Ovie Ejaria produced a moment of magic and a moment of madness as West Bromwich Albion snatched a 1-1 draw with Reading at The Hawthorns. The Liverpool loanee scored a stunning goal but then conceded a late penalty, allowing substitute Kenneth Zohore to equalise from the spot.
Ejaria's 35-yard strike looked to have secured victory for the Royals, but his foul on Filip Krovinovic in the 88th minute handed the Baggies a lifeline. Zohore, who had only been on the pitch for 12 minutes, calmly converted to earn his side a point.
Reading manager Jose Gomes defended Ejaria, saying: 'He played very well, held the ball, did good passes, scored a great goal. He did a positive game.' Gomes added that Ejaria 'just needs to shoot more times to achieve another level.'
West Brom had two strong penalty appeals turned down earlier in the match, with referee Peter Bankes rejecting claims for fouls on Omar Richards and Krovinovic. Albion boss Slaven Bilic said: 'We conceded a goal which was a brilliant strike on the one hand but on the other hand, being objective, it was a foul for us on the edge of the box.'
Reading goalkeeper Rafael Cabral impressed with a point-blank save from Charlie Austin, while West Brom dominated possession but struggled to break down a resilient Royals defence. The draw leaves both sides in mid-table in the early stages of the Championship season.
