Kyle Bartley heads West Brom six points clear at top with win at Reading | Football

West Bromwich Albion continued to re-establish their momentum as they extended their lead at the top of the Championship to six points with a resolute 2-1 win over Reading. It took a recovery from an early Reading penalty, converted by George Puscas, with Matheus Pereira drawing the visiting side level before Kyle Bartley’s header won it.

“This is a difficult league,” said the victorious manager, Slaven Bilic. “You have to be good tactically, you have to be good technically, you have to be good individually. You have to be strong, you have to manage the games. We were that.”

What a strange few months this has been for West Brom. After flitting to the top of the league in a shower of dazzling passing combinations and generally delightful football, by the end of January they were in a slump of seven league games without a win, their ruthless dominance blunted by tepid form that pushed them from their perch at the top.

After an edgy win over Luton last Saturday week, Bilic was intoxicated with joy after his team’s handling of Millwall in a windy downpour on Sunday which seemed to put them back on track, but the early moments here were a reminder that in the Championship nothing ever goes quite as expected. As Reading made the first breakthrough against the run of play, Puscas converted his penalty following a handball by Bartley in the 10th minute.

Reading immediately dropped back and looked to contain West Brom and they were punished. Bilic’s side shrugged off the goal and consistently carved through the home defence, generating numerous chances before the magical Pereira equalised after connecting with a solid cross from Callum Robinson. Although his first shot was parried, he made sure his second attempt was not coming back.

By the end of the first half the visiting side’s 14 shots reflected their dominance and they opened the second in a similar vein, throwing in backheels, pressing relentlessly and partying like it was December 2019. It was Bartley who stepped up to deliver the decisive goal, eradicating memories of his earlier handball with a precise header.

That could have been the end of the game and the beginning of a rout, but as West Brom barrelled forward Reading impressively weathered the storm with composure in defence. They spent the final 20 minutes generating a series of anxious moments for the visitors and the pressure culminated in Yakou Méïté converting a header only for it to be ruled offside.

“These guys, if you give them time on the ball, in midfield, they have players that you can fall in love with,” said Bilic. “They have players who are very good on the ball – they can hurt you. We were doing the dirty job and the work off the ball really well.”

By the end West Brom were moving to the corner flags, anxious for the final whistle. But they held on, moving two wins clear of Leeds United and Fulham.

“I thought the team gave me everything they could give,” said the Reading manager Mark Bowen. “No complaints in terms of the effort we put in and the performance. Slaven said to me that they were the ones who were crying for the final whistle at the end.”

The past few months may have been strange, but they have also been a necessary learning curve for this impressive West Brom side – a reminder that no matter how many backheels they can fit into a 10-minute spell of possession, none of this is easy. For Bilic the most impressive aspect of their recovery has been the way they have returned to winning ways determined to take things into their own hands, notably shooting more than they ever have. In their past two games they have amassed 54 shots:

“When you are shooting that gives you belief, that creates momentum and puts a bit of panic in the opponent,” he said. “There was one stage of the season, even when we were winning games, when we didn’t have so many shots. Last few games, we are are like ‘paf, paf, paf’.”

No matter how skilful or how well-drilled a team are, tenacity and resilience are mandatory in order to survive a long title run. By shrugging off a dry January with three wins in a row, the Baggies have shown plenty in just 12 days. Sealing a return to the Premier League will only demand more.