Burton Albion beat Reading 2-1 on the evening of 17 March, though the scoreline understated how closely contested a match this was across its ninety minutes.
Reading made the brighter start. George Evans gave them the lead in the 25th minute, only for Burton to respond almost immediately through Finley Burns two minutes later. The equaliser settled Burton, and Kamari Doyle put them ahead before the half-hour mark had passed, scoring in the 33rd minute to give the hosts a lead they would carry into the break.
The second half brought sustained Reading pressure. Andy Cannon, Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan and Kadan Young were all introduced from the bench within three minutes of each other around the hour mark, and the visitors used that fresh energy to push Burton back. Lewis Wing came on in the 77th minute, followed shortly by D. Williams and Liam Fraser, with Matt Ritchie also entering the fray in the 84th minute.
Ehibhatiomhan pulled Reading level in the 88th minute, and it appeared a draw was the likeliest outcome.
Burton, however, had other ideas. Jake Beesley scored in stoppage time to restore their lead and secure all three points for the home side.
Credit to Burton for their composure late on. They absorbed considerable late pressure, conceded once, and still found a winner. Reading's burst of substitutions nearly worked, but ultimately the points stayed at the Pirelli Stadium.
Recap generated from the event timeline. Editorial team review by request. How we use AI.
