Reading vs West Brom match report: Baggies crash out of FA Cup as Royals impress

Reading 3 West Bromwich Albion 1

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West Bromwich Albion are effectively going nowhere in the Premier League, so perhaps their fans were entitled to an FA Cup run to sustain them for the rest of the season.

And yet, against lowly Championship side Reading, they made an embarrassing fifth-round exit – despite taking the lead.

It got ugly off the pitch at the Madejski Stadium, too. When visiting left-back Chris Brunt went over to the 3,800 travelling fans, ostensibly to give his shirt to a supporter, a coin thrown from the stand hit him in the face, near his left eye. He picked it up and remonstrated angrily with the group apparently responsible.

Brunt told the BBC: “I’m disgusted. If they want to come forward and say they don’t like what they’ve seen, then that’s fine. They paid a lot of money to come, but a small minority spoilt it. There were young kids there. I was absolutely disgusted and ashamed.”

Tony Pulis, the West Bromwich manager, was a little more resigned. “Unfortunately, it’s the way the game is going,” he said. “Social media and everything that goes around it builds up an anti-feeling if things are not going well at football clubs.

“We’ve got to be careful with this. We’ve seen an incident today where a lad [Brunt], who has played over 300 games for this club, could have had his eye out. He’s got a cut not too far from the eye, an inch away.

“It’s just not acceptable, it’s barbaric. I hope the police get involved, never mind the club. For me, it’s criminal. You can’t allow it.”

The magic of the Cup? Not for Brunt or West Bromwich, but for Reading, most certainly. Last year’s semi-finalists, 2-1 losers to Arsenal after extra-time at Wembley, reached the last eight for the fourth time in six years, despite Pulis fielding a near full-strength side.

Still, the Premier League side could find no way past the limpet-like attentions of holding midfielder Michael Hector, the Chelsea loanee, early on. Nor were they able to defuse the marauding runs of Hal Robson-Kanu on the right flank.

Twice Reading disrupted the gentle ebb and flow of the game before half-time. Captain Paul McShane volleyed narrowly wide after a bout of pinball in the West Bromwich area, then Robson-Kanu’s glancing header, from an Oliver Norwood cross, produced an acrobatic save from goalkeeper Ben Foster.

If the tie had been mildly pleasing up until the break, it burst into life in a five-minute spell early in the second half.

West Bromwich went ahead in the 54th minute, when Salomon Rondon released Darren Fletcher to strike a low cross-shot past the despairing dive of goalkeeper Al Habsi. Yet Reading were soon level, with McShane heading in Norwood’s precise free-kick for his first goal for the club.

Another first goal – of the season – arrived for Hector in the 72nd minute, when he ghosted in at the far post to head Reading ahead from another Norwood free-kick.

West Bromwich, Cup quarter- finalists last season, had been undone twice at set-pieces thanks to some shocking marking. But the signs had been there, the West Midlands side having limped into the last 16 only on the back of replay victories over Championship Bristol City and League One Peterborough United.

They even needed a penalty shoot-out to get past the Posh, but they were not yet buried here, with Fletcher wasting a close-range effort.

As the visitors opened up at the back, Reading went for the jugular, and Robson-Kanu could have made the passage to the last eight more comfortable but twice squandered good openings on the break.

Lucas Piazon did make the tie safe in the fourth minute of stoppage time, having just come on to the pitch, when he finished off good work by fellow substitutes Matej Vydra and Ola John.

Brian McDermott, the Reading manager, said: “I’m pleased. I thought we really deserved it. It was disappointing at 1-0 down because I thought that we were in the ascendancy.

“But we stuck to what we were trying to do and had a couple of really good set-plays into their box and then finished it off at the end. We’re delighted to be in the next round.”

For Reading, the Cup excitement continues. For West Bromwich, tedium awaits.

Reading: (4-1-3-2) Al Habsi; Gunter, McShane, Cooper, Obita; Hector; Robson-Kanu, Norwood, Quinn (Piazon, 90); Cox (Vydra, 59), Rakels (John, 59).

West Bromwich: (4-4-2) Foster; Chester, Evans, Olsson, Brunt; Sessègnon, Sandro (Pritchard, 82), Fletcher, McClean (Anichebe, 75); Rondon, Berahino.

Referee: Anthony Taylor

Man of the match: Hector (Reading)

Match Rating: 8/10