Blackburn 4 (McCarthy 17, 82 (pen),Santa Cruz 22, Tugay 31)
Reading 2 (Doyle 80, 90)

The Royals deservedly lost to Blackburn at Ewood Park today.

Steve Coppell's men began the game with a 4-5-1 formation, including Ibrahima Sonko for the first time since January, and actually made a decent start.

But, as soon as Benni McCarthy turned home on 17, the home side took complete control.

Roque Santa Cruz made it 2-0 five minutes later, then Tugay smashed home from 25 yards with an effort that Marcus Hahnemann will feel he could have done better with.

Michael Duberry headed against the bar in the second half, and sub Kevin Doyle notched two late consolations, either side of a McCarthy penalty after Sonko lightly tripped Matt Derbyshire.

It was a tough afternoon's viewing for the Reading fans who made the trip north, and they will have taken some small crumbs of comfort with Sonko's return, as well as lively sub appearances from Doyle and Leroy Lita.

In addition, the results of other teams went our way, and despite the defeat we still remain unmoved in 12th.

Blackburn (4-4-2): Friedel (c), Emerton, Warnock (Khizanishvili 54), Oojier, Samba; Savage, Tugay, Bentley, Dunn (Pedersen 67); McCarthy, Santa Cruz (Derbyshire 78)
Subs: Brown, Mokoena

Reading (4-5-1): Hahnemann; Murty (c), Shorey, Duberry, Sonko; Bikey (Lita HT), Fae (Doyle 64), Harper, Rosenior (Gunnarsson HT), Hunt, Kitson
Subs: Federici, Ingimarsson

Ref: A Marriner

Attendance: 19,426

First half
The opening exchanges saw the Royals tentatively adapt to their new 4-5-1 formation in a cagey start by both teams.

The first bit of space fell to Emerse Fae in midfield, who strode forward and placed a pass into Liam Rosenior on his right. Rosenior took on Stephen Warnock but was comfortably dispossessed - the ball fell out to James Harper, who lashed a 25-yard effort high over the crossbar.

Then Andre Bikey, in an unusual central midfield role, found Rosenior with an excellent sweeping ball from left to right and the right-winger stung Brad Friedel's palms with an early shot that the Blackburn keeper calmly collected.

Marcus Hahnemann was called into more drastic action at the other end ten minutes in. After Ibrahima Sonko had headed two corners clear, the ball eventually squirmed out to Christopher Samba, who drove low through bodies from 25 yards out and the Royals stopper flung himself to his right to push it wide.

Any fears that Sonko's return was going to be a tentative one were cast aside with a meaty challenge on Samba soon after which went unpunished.

Hahnemann was down well to his left on the quarter hour mark to deny David Bentley from the edge of the area as the home side started to assert their home advantage.

Two minutes later Rovers had the lead. Brett Emerton swung in a deep cross to the far post, where Roque Santa Cruz arrived to head back across the face of Hahnemann's goal. Benni McCarthy arrived to steer a high volley inside the right post from close range.

Before long it was two. David Dunn parted a shaky Royals back line with an excellent pass and Santa Cruz was wrestled in front of the man tracking him, Graeme Murty. He struck it first time through the advancing Hahnemann's body to double the advantage with ease.

Memories of a Fratton Park farce came flooding back when a third flew through Hahnemann's hands in the 31st minute. A hacked clearance was chested down to Tugay, who let rip with a 25-yard firecracker. It swerved en route to the top right corner and the home support wildly celebrated as the Rovers revelled in the Royals disarray.

Frustrations boiled over soon after the restart but the referee calmed the players down without brandishing the yellow card.

Seven minutes before the break, Reading had a great chance to pull one back. Kitson chipped a cross in from the edge of the box and Bikey had lost his marker. He powered a 10-yard header down but straight at Friedel's frame and the US stopper calmly saved on the bounce.

Just before the break, Samba beat Sonko in the air but nodded wide of the near post and the half time whistle prevented any further embarrassment for Steve Coppell's visitors.

Second half
In an immediate attempt to change things at the interval, Bikey and Rosenior were sacrificed for Brynjar Gunnarsson and Leroy Lita as the Royals reverted to a more familiar 4-4-2.

McCarthy signalled Rovers' intent though, drilling a low effort into Hahnemann's stooped frame from outside the area in search of more goals.

Reading in regular formation looked much more at home in the opening stages of the second half. Duberry headed Shorey's corner harmlessly over and Lita was strong to cut a cross into the box soon after only to see Robbie Savage hack out for a throw.

The Royals were searching for an unlikely lifeline and Lita so nearly provided it. He neatly controlled Gunnarsson's low ball to the edge of the area and on the turn fired an excellent shot towards the bottom left corner but Friedel pulled out an athletic save to push it round his post.

Doyle was introduced but it was Duberry who struck the woodwork with 20 minutes remaining. Shorey's inswinging free kick was flicked on by Santa Cruz and the centre-back nodded an instinctive far post header against the crossbar with Friedel beaten.

With 15 minutes left, Shorey's corner from the left was nodded powerfully down to the bottom right corner by Sonko. A Blackburn man scrambled the effort off the line at the right post and then away from Hunt who was looking to poach a tap in.

But nothing was going for the Royals as passes frustratingly went astray and clever flicks went unread.

Until the 80th minute. Shorey's corner was swung into the near post and Doyle was unmarked to deflect a header home at the near post from yards out. Reading had one back but it surely was too late to mount any sort of revival

Asked to up it a gear, two minutes later Blackburn did. Neither Sonko nor Shorey dealt with Matt Derbyshire's run and the substitute tripped over Sonko's leg to earn the hosts a soft penalty. McCarthy stepped up and masterfully placed it wide of Hahnemann to cut the visiting fans' celebrations worryingly short.

The final stages were played out without incident until the last few seconds of normal time, when Doyle ghosted into the six yard box to nod home an inswinging Shorey cross whipped in from the right.

4-2 it finished. The Royals had won the second half scoreline, but had been outplayed overall to come away from Ewood without anything to show for some second half endeavour.

Steve Coppell marched off as the final whistle sounded to face questions from the press, no doubt with questions of his own needing answering.