GW39: Barnsley 1-1 Reading
Barnsley comes back from losing position to secure the draw against Reading
Quentin Gesp
Date Published: 3rd April
After a disputed match, neither Reading nor Barnsley were able to make the difference (1-1) in this duel which smelled like the playoffs.
Image credit: Sky Sports
Back in the Championship after a two-week international break, a top-of-the-table clash took place at Oakwell between Barnsley and Reading, two serious playoff contenders.
Still without Swift and McIntyre, Veljko Paunovic stuck to his 4-2-3-1 with the usual quartet of Ejaria-Olise-Meïté-Joao.
For his part, Valérien Ismaël relied on a 3-4-3 with two attacking midfielders supporting the striker. A striker named Cauley Woodrow, preferred to Carlton Morris who was left on the bench.
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The match began after a minute's silence in tribute to Lee Collins, Yeovil Town's captain who tragically passed away on Thursday 1 April aged 32.
The start of the game showed good intentions from both sides. Barnsley had the first chances of the game, but did not really threaten Rafael Cabral, the Reading goalkeeper who had played for Napoli.
However, the early stages of the game showed just how much the two sides fear each other as the final sprint for the play-offs approaches. Neither club wanted to leave any space or opportunity for a counter-attack to the other team.
The best opportunity of the opening game was soon to come. Meïté took advantage of a real gift from Andersen to go one-on-one with Collins, but missed the ball completely as it bubbled up just before the Ivorian international's attempt (8').
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The game was then confined to the midfield, where both teams showed great commitment and intensity.
Barnsley responded to Reading's slight dominance in the 18th minute with a long sequence in front of goal, intensifying the pressure on Morrison and the Royals' defence as a whole (24').
But it wasn't until the half-hour mark that the first shot on target of the game came, after a header from a free kick for Barnsley.
Barnsley were to regret not being more accurate. Four minutes later, Ejaria opened the scoring after a long ball from Rinomhota. The Glasgow Rangers winger controlled the ball on the run and struck between the keeper and his post with his second touch (0-1, 34'). It was a very important goal for the visitors, who are in the playoffs at the end of the season.
Barnsley, forced to react, hit the bar after an inaccurate cross from Britain, which could have turned into a lucky goal (38'). The home side had a chance to make it 2-0, but the ball was deflected into the corner by Moore (40'). It was the last real chance of the first half, marred by a thigh injury to Morrison (42'), who was back on the pitch after a four-match absence.
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Reading were 1-0 up at the break, a scoreline that was not necessarily representative of an evenly contested first half in which chances were rare.
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Trailing by a goal at the break, Barnsley started the second half with different ambitions. Valérien Ismaël made two changes at the break with Morris and Dike coming on for Woodrow and Adeboyejo.
However, it was Reading who had the first chance of the second half. From the right, Joao sent a good ball to Meïté, who was a little too short to take the ball (48th).
But the game changed on the hour mark. On a harmless action, Laurent belted Styles, giving Barnsley an unexpected penalty. The home side had a chance to take it, and Mowatt was on hand to take it. Mowatt hit the ball hard into the centre. Rafael touched the ball but failed to turn it away: 1-1 (61st).
The second half was to be a much tighter affair, with both teams fearing they would lose an important point in the playoff race.
And, surely unsettled by the stakes, Joao missed a golden opportunity to give Reading more than just a point. After a bad pass from Andersen, Meïté, who was coming back from an offside position, quickly intervened in front of Collins to slide the ball to Joao who shot into the empty goal, but missed the target (74th)! A huge opportunity and a terrible miss for the Portuguese centre-forward...
Barnsley reacted within a minute with Styles' first half-volley shot over the goal (75th). And Barnsley had another chance seconds later. Rafael missed a free-kick and Helik took advantage of the opportunity by picking up the ball on the ground, but the ball hit the post. The ball hit the post (79th).
Barnsley could have snatched victory in the final seconds but the goal was disallowed after Dike obstructed the Reading keeper (87th).
The final score was 1-1 in this intense and disputed top-of-the-table clash, which did not find a winner.
Present at the press conference after the match, Valérien Ismaël did not hide his frustration: “It's the second game in a row where we have had a goal ruled out like that but we don't want to complain. We accept the point and we continue to move forward. […] We are proud of our efforts and we deserve to be where we are in the table. There are seven games left and you have to be clinical because all of the teams have the desire to win. The big difference will be the details now."
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A single point that won’t satisfy Veljko Paunovic: “It wasn't tight, we were the better team and we absolutely deserved to win. You can't ask for more than then chances we had with Yakou at the start of the game and Lucas in the second half. I'm not happy with one point but we move on”.
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The Royals manager also reviewed the crazy miss from his striker Lucas Joao: "It's not the first time Lucas has missed a good chance. You have to support him because the team needs him and there is no time for lamentations. I have a good rapport with him and it's important to see how he is feeling so that this kind of thing doesn't happen in the future."
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Man of the match – Andy Rinomhota. Solid performance from the Reading midfielder. Present at the four corners of the field, he showed a lot of seriousness. Decisive passer for Ejaria in the first period, he weighed a lot in the midfield. Technically at ease, he was never really endangered in this game.
Image credit: Skysports.