Goals from Charlie Wellings, Jemma Purfield and Ebony Salmon fired the Robins off of the foot of the WSL ahead of their Continental League Cup final on Sunday.
Bristol City Women came into this game knowing that a victory would take them off the bottom of the table while Reading travelled to Ashton Gate vying to continue a run of good form that has seen them go unbeaten in their last four games, taking points off of Arsenal and beating Manchester United.
The Royals were bolstered by the return of midfield wizard Fara Williams, but the hosts were almost left without their star player a minute into the game as Ebony Salmon collided heavily with Reading goalkeeper Grace Moloney and was slow to get to her feet. Robins fans would have been undoubtedly pleased to see her return to the game soon after.
While Bristol would not start the game looking like the side seemingly stuck to the foot of the WSL, pressing high and giving the visitors little time to string passes together, they would come undone at the back to gift Reading a 1-0 lead twelve minutes in.
After a miscommunication between Robins ‘keeper Sophie Baggaley and her back line, the ball ricocheted out to Emma Harries who slotted the ball into the empty net to give the 18-year-old academy graduate her first senior goal for the Berkshire outfit.
In the aftermath of the goal, Reading would immediately begin pushing for a second as just three minutes later, Harries would touch a chipped pass down for Danielle Carter who steered the ball away from the onrushing defenders and fired at goal. Her effort would be too close to Baggaley, who would parry it away.
After a sustained period of pressure by the visitors, Bristol City would find their equaliser against the run of play after a brilliant through ball by Salmon. Her pass would find Charlie Wellings, who would make no mistake and strike the ball through the legs of Moloney.
Reading would keep pushing forward with fluid passing sequences, a testament to their impressive form throughout last month, which saw captain Tash Harding and manager Kelly Chambers nominated for Player and Manager of the Month, respectively.
With less than ten minutes left in the half, the Royals looked to have taken the lead through Carter after another scramble in the box, but the goal was quickly ruled out for offside.
Bristol would end the half on top with a pair of chances by Salmon, but neither were able to trouble Moloney as the Bristol striker was denied both times by the visitors’ backline. Both sides would have likely gone to the dressing rooms believing that they deserved to be on top but as the whistle blew to signal the end of the first half, the score remained 1-1.
The visitors would come out of the break the livelier of the two sides but could not convert their chances as Rachel Rowe was unable to steer the ball across goal multiple times after being played in behind on the wing.
Bristol City would carve out the first big chance of the half as Yana Daniels would cut in onto her right foot just inside the 18-yard box and fired across goal but was denied by the outstretched Moloney.
That effort was a positive sign that the Robins would capitalise on almost instantly as Jemma Purfield was left unmarked on the wing following a corner and unleashed an audacious chip first time that dipped just over the top of Moloney and gave the league’s bottom side the lead again.
The hosts were clearly content with their work for the night as they were comfortable to get bodies behind the ball and defend their lead. Reading were not able to capitalise on the large spell of possession as they lacked creativity in the final third and were left taking wayward long-range efforts on multiple occasions.
The Royals would seemingly be handed a lifeline back into the match by the returning Fara Williams as a perfectly weighted chipped pass found Rachel Rowe, who continued her good run of form by firing the ball past Baggaley to level the scoring once again with under twenty minutes to play.
Any hopes of a comeback for the visitors would be quickly extinguished as six minutes later, substitute Abigail Harrison fired a wonderful pass over the top of the Reading defence to the charging run of Salmon, who took a touch to control the ball and then poked it inside the far post to restore the Robins’ lead and deflate the Royals.
Bristol City would grind out the rest of the game and manage the clock well, clearly frustrating their opposition as Reading goal scorer Rowe would be issued her second yellow card and sent off with thirty seconds left of added time, the game finishing 3-2.
This victory is only Bristol’s second of the season and it could not come at a better time as it lifts them past West Ham United and out of the relegation zone and gives the players a much-needed morale boost towards their next game, the final of the Continental League Cup against a seemingly unstoppable Chelsea team on Sunday.
Reading, however, remain in sixth but are now just one point above Brighton Women and three points behind fifth-place Everton, with the Toffees also boasting a game in hand.
The Inbound Observer 