Reading 0
Fulham 2 (McBride 24, Nevland 90)
The Royals suffered a hammer blow as they were deservedly beaten 2-0 at home to Fulham this afternoon.
The visitors were by far the better the team, and the scoreline could have been worse, with the Cottagers hitting the bar on three separate occasions in the second half. The Royals hardly created a chance of note and never got going.
Fulham started the better, and Brian McBride had already seen a good opportunity blocked before he opened the scoring by sliding home on 24 minutes.
Just before the break Kevin Doyle narrowly headed wide from John Oster's cross, and that was our only real moment in front of goal. Kasey Keller never had a save to make.
The second half was much the same, with Fulham dominant. Marcus Hahnemann twice showed superb reflexes to tip efforts onto the bar, then Jimmy Bullard curled a trademark long range free kick off the woodwork.
We huffed and puffed, but never showed any guile or craft, and Fulham found it all too easy to defend.
Glen Little came off the bench for his first game in a year, and he gave us a brief lift. He got a couple of good crosses in, but couldn't do it alone.
It was no surprise when sub Erik Nevland broke to make it 2-0 in injury time, and the goal simply confounded a desperately disappointing day.
We can only hope the performance was a one-off, because we find ourselves very much back in the dogfight, three points above the dropzone with four games left to play.
Reading: Hahnemann; Rosenior, Shorey, Bikey, Ingimarsson (c); Harper, Matejovsky (Cisse 87), Oster (Little 61), Hunt; Doyle, Long (Kitson 61)
Subs: Federici, Sonko
Fulham: Kelley, Stalteri, Konchesky, Hangeland, Hughes; Bullard, Murphy (Andreasen 90), Davies, Dempsey (Bocanegra 85); Healy (Nevland 83), Mcbride (c)
Subs: Warner, Kamara
Booked: Stalteri (79)
Attendance: 24,112
Ref: R Styles
First half
Despite the form book and Fulham's woeful away record, it was the visitors who settled the better of the two sides.
With 15 minutes on the clock, Brian McBride had a very good chance after he shook off his marker John Oster to find space, but thankfully his effort was blocked at the back post
Fulham had the upper hand, and they made it count on 24 minutes. Simon Davies worked himself some space down the left, and fired in a low cross that McBride slid in to slam past Marcus Hahnemann.
Despite going behind, the Royals couldn't find any more quality or urgency to their attacking play, and it was all too scrappy whenever we went forward.
It wasn't until the dying embers of the first half that we upped the tempo when Kevin Doyle headed narrowly wide following a good run and cross from Oster.
Come half time Fulham were enjoying much more possession, and they had been the dominant force throughout.
Second half
Sadly from a Reading perspective, the second half began in the same pattern as the first had ended.
Fulham hit the bar on 51 minutes, and Hahnemann showed great reactions to tip McBride's stinging volley onto the bar.
Wih the game running away from his team, Steve Coppell played all his cards on the hour, bringing on Dave Kitson and Glen Little, with the winger receiving a great ovation on his first appearance in more than a year.
The changes gave us a momentary boost, and Andre Bikey headed a yard wide from Liam Rosenior's cross.
But that was only a temporary lift, and Fulham were controlling the game. McBride had another chance to make it 2-0, but luckily shot well over following a loose touch from Ivar Ingimarsson.
Then, incredibly, we were saved by the crossbar twice inside the space of three minutes. First Brede Hangeland rose well to get his head on a corner, and not for the first time Hahnemann reacted superbly to tip it onto the bar.
Then on 73 Jimmy Bullard hit the bar from a long range free kick, but justice was done because it was an incorrect decision by ref Rob Styles in the first instance.
Reading were getting on the ball, but had little in the way of creativity. They were high on energy, but low on craft.
It was Fulham who looked the more likely to score, and we couldn't fashion a real chance of note.
Little was doing his best, and got a couple of good crosses in, but he couldn't do it all by himself.
McBride could have made it 2-0, but Bikey blocked as he raced forward ominously. David Healy also tried his luck but curled off target.
Then in injury time, Fulham had the second goal that they very much deserved. Sub Erik Nevland broke down the right, and although his strike was relatively close to Hahnemann, it flew past him and nestled in the back of the net.
It was a hugely disappointing display, and although we worked hard, we never looked likely to fashion a real chance. It was not the Reading we have come to know and love. Steve Coppell and his staff will be working flat out to get our form back as soon as possible because they know we cannot afford to play like that again.
