Chelsea 1 (Di Santo 73)
Reading 2 (Duberry 51, Lita 68)

A great Royals reserves performance was rewarded with three points this evening as Chelsea were beaten 2-1 at Brentford's Griffin Park on Monday evening.

Michael Duberry headed home Bobby Convey's 51st minute corner at the far post to mark his return from injury with the opener against his former employers.

Jem Karacan hit the crossbar soon after but Leroy Lita made it two by racing onto the impressive Convey's throughball, calmly rounding Hilario and slotting into the open net for 2-0.

Scott Golbourne cleared Claudio Pizarro's header off the line, but Franco Di Santo pulled one back moments later, lashing a left footed effort high past Federici to set up an exciting end.

But Reading were well worth their victory in an entertaining, attacking and energetic contest.

The Blues had big names and huge sums of money on show, but Andriy Shevchenko was shackled throughout by a solid Royals defence.

Chelsea (4-3-3): Hilario; Cummings, van Aanholt (Gordon 61), Magnay, Ben Haim; Smith, Sidwell, Younghusband (Stoch 65); Di Santo, Shevchenko, Pizarro.
Subs: Searle, F Ferreira, Tejera.

Reading (4-3-3): Federici; De La Cruz, Golbourne, Duberry, Sonko; Cisse, Karacan, Halls; Convey, Kebe, Lita.
Subs: McCarthy, Bennett, Brown, Bozanic, Illugason.

A full in-depth match report is below. You can also see extended highlights from the game on Reading World right now.

Full match report
Both sides named very strong sides, with the hosts including Andriy Shevchenko, Tal Ben Haim, Claudio Pizarro and former Royals midfielder Steve Sidwell among their starting eleven.

Brian McDermott matched Chelsea though, by naming Ibrahima Sonko, Kalifa Cisse, Jimmy Kebe, Bobby Convey and ex-Chelsea defender Michael Duberry in his line-up.

And the Royals had the first chance - a good one in the opening minute. John Halls intercepted in midfield and fed Jimmy Kebe with some urgency. Kebe threaded a pass through for Leroy Lita, who drilled low from a tight angle on the right and Hilario had to parry with his legs. The danger wasn't clear though as it fell to Kebe's feet, but he delayed a little too long and fizzed a shot goalwards that was blocked on the line.

Kebe had started brightly. Moments later he raced past left back Patrick van Aanholt to reach the byline but his cut back couldn't find a man.

The game was being played at a furious pace with Sidwell biting into a number of challenges against his former teammates, and Golbourne clattering Shaun Cummings early on with a crunching tackle that the watching Nicky Shorey would have been proud of.

Phil Younghusband had the Blues first attempt on goal, turning well ten minutes in to end a good spell of passing from the home side with a rasping right footed drive that sailed wide of Adam Federici's far post.

A quarter of an hour in, Kebe and Karacan combined well to earn a corner on the right. Convey delivered the inswinger and Kebe met it well with a near post head. He couldn't quite direct it on target and the move ended with a goal kick, but it was a fairly free header for the Malian.

Franco Di Santo looped a 15 yard header over the crossbar at the other end, but all the pressure was coming from Reading - Ulises De La Cruz's cross from the right inches over Bobby Convey's head in the middle.

Midway through the half, Chelsea broke with Sidwell rampaging down the right. He crossed low but behind Di Santo and Younghusband's scuffed shot was easily gathered by Federici.

Half an hour had passed and Sidwell appealed for a speculative penalty - his hooked cross had been charged down by Sonko legitimately according to the referee. The corner fell to Pizarro, but Lita was back to block his quickly taken drive and calmly clear.

As an aside, Chelsea skipper Shevchenko was struggling to get any change from Michael Duberry, the Royals defender returning to action after two months on the sidelines with a knee injury.

With eight minutes of the first half left, Kebe won a corner with a pacy break from a quickly taken free kick. Karacan's deep inswinger was headed clear but it fell for Convey 20 yards out, who volleyed first time inches wide of the top left corner. It would have been a great goal had that found the back of the net.

Two minutes before the break Sidwell found some space on the right side of the box and his low cross worked its way across the six yard box to Shevchenko, whose eight yard effort was brilliantly blocked by Sonko at the far post.

The final move of an entertaining and attack-minded saw Cummings feed Pizarro, who backheeled it to Sidwell on thwe edge of the box. He tried to thread a firm low cross between defenders but Federici was alert to it and smothered before a Chelsea leg could stab goalwards.

Second half
Avram Grant and Steve Coppell retook their seats after the break and there was no let up in tempo.

And six minutes into the half, the Royals took the lead. Earning a corner on the right, Convey whipped in another dangerous delivery which was allowed to drop and bounce through to Duberry at the far post. He made no mistake stooping to head home against his old club.

Two minutes later it could have been two! Convey played it into Karacan's path from the right and the young midfielder hooked a first time effort against the crossbar from 15 yards out, Lita couldn't get to the follow up before a blue shirt and the hosts escaped.

Reading were trying to stamp home their advantage now. Oozing with confidence they flowed forward - again Convey the creator as he weighted a beautiful ball into Lita's path on the left side of the box. The linesman flagged when the frontman seemed to have timed his run to perfection.

Shevchenko lashed high over the bar before the hourmark but the quick footed Pizarro looked the more likely striker to get a leveller; dancing through a number of bodies to drive low but straight at Federici from the area's edge.

Soon Reading had their two goal cushion though, and it came in a stylish move. Kebe won the ball on half way and sped away. He fed Convey in the middle, who with no time to think touched a sublime first time pass into Lita who used his pace to speed away from his man. A cool finish saw Lita dummy to send Hilario to ground and then pass into a vacant net from a slightly tighter angle with his right boot. An excellent goal!

Chelsea attacked from the restart to earn a corner down the right. The ball was swung in and Pizarro met it with a good header but Scott Golbourne was there to clear off his goalline.

Chelsea did pull one back soon after though. Pizarro led a break from deep down the middle and passed it forward for Di Santo. Sonko seemed to have it covered but instead of booting it clear he let it run across him. The ball didn't have the pace to run through to Federici and Di Santo, already running at full pelt, was ahead of the centre back and in. Given a sight of goal he made no mistake, smashing high past Federici's left glove to reduce the deficit.

Into the final ten minutes and Convey almost unlocked the Chelsea defence once more, his excellent ball setting De La Cruz away down the right and then the American drawing the foul as he looked to  latch onto the one two. Convey went for goal with his left this time trying to curl it into the top right corner but with Halirio beaten it sailed agonisingly wide.

Kebe then attacked at pace, dribbling forward 40 yards down the left, reaching the byline, cutting it back... but with Hilario committed a Chelsea leg scrambled it clear before Lita could stab home at the near post.

In the last minute of injury time Duberry was forced to concede a corner and Shevchenko rose to head over the bar from 10 yards out. That half chance was probably the best the luckless Ukranian had had all evening.

The final whistle sounded soon after and the Royals had beaten Chelsea and got a thoroughly deserved three reserve league points.