Reading v Sunderland-December 22 [R]

[prvev]

An unchanged team from last week. Which means Gunn is back..

Come on Reading.

[prvev]

HT, scoreless.

[Neeto]

Ingimarsson GOAL!!!!! 69th

[prvev]

Ivar!! Sonko's header is saved, and Ivar puts it in! 1-0!

[Neeto]

Chopra scores in 82nd off a penalty......


Hunt GOAL!!!! 90th!!!!!! FULL TIME Reading 2-1 Sunderland

[prvev]

HUNT! 2-1! In stoppage time!

(A Chopra penalty had tied it in the 8th minute

[prvev]

Huge 3 points today, and a much needed win.

[RichardL]

If up and down the country schoolchildren this week managed to act in nativity plays more convincingly than both Reading and Sunderland did in their claims to be premiership quality, at least Reading managed to spare the blushes of their dropping the baby Jesus moment to reclaim three points after looking like they thrown it away.

Sunderland came to town without an away win this season, and in the first half in particular gave a fine demonstration of why. Looking every inch a championship side in waiting, they put in a performance which explained why so many commentators talk about their spirit, but so few about their ability.

Reading, it has to be said, were hardly scintillating either, attacking with the fluidity of a blocked drain, but at least they were a persistent, if inconsistent threat. Yet Sunderland could have taken an early lead. Some unwise men in Reading shirts came bearing the gift of a poorly worked offside trap, allowing Dwight Yorke a clear run at goal from a tight angle. Hahnemann spread himself like Marmite on toast to block the first shot, and smothered the rebound too, in what was to be clearly one of his better games of the season.

Reading’s final ball in this period was clearly in need of a guiding star. Alas low cloud prevented one from being seen, and among a smorgasbord of poor balls into the box, chances came and went for Convey (a shot from the edge of the box pulled badly wide), Doyle beating the keeper and post, Kitson failing with a lob and also a long range shot after a well played advantage, Hunt and Ingimarsson both skying shots from outside the box, and Hunt also somehow failing to head in at the back post. Like when Reading played Derby, who didn’t look any worse than Sunderland, it was as if they struggled to comprehend how badly the other team were playing.

It couldn’t last. Sunderland came out looking so different that you expect the Madejski maintenance staff will have to repaint the away dressing room to replace the paint that had clearly been stripped off it during Roy Keane’s half-time talk, but they still weren’t very good. The problem was the Reading were sinking down to their level. Too many high balls and misplaced passes creating a spectacle that had you wondering if those complaining about there not being enough English players in the premiership are missing the point. As well as that, the service from the wings had dried up to the extent that the most telling crosses were being played in by Kitson and Doyle. Had they been able to sprint in and get on the end of their own deliveries then things would have been fine.

With Sunderland stubbornly digging in like a battalion at Ypres to repel any attempts at going over the top, it looked increasingly like a set-piece (or a mistake) would be the most likely avenue for a goal. Harper’s sat-nav also picked out this route, with a free-kick reminiscent of Reading’s second v Liverpool this time picking out the head of Sonko. Gordon was able to save the shot low down, but couldn’t hold on and presented an early Christmas gift to Ingimarsson two feet from the goal line.

Sunderland may have presented the threat of a short man with a sharpened stick of rhubarb for most of the game, but they do have a knack of getting late goals, and they got another today. With Reading pushing up, looking to get the second which would surely have won the game, a ball over the top gave Kenwyne Jones a ball to chase. It was enough to draw an erratic Sonko into a clumsy challenge in the box. Whether there was actually any contact remains to be seen, but Chopra levelled the scores with 8 minutes left.

From being a game that ought to have been won, it was about holding on now. Chopra forced a fine save from Hahnemann, injuring himself in the process, before Kenwyne Jones ought to have won the match for the visitors. Another break saw him with a clear run at Hahnemann, but like in the first half Hahnemann pulled off a fantastic save when Sunderland, with a man to Kenwyne’s left free for a tap-in, ought to have won it.

Despite its criticisms, this isn’t a league where you can afford to waste chances like that. The premiership can be a crueller place than a big-eared child’s first day at a new school, and so it proved today. Reading pushed forward, and Shane Long, on for the disappointing Convey, produced a rub-your-eyes-to-check-it-was-part-of-this-match bit of quality to beat his man and chip to the far post where Hunt was steaming in to make amends for his earlier back post header miss, two minutes into injury time.

TV replays, depending on your source, indicated the ball did cross the line, or didn’t cross the line, or did cross the line, but only slightly - an analysis akin to describing a girl as being slightly pregnant – but I can offer no judgement myself. I was 90 yards away, looking from completely the wrong angle, and I also had someone jump up right in front of me at the crucial moment, to the extent that I believed, with the teams still trying to play on, that we’d been awarded a penalty.

A goal it was though, and it puts Reading up to 21 points, a figure which at their current rate, the bottom three won’t reach until the end of February. If that’s not a reason for Christmas cheer, then I don’t know what is.

[Derrida]

It sounds like it was ugly, but three points is three points.

If they could sustain a good run of form for any length of time, we might still salvage a solid year out of this. That we're still 12th in the table, three points clear of Spurs is really quite encouraging given the general poor quality of play. The terrible goal differential is still scary, but even there we've been treading water long enough for several more teams to pass us there.

It was also crucial to get some points out of these matches (and hopefully a few more from West Ham) because there doesn't look to be anything else where we could expect better than a draw for a long stretch after this. Between now and February it's away to West Ham, away to Spurs, home to Pompey, away to Villa, home to Man U, away to Chelsea. If we can pick up even 6 or 7 points from that I would be ecstatic.

[SlackerMacker]

Stephen Hunt's been on fire these past few games. Don't think i have seen him as good as he was today. Though i'm afraid to say, Sonko might have lost his touch. He's been making irrational tackles these past few games, (IE, Liverpool, Sunderland) and gave today's penalty. :confused:

[whipsmart13]

I may be biased but I watched the game on Setanta last night and:
(1) I thought the foul on Sonks that led to the PK was BS. He got the ball prior to tripping KenWynne and it should not have been a penalty.
(2) The game winner DID cross the line. You can easily see Gordon's hand behind the line when he made contact with the ball. goal.BTW: Nice cross by Long on that

Overall, we dominated and should have won 3-0

[Pablo Chicago]

Another inch to the right and Hunt's shot off the post would have been a contender for Reading's goal of the season.