Analysis of Albion 3 Reading 1

Yet, as the dust settled in the rip-roaring comeback that the winger inspired, there was a nagging sense of regret at what might have been.

So scintillating was Thomas as the winger dragged the Baggies from a tricky spot into more comfortable territory, it was difficult not to wonder how different the last three weeks might have been with Saturday's match-winner on board.

On his return from suspension, he did everything he could to right the wrongs of the Emirates Stadium, where a moment of petulance robbed Albion of his talents for an hour in the Carling Cup and three matches in the Championship.

Two goals and a fabulously exciting display was a huge step towards his footballing redemption at The Hawthorns.

But only by repeating such performances on a regular basis and helping the Baggies back to the Premier League will Thomas avoid some difficult end-of-season soul-searching.

Should the club miss out narrowly on a return to the top-flight, Thomas will forever wonder whether his self-indulgent shove on Arsenal's Jack Wilshere was a decisive moment in the campaign.

Because the performance that took the club to the top of the Championship on goals scored this weekend was good enough to suggest they might have been further clear by now, had Thomas not ruled himself out of the previous three matches.

At home against Crystal Palace, at Preston and even on that dreadful night at Oakwell, Roberto Di Matteo's men were crying out for the kind of trickery and unpredictability that proved crucial as Reading were eventually put to the sword on Saturday.

Without him, the Baggies lacked the spark that might have lifted them to a higher level.

Still, having made his error at the Emirates, Thomas could have done little more to reclaim lost ground than he did on Saturday. It was his pace and quick feet that were key to the Baggies waking from their early slumbers and finding their way back from another shock opener.

Thomas cancelled out Matthew Mills' opener for the visitors and struck again to hand the home side a 2-1 lead, as they recovered from a painfully sluggish start to record a home victory that - eventually - was as comfortable as it was richly deserved.

In fact, only the latest all-action Hawthorns display from a visiting goalkeeper prevented Di Matteo's side from truly putting their visitors to the sword. By the time Youssouf Mulumbu's thumping late volley eased any lingering nerves in the Brummie Road End, Royals custodian Adam Federici had already intervened three times to deny the industrious Marek Cech.

Chris Wood, Jonas Olsson and Graham Dorrans were also thwarted by the Australian's brilliance, as the Baggies threatened to run riot against a team whose early belief drained before their supporters' eyes as soon as Jobi McAnuff presented Thomas with the chance to equalise.

That moment came in the nick of time on an afternoon that began with the Hawthorns – so often the cauldron of noise that inspires Albion through sticky spells – unusually subdued and with little to raise it from its apathy.

Albion failed to react to the starting gun and the opening moments suggested another tough afternoon was in store, as Di Matteo and Co looked to banish memories of their previous home game against Palace.

Reading had already threatened in one ugly goalmouth scramble, before Albion lost their attacking spearhead as the day threatened to turn messy for Di Matteo.

The back injury that forced Roman Bednar off as early as the sixth minute summed up a poor opening, that led eventually to the home side falling a goal behind a minute after the Czech was stretchered away.

With substitute Chris Wood still 'tuning in' to his early introduction, the unusually below-par Jonas Olsson switched off at a Brian Howard free-kick and handed Mills with a free run to attack the cross and thunder a header past Scott Carson.

But eventually Albion rediscovered their collective mojo and began to suggest they could dent a Reading defence that had been breached with regularity during their own nightmare start to the season.

Wood and Thomas himself had both failed to convert decent chances, before McAnuff served up an opportunity that was tailor-made for the Baggies wide man.

McAnuff's dreadfully short backpass looped straight to Thomas and his raw speed gave the pursuing Shaun Cummings little chance of catching up. Thomas simply needed to round Federici and head straight for goal, which he did with ruthless efficiency.

From that moment there was a sense that Reading's fragile confidence would ultimately be punctured and so it proved in a second half that Albion dominated.

After Cech was twice thwarted by Federici, the breakthrough arrived on 65 minutes as Wood won possession strongly in midfield. His diagonal pass found Thomas and, once again, his acceleration left Cummings helpless as the Baggies man darted towards goal and poked a low should past Federici.

At 2-1 the fans, who had been stirred belatedly into life by Thomas's exploits, could not rest easy. But in truth there were few scares for Albion before a half-clearance by Reading dropped for Mulumbu to smash in a dipping volley from 20 yards.

There was nearly an even more stunning moment for supporters to treasure, as Graham Dorrans attempted to cap an influential second-half performance with his very own 'Beckham moment.'

The Scot's audacious lob from the halfway line was curving in beneath the crossbar with the home faithful waiting to acclaim a special moment.

Instead, Federici pulled off one more flying save to ensure this was Thomas's day. If he can channel his energies in the right direction, this might just turn out to be his season.

By Steve Madeley