Reading 1 (Hunt 44)
Everton 0
Reading took their first win of the new Premier League season with a very hard-fought victory over Everton today.
The Royals were the better team for most of the game, but had to hang on in the closing stages.
Stephen Hunt put in another brilliant performance, and scored a tidy goal a minute before half time to give us a deserved lead.
We had earlier been denied what looked a clear penalty for a double handball by both Phil Neville and Joleon Lescott.
The second half was a far tighter affair, and it sparked into life in the last ten minutes.
Everton twice hit the post in the space of ten seconds, but our defending was superb throughout.
Andre Bikey deserves a very special mention for giving Andy Johnson absolutely no change whatsoever in a series of running battles.
We lost Graeme Murty, Seol Ki-Hyeon and then Hunt to injuries, and sub John Oster subsequently had to battle through the pain as we had used all three subs.
It was a performance full of grit and determination but no lack of quality, and the final whistle was celebrated gleefully.
Reading: Hahnemann; Murty (c) (De La Cruz 35), Shorey, Bikey, Ingimarsson; Gunnarsson, Harper, Seol (Oster 71), Hunt (Convey 79); Doyle, Long
Subs: Federici, Fae
Booked: Ingimarsson (foul 74), Long (encroachment 85)
Everton: Howard; Hibbert (McFadden 66), Valente, Lescott, Stubbs; Carsley, Neville (c), Arteta, Osman (Jagielka 89); Anichebe (Pienaar 57), Johnson
Subs: Ruddy, Baines
Booked: Lescott (foul 73), McFadden (simulation 81)
Ref: S Bennett (Kent)
Attendance: 22,813
readingfc.co.uk man of the match: Andre Bikey
First half
The game started with a nice tempo, and the first close call came on ten minutes when Stephen Hunt's great low cross was inches away from being turned home.
Down the other end Mikel Arteta had a decent sight of goal, but he chose an intricate lay-off to Andy Johnson, and Andre Bikey did well to get a block in.
After a briliant performance against Chelsea in midweek, Hunt was again on fire.
He went on a superb run from the halfway line, and tried to exchange passes with Kevin Doyle on the edge of the box, only for the striker to slightly overhit the pass.
Reading were then desperately unfortunate not to be given a penalty as the ball twice struck an Everton player on the hand in their box.
Shane Long's shot was goalbound, and Phil Neville was right on top of him, with the ball smacking onto his arm. The ball then cannoned onto Joleon Lescott's hand, but nothing was given.
It would have been very harsh to penalise Neville as the ball came flew at him with real pace, but Lescott certainly looked to have enough time to get his arm out of the way. Steve Bennett though favoured the visitors.
Reading were in the ascendancy, and Doyle turned a volley a yard wide.
Hunt then had half a chance with a back post header, but tried to direct it back across goal and it was cleared.
With ten minutes of the half left, Graeme Murty was forced off injured; Ulises De La Cruz coming on for his 100th Premiership career appearance.
Leon Osman was relatively close with a long-ranger, but Everton had been kept at arm's length.
Reading made their dominance pay just before the break, and the scorer fully deserved his goal.
De La Cruz took a throw from the right, and Doyle held off Alan Stubbs, allowing it to bounce on the edge of the six yard box.
Hunt got in front of Tony Hibbert, and produced a great touch then right-footed finish on the volley.
The winger had been superb, and was a very popular scorer.
Second half
Doyle tried his luck within a minute of the restart, and his rising drive was a couple of yards over.
Everton had plenty of ball, but couldn't do anything with it.
Time and again, Johnson tried to get in behind Bikey, but the Cameroonian was in sensational form, his strength and pace giving the England man no change whatsoever.
There were few chances, but that suited Reading perfectly.
Seol Ki-Hyeon was forced off with what looked like a back problem on 70 minutes, John Oster coming on to face his former club.
With 15 minutes to go Nicky Shorey tried an incredble volley from Oster's free kick, and he caught the scissor kick brilliantly on the edge of the box, but it was blocked.
On 79, Hunt came off with a knock, and he received a richly-deserved standing ovation. Bobby Convey was also loudly cheered as he came on.
Two minutes later, Reading were briefly forced to play with ten men as Oster had to sit on the sidelines for treatment.
Ref Bennett had incurred the wrath of the home fans in the first half when he did not award a penalty for handball, but he got another big decision absolutely spot on when booking James McFadden for a blatant dive in our area.
Oster came back on with five minutes remaining, and we needed the extra man as Everton pushed and pushed.
McFadden's delightful chip hit the post, and it looked for all the world that Johnson would score from the rebound as it struck De La Cruz's hand and he failed to clear.
The striker's first effort was blocked, and then it came back to him, only for his second strike to hit the same post as McFadden and roll across the goalline to safety.
Everton continued to press, but never created another clear chance, and when De La Cruz headed clear as Johnson closed in, the points were sealed.
It was a battling win, and Everton will feel they could have got something from it, but they found no way through our excellent defence.
After three tough games, four points is a decent return, and Steve Coppell can be very proud of his troops.
