Andy Carroll was on target as Reading beat Swansea 2-1 on Tuesday evening. Reading moved level on points with Norwich City in the Championship play-off places, while Swansea remained winless for eight matches. The result saw Reading climb to eighth place in the table, while Swansea dropped to 16th.

After a largely uneventful first half, the hosts went ahead when Andy Carroll volleyed in a free-kick in the 27th minute. It was Carroll's third goal of the game, which saw him fire past Swansea goalkeeper Steven Benda. This was the third time in his Liverpool career that he has scored against Swansea, and it was his second goal against them in the Premier League.

But after Andy Carroll had slid in behind Yakou Meite, Meite failed to score the penalty he had been awarded, and Reading escaped with a point. Despite conceding, Reading had a better than expected average possession. Their opponents managed only 14 shots on target in the match.

In the second half, Swansea pressed on after the break, but the game went the way of the visitors. The Swans created one good opportunity in the dying minutes when Harry Darling headed a cross straight into the arms of Reading goalkeeper Joe Lumley. They were still in the game but with only 19 minutes left to play.

During the middle of the second period, Swansea threw the ball forward without much threat. However, Joel Piroe failed to test Lumley after receiving a cross from Fulton. A foul on Matt Grimes saw the ball bouncing up and forward, and then back to the Reading defence.

Swansea squandered the chance to make it two goals in a row when they conceded a goal in the 73rd minute. Liam Cullen tapped home a rebound, but it was not enough to save Swansea from their winless streak. And the team's superior goal difference put them in 15th.

Swansea threw everything at Reading in the final 20 minutes, and it was their failure to convert the chances they had that proved their undoing. Tom Ince had a low shot deflected wide, and Ryan Manning failed to reach the target from a follow-up attempt.

Swansea were forced to play with 10 men for the remainder of the game, but it was too late to rescue a point. Tom Ince had already scored his 100th goal for Reading in the 53rd minute, and after the restart he provided a crucial assist when his cross was deflected into his own net by Mamadou Loum.

There were also probing questions for Carroll after the game. He admitted that he was a bit disappointed that he had failed to get more than a goal, but he maintained his composure, and was ready to discuss his role in the match in his post-match interview.

On the positive side, it was another important step in the road to the top six. Reading have now lost three of their last eight matches and have been unable to win any of them, but with 14 more points from losing positions, they are in the running for the final four.

Source : yalla shoot