Source: Team_Talk
Royals recover to Bag quarters spot
Gylfi Sigurdsson proved to be the matchwinner in the fifth minute of extra-time, just moments after Brian Howard's strike in the third of four stoppage-time minutes at the end of normal time had brought a dramatic end to the fifth-round replay.[LNB]It proved to be an historic night for Reading, with their first win at The Hawthorns since 1995 securing their place in the last eight for the first time since 1927.[LNB]But it could have been so different for a shell-shocked Albion side who looked destined for their second quarter-final place in three seasons.[LNB]The most relieved man in the Black Country must surely have been Royals goalkeeper Adam Federici, whose calamitous 47th-minute gaff in letting Robert Koren's shot squirm horribly through his body looked to have proved the difference.[LNB]Koren had earlier handed the Baggies a sixth-minute lead in the fifth-round replay before Jimmy Kebe levelled almost immediately - both players also scored the first two goals in the initial 2-2 draw between the two sides at the Madejski Stadium.[LNB]The final whistle was greeted by a mass melee involving players, stewards and officials, with a Reading player appearing to be shown a red card.[LNB]Slovenia captain Koren had already twice gone close when he opened the scoring after just six minutes.[LNB]Roman Bednar received the ball 25 yards out and his low drive was parried by Federici, with Ryan Bertrand clearing Luke Moore's rebound off the line.[LNB]But the Royals full-back could only send the ball straight into the path of Koren who finally found the net at the third time of asking.[LNB]But Albion's lead did not last long as Kebe, who scored after nine seconds in the first meeting, side-footed home from six yards after Scott Carson had failed to keep hold of Jay Tabb's low shot across the face of goal in a rip-roaring start to the tie.[LNB]But the frenetic opening 15 minutes was as good as it got in the first half, with no real goalmouth action of note in the remaining half hour.[LNB]Yet the 13,985 inside The Hawthorns were treated to a second-half opening similar to the first although this time Albion took just two minutes to find the net.[LNB]And they did so in hugely fortuitous fashion.[LNB]Youssouf Mulumbu found Koren and he turned on the edge of the area before firing a low shot that went straight through Federici's grasp and into the back of the net.[LNB]Reading, however, almost repeated their first-half feat but Sigurdsson's dipping long-range effort came back off the crossbar.[LNB]The Iceland Under-21 international was presented with a second opportunity to level the tie in the 69th minute after Gabriel Tamas's mistake but he could only fire straight at Carson.[LNB]An ordinary final 20 minutes followed with West Brom seemingly destined for a place in the last eight, that was until Howard silenced the home crowd in the third minute of stoppage time.[LNB]And there was worse to come for Albion in extra-time as Sigurdsson settled matters with a sublime curling effort from 25 yards - ensuring West Brom were added to Reading's list of scalps in this season's competition, with the Royals having already seen off Liverpool and Burnley.[LNB]The referee later confirmed Jobi McAnuff was the Royals player dismissed for violent conduct after the final whistle.[LNB][LNB]
