we conceded another poor goal from the corner.
"The ball goes in off Taylor (Harwood-Bellis), but we've got to defend that better as well and it means you have to chase the game and break a side down away from home.
"We played in front of the opposition too much and it's a pattern we're seeing at the moment in our performances. We were just untidy, it was frustrating to watch us as we gave the ball away so often.
On midfielder Jordan Thompson's injury: "We don't know the full extent until he's had some x-rays, but he will be out for a period of time looking at the discomfort he was in when his trailing leg got in an uncomfortable position."