Reading 0-2 Birmingham City

Jacques Maghoma scored Birmingham's opening goal at the Madejski Stadium

Birmingham City moved off the bottom of the Championship table with a superb win at Reading that increases the pressure on Royals manager Jaap Stam.

Jacques Maghoma slammed in the opener for Blues, who ended a six-game winless sequence by beating Leeds on Saturday.

Sam Gallagher's cool finish after half-time extended Reading's own run without a victory to six matches.

Birmingham, who scored two in a league game for only the second time in 2017-18, leapfrog Sunderland to go 23rd.

• Relive Tuesday's Championship action

Steve Cotterill's side are only one point off 21st-placed Hull City after recording back-to-back league wins for the first time since November 2016.

They were good value for their victory over the Royals, who came closest to scoring in stoppage time at the end of the match when Yann Kermorgant struck the woodwork.

Reading's 12th loss of the campaign leaves them four points above the relegation places, having reached the Championship play-off final last May.

Stam, 45, is in his first managerial job in English football after being an assistant manager at Ajax.

Reading boss Jaap Stam told BBC Radio Berkshire:

"I don't agree it was dreadful, the supporters might talk about it like that. We had chances in the first half to score, but if you concede the first goal from a set-piece that makes it difficult.

"Then we need to get back in to the game and the confidence of the players gets less, it makes it more difficult, we're reacting rather than anticipating situations.

"I am cross with my players in some ways, but I can't blame them for not working, because they are working very hard, sometimes when you're not winning games it's difficult to get back into the game.

"If we look at the players and how we can play, we can look at what we do differently. We are very unhappy, it's not like we're happy and dancing in the dressing room, it's easy to blame people when things are going wrong, we need to stick together. I told them that. We need to work on that. They need to make their own decisions."

Birmingham manager Steve Cotterill told BBC WM:

"That (result) has been coming for a little while and we were able to finish our chances off.

"I am delighted with that and we are really pleased with it. I think we deserved to win the game.

"Reading are a good team but we are getting better. We are learning, we are fitter, we are more organised and we are settled now."

• Line-ups
• Match Stats
• Live Text

Line-ups

Reading

• 1Mannone
• 2Gunter
• 5McShane
• 6Moore
• 19Bacuna
• 10SwiftBooked at 85mins
• 4van den BergSubstituted forBlackettat 45'minutes
• 14AlukoSubstituted forMcClearyat 67'minutes
• 22ClementSubstituted forKellyat 74'minutes
• 17Barrow
• 18Kermorgant

Substitutes

• 8Evans
• 12McCleary
• 20Ilori
• 23Bödvarsson
• 24Blackett
• 31Jaakkola
• 38Kelly

Birmingham

• 13Stockdale
• 5Colin
• 4Roberts
• 12Dean
• 3Grounds
• 8GardnerSubstituted forNdoyeat 86'minutes
• 6Kieftenbeld
• 19MaghomaSubstituted forNsueat 72'minutes
• 26Davis
• 20Boga
• 18GallagherSubstituted forAdamsat 90+1'minutes

Substitutes

• 2Nsue
• 10Jutkiewicz
• 14Adams
• 17Ndoye
• 27Jota
• 28Morrison
• 39Trueman

Referee:

James Linington

Attendance:

14,491

Match Stats

Home TeamReadingAway TeamBirmingham

Possession

Home62%

Away38%

Shots

Home12

Away13

Shots on Target

Home5

Away4

Corners

Home9

Away7

Fouls

Home9

Away13

Live Text

Posted at

Match ends, Reading 0, Birmingham City 2.

Full Time

Posted at 90'+5'

Second Half ends, Reading 0, Birmingham City 2.

Posted at 90'+5'

Corner, Birmingham City. Conceded by Chris Gunter.

Substitution

Posted at 90'+1'

Substitution, Birmingham City. Che Adams replaces Sam Gallagher.

Posted at 89'

Attempt missed. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) right footed shot from the left side of the box misses to the right following a corner.

Posted at 89'

Corner, Reading. Conceded by Maxime Colin.

Posted at 88'

Attempt blocked. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Modou Barrow with a cross.

Substitution

Posted at 86'

Substitution, Birmingham City. Cheikh Ndoye replaces Craig Gardner.

Posted at 86'

John Swift (Reading) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Posted at 86'

Foul by Craig Gardner (Birmingham City).

Booking

Posted at 85'

John Swift (Reading) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

Posted at 85'

Foul by John Swift (Reading).

Posted at 85'

Jeremie Boga (Birmingham City) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Posted at 84'

Paul McShane (Reading) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

Posted at 84'

Foul by Sam Gallagher (Birmingham City).

Posted at 81'

Attempt blocked. Harlee Dean (Birmingham City) header from the centre of the box is blocked.

Posted at 81'

Corner, Birmingham City. Conceded by Liam Moore.

Posted at 81'

Attempt blocked. Jeremie Boga (Birmingham City) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Craig Gardner.

Posted at 80'

John Swift (Reading) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Posted at 80'

Foul by Maxime Colin (Birmingham City).

Posted at 78'

Foul by Yann Kermorgant (Reading).

Posted at 78'

Harlee Dean (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Posted at 76'

Attempt missed. Sam Gallagher (Birmingham City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Jonathan Grounds.

Posted at 75'

Attempt missed. Harlee Dean (Birmingham City) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Craig Gardner with a cross following a corner.

Posted at 75'

Corner, Birmingham City. Conceded by Tyler Blackett.

Posted at 74'

Offside, Birmingham City. David Stockdale tries a through ball, but Sam Gallagher is caught offside.

Substitution

Posted at 74'

Substitution, Reading. Liam Kelly replaces Pelle Clement.

Posted at 73'

Offside, Reading. Chris Gunter tries a through ball, but Garath McCleary is caught offside.

Substitution

Posted at 72'

Substitution, Birmingham City. Nsue replaces Jacques Maghoma.

Posted at 71'

Leandro Bacuna (Reading) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Posted at 71'

Foul by David Davis (Birmingham City).

Posted at 69'

Attempt saved. Pelle Clement (Reading) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by John Swift.

Posted at 68'

Foul by Pelle Clement (Reading).

Posted at 68'

Marc Roberts (Birmingham City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Substitution

Posted at 67'

Substitution, Reading. Garath McCleary replaces Sone Aluko.

Goal!

Posted at 64'

Goal! Reading 0, Birmingham City 2. Sam Gallagher (Birmingham City) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Jeremie Boga following a fast break.

Posted at 62'

Attempt blocked. Jacques Maghoma (Birmingham City) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Jeremie Boga.

Posted at 60'

Attempt missed. Yann Kermorgant (Reading) right footed shot from the centre of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Chris Gunter with a headed pass.

Posted at 60'

Modou Barrow (Reading) wins a free kick on the left wing.

Posted at 60'

Foul by Maxime Colin (Birmingham City).

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