Bruce rues late lapse from Chester

Posted Sunday, August 26, 2018 by PA

Steve Bruce expressed his disappointment after Aston Villa allowed Reading to escape with a 1-1 draw
as a result of a last-minute penalty from Sam Baldock.

The Villa manager admitted he had no qualms about the decision but was critical of the way his skipper James Chester conceded the penalty.

“There was no need for Chester to have gone to ground,” said Bruce. “It was a cardinal sin.

“I’ve known him the best part of six years and I’ve never seen him do anything like that because usually he stays on his feet as long as anybody. You cannot give the referee that temptation to award a penalty.

“Although we made a decent start we made a few mistakes which have unfortunately cost us dearly.

“It was a penalty. It would have been easy to say it wasn’t.

“We had a lot of chances but when it got to 1-0 with 10 minutes to go we became very anxious. We then made a mistake and got punished and everyone was disappointed.

“We are still unbeaten and we will take that record, although it could have been better.”

Bruce, however, was full of admiration for his young goalkeeper, Orjan Nyland, who is still trying to
adjust to life in the Championship.

“I am delighted for him with the way he made two brilliant saves late in the game,” said Bruce.

“When you sign foreign players you have to give them time to adapt to the Championship. It is a
different ball game to what he has been playing in.”

Villa played the second half without their star player Jack Grealish and it was debatable just how much he was missed after sustaining a thigh injury.

Ahmed Elmohamady confirmed Villa’s superiority with a 51st-minute goal but Reading mounted a late surge. Two smart reflex saves from Nyland prevented an equaliser until Chester’s key error.

Reading manager Paul Clement was quietly satisfied with the never-say-die performance of his team.

“The point was good for the confidence of the team,” he said. “We have had a difficult start to the season from the opening game against Derby.

“This appeared as if was going to be another fine-margin defeat but I am really pleased with the players who pushed and pushed themselves.

“In the 83rd minute there was a brilliant double save from their goalkeeper and we could have given up.

“But they kept going right until the end to earn another valuable point with the penalty goal.

“We were under a great deal of pressure in the opening spell and were on the ropes. We may have been fortunate to get to half-time 0-0 but at that point we had a platform to get something out of the game.

“I would have felt bad for the players if we had lost the game 1-0 for all the effort they put into the game. They stood up to the challenge.

“We came to a difficult place playing against a quality team and obtained a valuable point.

“It is a big step forward and with two away points in a matter of a few days I have to be happy. But we now have to sort out our form at home.”