Cardiff City’s mini-revolution under new boss Sabri Lamouchi continued, thanks to a stoppage-time winner against Reading.
Romaine Sawyers scored from the edge of the box in the 91st minute to claim a deserved win – the club’s second in a week under their new manager.
A first home win since October moved the Bluebirds five points clear of the Championship relegation zone.
Reading are 15th in the table but despite the timing of the goal there can be little to complain about at the loss.
The closest Reading came was a mistake by Cardiff goalkeeper Ryan Allsopp, who kicked thin air as Yako Mite closed in.
Cardiff may have thought their luck had run out when they hit the crossbar twice in the space of three minutes midway through the second half.
But Sawyers capped an impressive display with his first goal since August to secure three crucial points in his side’s fight for survival.
Cardiff leapfrog Rotherham into 20th place but, importantly, have played two more games than the four teams below them.
Lamuchi luck
Both sides claimed their first victories of 2023 on Tuesday night, with Cardiff ending a 14-game winless run as Lamoche claimed his first win with the Welsh club.
The Frenchman cut a dynamic figure against Reading, coaching his new side from every pass, in stark contrast to his brooding opposite number Paul Innes. His mood was unsurprising as there was little to cheer about for the Reading boss.
Cardiff had plenty of success down both wings but Jayden Philogen’s delivery was better than Souri Kaba’s effort, before the striker headed a Callum O’Dowda cross straight at the goalkeeper.
The Guinea international, on loan from Danish club Midtjylland, saw plenty of the ball as the home side dominated but struggled to find the final touch.
His strike partner Kion Etete fared little better, even when a stray pass from Reading defender Amadou Mbengue led to a chance.
Instead it was defender Perry Ng who came closest, pushing into the side netting with a free-kick on 28 minutes.
Yet it was promising for Cardiff who showed a renewed vigor that belied their precarious league position.
Femi Aziz was the linchpin for Reading but he was monotonous in his attempts to provide Andy Carroll with ammunition and managed just one try in the first half.
Carroll dominated up front but had precious little support, while Cardiff’s Mark McGuinness was lucky to escape with only a yellow card for a foul on Mbango.
As the stalemate over both managers turned to the players on the bench, Cardiff called on new signings Connor Wickham and Reading top scorer Tom Innes as well as Mayite.
Allsop will be thankful Meite wasn’t a yard early when a terrible error almost gifted the opener.
The keeper collected a backpass with his first touch and then missed the ball completely with a second attempt, before the ball was cleared away after the Royals’ striker closed in.
Cardiff then hit the woodwork twice as they looked for a winner.
Robinson exchanged passes with Ryan Wintle before launching a curling effort which led to Joe Lumley connecting on the spot but deflected off the crossbar.
Lumley was beaten again moments later when Sheye Ojo’s effort deflected off Mbango and over the keeper – only to hit the bar.
Cardiff knew a point would do little to help their cause and threw the bodies forward as the clock ticked past 90 minutes and they were rewarded for their bravery with a Sawyers strike.
Cardiff City Manager Sabri Lamouchi:
“I’m very proud of the players. It’s unbelievable what they’ve done this week, taking maximum points from two games.
“You could see we played with a lot of confidence after the win in Birmingham but we just couldn’t get that last pass.
“But we were very focused until the last minute. We didn’t panic, we created a lot and deserved the three points.”
Reading manager Paul Innes:
“It was a clear red card in the first half [for a foul on Mark McGuinness] and it would have changed the game but the referee bottled it.
“The Championship has to have VAR because if it was the Premier League there would always be a red card.
“The referee made a huge mistake tonight and I saw enough of my players.
“We also have to look at ourselves because we were poor from the first minute to the 95th minute, we looked tired, out of sorts and I was surprised by some of their decisions.”
