Albion 3 Reading 1

The winger was back almost a month after his red card shame at Arsenal and Thomas struck twice as the Baggies fought back from behind to win.

The victory was sealed by Youssouf Mulumbu's stunning late volley. They were punished for a slow start when Matthew Mills rose unmarked at a free-kick to head Reading into a seventh-minute lead.

But Thomas seized on a Jobi McAnuff howler and ran half the length of the pitch to draw the home side level.

The Baggies then began to dominate and they deserved the lead that Thomas gave them on 65 minutes, when the wide man ended a quick break with a darting run and smart low finish.

Albion suffered an early blow when Roman Bednar fell awkwardly after just six minutes and was stretchered off holding his back to be replaced by Chris Wood.

It got worse for the home side a minute later when they switched off at a set-piece and were punished with the opening goal.

Brian Howard's free-kick to the far post found the unmarked Mills, who planted a downward header past the helpless goalkeeper Scott Carson.

Albion struggled to increase the tempo although they fashioned a couple of half-chances, the best of which fell to Thomas, who cut in from the left and saw his low shot well saved by goalkeeper Adam Federici, although the officials inexplicably awarded a goal-kick.

But the Baggies were level just before the half-hour, as the visitors gifted them the chance to equalise.

A poor backpass by Jobi McAnuff was seized upon by Thomas, who sprinted clear from halfway and rounded Federici before defeating Shaun Cummings in a foot-race and scoring from close range.

Albion should have led seven minutes after half-time when Joe Mattock overlapped on the left and his hanging cross found Wood, whose shot on the turn at the far post was blocked brilliantly by Federici.

Marek Cech should twice have handed the Baggies the lead around the hour mark.

The Slovakia international fired over the bar after Thomas's shot was saved by Federici and was denied by the goalkeeper moments later, as Cech tried to turn in a Luke Moore centre.

But the home side would not be denied and they broke from a goal-kick to take the lead.

A quick series of passes ended with Wood's diagonal ball finding Thomas and the winger powered away from Cummings before poking a low shot past Federici.

The goalkeeper then produced a brilliant high save to deny Cech for a third time but he could nothing to keep out Mulumbu's shot, which dipped over him from 20 yards after Graham Dorrans' cross was half-cleared.

Dorrans almost topped Mulumbu's goal with a wonderful dipping shot from the halfway line, which Federici backpedalled brilliantly to tip over.