Hull City vs Reading match report: Jake Livermore strikes late to keep leaders within reach

Hull City 2 Reading 0: Livermore scores just before the finish to keep Steve Bruce's side in the promotion picture

Jake Livermore celebrates his winning goal for Hull (Reuters)

Jake Livermore’s late winner earned Hull all three points to keep them firmly in the Championship automatic promotion picture.

Livermore scored just before the finish after Abel Hernandez’s goal earlier in the second half had brought them level.

Steve Bruce’s team had been out of sorts during a first half in which Nick Blackman gave the visitors the lead after Allan McGregor had pulled off two saves.

McGregor produced an early stop from Reading’s Daniel Williams and repeated his heroics from Blackman.

Reading took the lead their dominance deserved after 29 minutes as Blackman shot left-footed into the roof of the net after the visitors had worked the ball well across the Hull area, to leave the overlapping striker unmarked.

Blackman then sent in a free-kick which hit the top of McGregor’s crossbar just before half-time.

Hull, having survived that scare, did not take long after the break to have a shot on target. Two minutes in Moses Odubajo was played into the area by Hernandez but Jonathan Bond blocked his shot from close range.

Livermore tried an effort from the edge of the area but it was straight at Bond and then Hernandez fired wide.

Hull drew level after the hour mark when Hernandez was on hand to fire home from a matter of yards after Bond had stopped Ahmed Elmohamady’s shot with his legs.

Anton Ferdinand had blocked a Clucas effort but the winger slid the loose ball across goal to Elmohamady and when his shot was blocked Hernandez fired home for his eighth Championship goal of the season.

Chuba Akpom shot just wide as the home side sought the further goal their second-half play merited. Akpom was then denied by a fine block by Bond after he had exchanged passes with Hernandez. Elmohamady headed into the side-netting from a cross by substitute Shaun Maloney as Hull searched for the winner.

The goal finally came through Livermore, after a goalmouth scramble.

Hull City: McGregor; Odubajo, Maguire, Davies, Robertson, Elmohamady, Livermore, Meyler, Clucas (Maloney, 77), Hernandez (Diomande, 83), Akpom (Snodgrass, 78). Substitutes not used Huddlestone, Jakupovic, Diame, Hayden.

Reading: Bond; Gunter, McShane, Ferdinand (Cooper, 65), Taylor (Ruben Lima, 52), Norwood, Hector, Williams, McCleary (Robson-Kanu, 75), Vydra, Blackman. Substitutes not used Piazon, Quinn, Keown, Al Habsi.

Referee: O Langford (West Midlands).