Wigan Athletic came from behind to beat Reading 2-0 in a match that swung decisively in the home side's favour either side of half-time, with the visitor's early promise fading badly as the evening wore on.
Reading had shown enough in the first half to suggest they might take something from the game, but Kamari Doyle's goal on 42 minutes handed Wigan the initiative at the break. Jeriel Dorsett extended the lead within three minutes of the restart, and at that point the contest was effectively settled.
The second half became a scrappy, stop-start affair punctuated by a flurry of substitutions. Joe Taylor was introduced and made an immediate impression, scoring on 56 minutes before adding a second ten minutes later to press his claim for a starting place. Matt Ritchie and Raphael Borges Rodrigues both came on in the 67th minute as Wigan managed the game rather than chased it, while Reading responded with their own changes through Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan and Charlie Savage.
Dara Costelloe added further gloss in the second period as Reading struggled to reorganise or threaten with any consistency. Late entries for Callum Wright, Paudie O'Connor and Andy Yiadom could not alter the outcome.
Wigan controlled large portions of the contest and their finishing was sharp when it mattered. Reading will reflect on a second half in which they offered little beyond positional changes.
Recap generated from the event timeline. Editorial team review by request. How we use AI.
