Reading 1 (Bikey 30)
Chelsea 2 (Lampard 47, Drogba 50)

A crazy five-minute spell consigned ten-man Reading to defeat against Chelsea tonight.

Reading completely dominated the first half, and deserved more than Andre Bikey's tap-in for their efforts.

BIkey had only been on the pitch for a minute, with Michael Duberry having pulled up with a groin problem.

John Oster hit the post just before the break, and Steve Coppell's side had the chances to extend their lead.

But two goals in the space of five minutes after the break put Chelsea ahead, and they never looked back.

First Frank Lampard profited from some uncharacteristic defending, then Didier Drogba shrugged off a number of challenges to plant home a brilliant 25-yard finish.

Reading never really looked like getting back into it, with Chelsea killing the game to perfection.

Our task was made all the more difficult when Kalifa Cisse was sent off on his full debut. It was an incredibly harsh second yellow card, and the Frenchman can count himself very unlucky.

Of our two red cards in two games, it could be argued that on neither occasion have we been granted the benefit of the doubt.

But in the end it was comfortable for the visitors, and the dismissal had no real bearing on the outcome.

Even so, Reading will look back to that below-par five minutes as a huge turning point.

Reading (4-4-2): Hahnemann; Murty (c), Shorey, Duberry (Bikey 29), Ingimarsson; Cisse, Harper, Oster (Seol 79), Hunt; Doyle, Long (Gunnarsson 74)
Subs: Federici, De La Cruz
Booked: Long (foul 12), Cisse (foul 14), Hunt (foul 33), Ingimarsson (foul 53)
Sent off: Cisse (second yellow, fouls 53 & 71)

Chelsea (4-4-2): Cech; Ferreira (Mikel HT), A Cole, Ben Haim, Carvalho (Johnson 31); Lampard (c), Sidwell (Pizarro HT), Wright-Phillips, Malouda; Drogba, Kalou
Subs: Cudicini, J Cole
Booked: Carvalho (foul 24), Sidwell (foul 30), Wright-Phillips (foul 76), A Cole (timewasting 89), Mikel (dissent 90)

Ref: M Dean

Attendance: 24,031

readingfc.co.uk man of the match: Stephen Hunt

First half
Reading started as much the better side, and should have been at least one goal up inside the first 10 minutes.

John Oster found himself in a very good position inside the Chelsea box, and stood a cross up to the back post. With Petr Cech out of his goal, any type of shot would have surely gone in, but Paulo Ferreira was first to the loose ball and cleared.

It only fell as far as Kalifa Cisse, but his shot was blocked outside the area.

Moments later Oster again found himself in a good position inside the box, but rather than shooting he checked back and his cross was deflected for a corner; the chance gone.

Down the other end, Didier Drogba clipped the outside of the post but was given offside in what was a very tight decision.

Ivar Ingimarsson then had a good opportunity from a corner, only to head a yard wide.

Reading were continually pressing, and Oster's excellent cross found Doyle. Stephen Hunt was inches away from tapping home his lay-off, but a defender got back in.

It was end-to-end stuff, with Reading in the ascendancy. Chelsea were still threatening, as you would expect, and Drogba put a half chance over from a corner.

On the half hour, Reading finally made their dominance pay, and in incredible circumstances.

Michael Duberry was forced off injured, and Andre Bikey came on in his place as Reading prepared to take a free kick.

The big Cameroonian was immediately sent forward for the set piece, and Ingimarsson won the initial header inside the box.

Cech came racing off his line, and failed to claim. The ball fell loose to Bikey, who had all the time in the world to tap home into an open goal from three yards.

Reading were running Jose Mourinho's team all over the pitch, and the visitors were at sixes and sevens, first seeing Steve Sidwell booked for the latest in a series of fouls, then having to bring off the injured Ricardo Carvalho.

Steve Coppell's men were rampant, and had two great chances to get a second. First Kalifa Cisse's brilliant ball found Hunt, and Doyle shot straight at Cech. Anywhere else and it would have been 2-0.

Hunt was covering every blade of glass, and his wonderful cross gave Oster a great chance, but the former Everton man smacked the post.

Just before the break Oster tried an audacious chip from the edge of the area, and Cech gathered after scrambling back toward goal.

Sidwell was perhaps fortunate not to be booked again after a late challenge on Hunt, and although Reading had a couple of late corners to deal with, they fully deserved their interval lead, and really should have been ahead by more than one.

Second half
Jose Mourinho made a double change at half time, with Sidwell and Ferreira replaced.

Immediately, they were level.

Bikey came to challenge for a header, but was beaten to the flick on. Drogba flicked it again for Frank Lampard, and the midfielder kept it away from Shorey to stab home.

If that was bad, it soon became even worse.

Drogba easily shrugged off a couple of challenges 20 yards out, and Kalou had time to play it back to him. Drogba brilliantly picked his spot with a superb finish, and Reading were shell-shocked.

There could have been a third, but we scrambled clear as sub Claudio Pizarro made a nuisance of himself.

Chelsea were stroking tha ball about at will, and Pizarro dragged a shot wide as the visitors dominated.

Reading were already struggling to get into the game when Cisse was sent off for his second yellow with a little more than 15 minutes to go.

The Frenchman got the lightest of clips on Pizarro's shin, leaving him & his teammates absolutely stunned as ref Mike Dean showed the card. It was our second red card in two games, and on both occasions we were unlucky not to get the benefit of the doubt.

It was strangely flat in the final stages, and a series of stoppages meant the game never had any rhythm.

Only in injury time did the game have any life, with Marcus Hahnemann going forward but to no avail. Hunt had a chance, but could only produce an airshot.

It had been very much a game of two halves, and a below-par five minutes after the break cost us dearly.

In truth we should have been more than 1-0 ahead at the break, but our failure to take the chances presented to us was ultimately punished.