Bournemouth vs Reading
Second place Bournemouth welcomed the Royals at the Vitality stadium. Right off the bat Asmir Begovic conceded a penalty on the 4th minute and Lucas João made it 1-0 to Reading. The first half saw end to end play, however just before half time Sone Aluko scored a left footed shot from the centre of the box straight
down the goal. Assisted by Ovie Ejaria.
Half-time Bournemouth 0 – 2 Reading
10 minutes into the second half, Lloyd Kelly crosses the ball to Dominic Solanke and guides the ball to the top right corner. 3 minutes after, Bournemouth scored the equalising goal through Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld as he struck it in the bottom left corner. João had a chance to put his team in front once again in the 65th minute but his shot was saved by Begovic. On the 77th minute the Cherries took the lead as Lewis Cook scored a right footed shot from outside the box in the top left corner, assisted by David Brooks, making it 3-2 to the Cherries. Yet another chance by Reading was saved, denying them the equalising goal. Shortly after, Bournemouth put the game to bed with a longshot in the 89th minute by Solanke to complete his brace. Bournemouth collected their 3 points where they now sit in 2nd place and sending Reading down to 6th.
Full-time Bournemouth 4 – 2 Reading
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Stoke City vs Huddersfield Town
Stoke City hosted Huddersfield Town at the Bet365 stadium with the debut of 20 year old goalkeeper, Josef Bursik who was out on loan at Doncaster after Davies and Gunn both sustained serious injuries. Things got off to a balanced start with both sides trying their luck. Huddersfield found their feet before Stoke, and they capitalised with a cross by Toffolo to Eiting, which he struck first time in the bottom right corner. 7 minutes after Tyrese Campbell gave Stoke the equaliser, after he buried a lost ball in the right top corner. 2 minutes after, the second goal followed, again by Campbell, this time driven through Castro’s legs with his left foot. A few minutes later, he was through on goal to complete his hat trick, however this time his attempt was saved. Just 5 minutes before half time, Huddersfield equalised when Eiting threaded a pass to Mbenza as he lost his marking defender and slotted it in the centre of the goal. Huddersfield were left trailing once again after an unfortunate own goal by Stearman as he attempted to block Campbell’s shot.
Half-time Stoke City 3 – 2 Huddersfield Town
As the second half commenced, Stoke were pushing their luck for a fourth goal. It eventually came in the 57th minute after a left footed shot by skipper Sam Clucas from outside the box in the left hand side of the goal. Straight after Stoke’s fourth goal, Luke O’Brien won a free kick in the attacking half. He crossed it in the box when Naby Sarr towered over the Potters and headed the ball in the top right corner, giving the Terriers a chance of equalising. Huddersfield looked in charge throughout the rest of the match however they were unsuccessful as the Potters picked up all 3 points and climbed up to 7th place just 3 points off 1st place. Huddersfield sit in 16th place with 14 points amongst Cardiff, Birmingham and QPR.
Full-time Stoke City 4 – 3 Huddersfield Town
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Middlesbrough vs Norwich City
Norwich City visited the Riverside stadium as they played against Middlesbrough. The first half saw both outfits working for that precious opener, however proved unsuccessful as the first half ended.
Half-time Middlesbrough 0 – 0 Norwich City
5 minutes after the start of the second half Ben Gibson conceded a penalty that gave Middlesbrough the chance to go a goal up. Tavernier failed to score as the game stayed at 0-0. The game saw a few other attempts from both sides, but at the 72nd minute Hayden Coulson conceded a penalty as he brought down Max Aarons, giving Norwich the chance to break the deadlock. Teemu Pukki did not fail to tuck it away at the bottom right corner, giving the Canaries the lead. Middlesbrough tried to score, however it did not happen, with the game ending 1-0 to Norwich, meaning that they sit top of the table whilst sending Warnock’s side to 8th place.
Full-time – Middlesbrough 0-1 Norwich City
