Reading came away with three points from their first visit to
Eastlands as they beat Manchester City 2-0 after having a
first-half goal disallowed.
A brace of goals from Leroy Lita in the 79th minute and ten minutes
later gave the visitors victory - and extended their unbeaten run
to seven games.
The highlight of a goalless first half came courtesy of a
controversial decision from the officials in the 42nd minute that
saw The Royals have what appeared to be the opening goal
disallowed.
Captain Graeme Murty had found Stephen Hunt placed on the bye-line,
he believed he had kept the ball in play, with City duo Micah
Richards and Sylvain Distin believing the ball to have gone
out.
Hunt subsequently found striker Lita neatly placed in front of goal
and he made no mistake as he powered the ball into the back of the
net, only to see the goal immediately disallowed by the far side
assistant referee, who ruled the ball had gone out of play before
Hunt nodded it back to Lita.
The first major chance of the game fell to City when Darius Vassell
found himself well positioned six minutes in and tried to make room
for a shot, but failed to create the space. The following corner
from Joey Barton reached Distin's head, he leaped high to beat
keeper Marcus Hahnemann, but glanced his far-post effort
wide.
In the 20th minute, Georgios Samaras beat the offside trap to find
himself free on goal up front, but as he went it alone with no
support he lacked conviction in trying to finish it off as the
Reading defence closed him down.
As the two sides battled for supremacy, it was City who appeared to
pick up the pace when firstly in the 23rd minute Darius Vassell
nodded down Hatem Trabelsi's cross and DaMarcus Beasley let fly
with a volley which appeared to be on target until it was blocked
by Andre Stephane Bikey. Moments later Vassell turned in with a
right-footed shot that should have hit the target but it sailed
over the crossbar before Barton sent his effort into Hahnemman's
hands.
Lita looked like he was clear on goal in the 27th minute after
being sent through by Hunt, but as he tried to control the ball,
defender Dunne looked to make the clearance with his head as keeper
Nicky Weaver came out to try and collect and the two City players
clashed, with Weaver going down for a few minutes.
Weaver, struggling from the earlier knock to his hip, went off in
the 36th minute and was replaced by 25-year-old Swede Andreas
Isaksson as Ousmane Dabo wasted another attacking chance with a
cross-field ball six minutes before the break that fell wide.
The controversy of the disallowed goal followed, much to the
protests of Hunt who felt the goal should have stood.
Hahnemann was the hero for Reading just minutes before half-time as
he firstly blocked a shot from Samaras. The rebound only fell as
far as Barton 10 yards away, who should have celebrated his England
call-up with a goal but it only made it as far as the safe hands of
the keeper again.
Some fine defending from Nicky Shorey minutes later again denied
Barton before Lita failed to make enough contact with a Shane Long
shot to turn home.
City should have taken the lead seconds after half-time as Trabelsi
supplied the ball through to a well-placed Vassell who winged the
ball over the crossbar from close range.
Sidwell then sent in a fine cross to Long who just failed to reach
the ball as Isaksson interfered before Samaras again failed to
break through two defenders at the opposite end. Sidwell saw
another effort deflect off Dietmar Hamann onto the crossbar and
they could not make any clear cut attempts from the resulting
corner.
Vassell again made a great run through and found himself with
another opportunity to put his side ahead only for his strike to
make it as far as Hahnemann, who blocked the shot.
City's hunger for a goal picked up pace 20 minutes from the whistle
as young substitute Daniel Sturridge, making his debut for City,
played down the line to Beasley, who crossed to Barton who fired
inches wide.
Against the run of play, Lita then made amends for the controversy
earlier on after Sidwell put him through and he blasted the ball
home with his left-foot past Isaksson.
The hosts strived to pull level with Richards trying to get on the
end of a corner, but Lita shattered any hopes remaining in the
Blues camp as he slid home the second in the 89th minute after
latching onto a James Harper through ball.