Reading 3 Brentford 2
Dan Bentley's blunder saw Brentford throw away a 2-1 lead with 13 minutes remaining to lose 3-2 at Reading this evening.
The Bees had worked so hard to come from behind and take the game to their host with some mouth-watering attacking play, turning the game on its head after being overrun for the first 20 minutes.
But after being on top for the next hour, the defensive frailties which have plagued Dean Smith's side in recent weeks came to the fore again, as Reading somehow wrested victory back from their visitors' grasp.
The hosts made all the early running and had already tested Bentley a few times when they finally broke the deadlock 20 minutes in. In attempting to cut out a cross from the right, Maxime Colin smashed the ball off his own post, and former Bee John Swift was first to the rebound.
Two more ex-Bees, Liam Moore and Lewis Grabban, then had chances to stick the knife in in their old club, Moore wastefully putting over a free header from a corner while Grabban miskicked totally when found unmarked in the area with a cross from the right.
But just when it looked like Reading would run away with it, Brentford suddenly woke up and laid siege to the home goal, Jota having a shot blocked and Sergi Canos, in for his first start since returning, shooting wide after beating two men and cutting inside.
Nico Yennaris should have pulled the Bees level when a blocked shot from Lasse Vibe fell invitingly to him on the edge of the box, but his shot was straight at home keeper Ali Al Habsi, while Canos, Jota and Vibe all went close too before the break.
The Bees carried on where they left off after the break, Canos cutting in from the left before firing into the side netting, while Yennaris had a volley from inside the area blocked, and just after the hour mark they were level.
Sub Florian Jozefzoon, on for Canos just moments earlier, made an instant impact by beating his man down the left and cutting back from byline, picking out Jota, who finished with style.
Four minutes later they were ahead, Ryan Woods putting a probing ball down the right for Vibe, who did brilliantly to cut inside the covering defender and smash home via a deflection off a home defender at the near post.
However, the lead lasted just 10 minutes before Garath McCleary put in a cross from the right which was slid home by Danny Williams, and the same player then put a free header from Chris Gunter's cross just wide.
But Reading were not to be denied and four more minutes on they were in front once more, Bentley rushing out to cut out a ball forward but succeeding only in playing it to Yann Kermogant, whose ball back into the box left Roy Beerens with a simple tap in.
Jozefzoon almost levelled soon after, but his effort crept along the goalline and out again after beating Al Habsi, while Vibe had a shot deflected wide as the Bees probed for another equaliser.
Vibe was again just denied by Al Habsi in injury time, when perhaps the Dane took one touch too many, and all the Bees had to take home was a hard luck story.
