Jurriën timber Sabri Lamouchi celebrates a second win in four daysCardiff City’s mini-revival under new boss Sabri Lamouchi continued thanks to a stoppage-time winner against Reading.
Romaine Sawyers fired in from the edge of the box in the 91st minute to claim a deserved win – the club’s second in a week under their new manager.
A first home win since October lifts the Bluebirds five points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
Reading remain 15th in the table but could have little complaint over the loss despite the timing of the goal.
The closest Reading came was a blunder by Cardiff goalkeeper Ryan Allsop, who kicked thin air as Yakou Meite closed in.
Cardiff must have thought their luck was out when they hit the crossbar twice in the space of three minutes midway through the second half.
But Sawyers capped an impressive display with his first goal since August to claim three vital points in his side’s fight for survival.
Cardiff City 1-0 Reading – as it happenedCardiff leapfrogged Rotherham into 20th place but, crucially, have played two more games than all four teams below them.
Lamouchi luck
Both sides had claimed their first victories of 2023 on Tuesday night, with Cardiff’s ending a 14-game winless run as Lamouchi claimed his first with the Welsh club.
The Frenchman cut an animated figure on the sidelines against Reading, coaching his new team through every pass, in stark contrast to his brooding opposite number Paul Ince. His mood was not surprising given the Reading boss had little to be cheerful about.
Cardiff enjoyed plenty of success down both wings but Jaden Philogene’s delivery deserved better than Sory Kaba’s tame effort, before the striker headed a Callum O’Dowda cross straight at the goalkeeper.
The Guinea international, on loan from Danish club Midtjylland, saw plenty of the ball as the home side dominated but struggled to find the finishing touch.
His strike partner Kion Etete fared little better, even when handed a chance by Reading defender Amadou Mbengue’s stray pass.
Instead it was defender Perry Ng who came closest, rippling the side-netting with a free-kick on 28 minutes.
It was promising nevertheless for Cardiff who showed a fresh enthusiasm that belied their precarious league position.
Femi Azeez was the lynchpin for Reading but they were one-dimensional in their efforts to provide Andy Carroll ammunition and managed just one effort in the first half.
Carroll dominated up front but had precious little support, while Cardiff’s Mark McGuinness was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card for a foul on Mbengue.
As the stalemate wore on both managers turned to players on the bench, Cardiff brought on new signing Connor Wickham and Reading called for top scorer Tom Ince as well as Meite.
Allsop will be grateful Meite was not a yard quicker after a horrible blunder almost gifted the opener.
Romaine Sawyers celebrates his third goal of the seasonThe keeper collected a back-pass with his first touch and then missed the ball completely with an attempted second, before nudging the ball away as the Royals striker closed in.
Cardiff then hit the woodwork twice as they searched for a winner.
Robinson exchanged passes with Ryan Wintle before unleashing a curling effort that left Joe Lumley rooted to the spot but rebounded off the crossbar.
Lumley was beaten again moments later when Sheyi Ojo’s effort deflected off Mbengue and over the keeper – only to hit the bar.
Cardiff knew a point would do little to aid their cause and threw bodies forward as the clock ticked past 90 minutes and were rewarded for their bravery with Sawyers’ strike.
Cardiff City manager Sabri Lamouchi:
“I’m so proud of the players. It’s unbelievable what they’ve done this week, taking maximum points from the two games.
“You could see we played with so much more confidence after the win at Birmingham but we couldn’t find that last pass.
“But we were so focused right to the last minute. We didn’t panic, we created a lot and deserved the three points.”
Reading manager Paul Ince:
“It was a blatant red card in the first half [for Mark McGuinness’ foul] and that would have changed the game but the referee has bottled it.
“There has to be VAR in the Championship because if this was the Premier League that would always be a red card.
“The referee has made a massive mistake tonight and I’ve seen enough of those from our players.
“We have to also look at ourselves because we were poor from the first minute to the 95th, we looked tired, out-of-sorts and I was dumbfounded by some of their decisions.”
Line-upsCardiffFormation 4-3-1-2
1Allsop38Ng23Kipré5McGuinnessBooked at 38mins11O’DowdaSubstituted forOjoat 66’minutes25Philogene19Sawyers47Robinson6Wintle9EteteSubstituted forRallsat 70’minutes48KabaSubstituted forWickhamat 58’minutesSubstitutes2Romeo8Ralls10Ojo21Alnwick26Simpson31Wickham35RinomhotaReadingFormation 3-5-2
1Lumley27Mbengue6DannBooked at 27mins24Sarr23Hoilett19FornahSubstituted forInceat 66’minutes22LoumBooked at 76mins5McIntyre18Guinness-WalkerSubstituted forAbbeyat 84’minutes15AzeezSubstituted forMeiteat 62’minutes2CarrollSubstitutes10Ince11Meite20Casadei21Bouzanis32Abbey35Ehibhatiomhan46Senga-NgoyiReferee:Darren Bond
Attendance:18,879
Match StatsLive TextMatch ends, Cardiff City 1, Reading 0.
Second Half ends, Cardiff City 1, Reading 0.
Attempt missed. Joe Lumley (Reading) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Tom Ince with a cross following a set piece situation.
Foul by Romaine Sawyers (Cardiff City).
Tom Ince (Reading) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Delay in match because of an injury Callum Robinson (Cardiff City).
Goal! Cardiff City 1, Reading 0. Romaine Sawyers (Cardiff City) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner following a set piece situation.
Sheyi Ojo (Cardiff City) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Yakou Meite (Reading).
Corner, Cardiff City. Conceded by Junior Hoilett.
Romaine Sawyers (Cardiff City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Yakou Meite (Reading).
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution, Reading. Nelson Abbey replaces Nesta Guinness-Walker.
Delay in match because of an injury Callum Robinson (Cardiff City).
Foul by Connor Wickham (Cardiff City).
Amadou Salif Mbengue (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Mark McGuinness (Cardiff City) header from the right side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom right corner. Assisted by Callum Robinson.
Attempt missed. Cédric Kipré (Cardiff City) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left following a corner.