Back from the game - Chelsea

[winchester_royal]

Gutted, but very proud.

Didn't deserve to lose. The new guys were all excellent, particularly the Pog who bossed Terry throughout the first half.

Tbf to the Clelsea fans on the train they're pretty embarrassed about the manner of that win.

[URZZZZZZZZ]

Chuffed to bits with the performance, disappointed with the result.

[Cobi]

[andrew1957]

I am really proud of all the lads. A great performance on the whole and an injustice we did not get a point. We were probably a bit naive at times but overall a very encouraging evening and if we play like that for the remaining 36 games I don't think there is much chance we would get relegated.

Sad for Fed that he made a second howler in a row. He was great last year and you can only put it down to nerves. I seem to recall that he made a couple of howlers at the start of the season in 2010 but came back to have a good season and was then excellent last year. We need to back him not call for him to be dropped.

The real positives for me were.

That on the whole the defence looked quite solid (despite conceding 4!). Pearce and Gorkks have just carried on from last season. I am not sure Gunter has shown enough to have justified the dropping of Cummings though. Harte was done for pace a few times but on the whole did ok.

McCleary was excellent first half but faded out of the game in the second. Guthrie and Legs were excellent again as was Karacan - who did brilliantly breaking up Chelsea play and we missed him when he came off - although first game back and with a booking - that looked a good move at the time.

Jobi put in a brilliant Captain’s performance tonight.

Pog was outstanding first half and really made Terry look average.

So overall we can take great heart from that. My only real concern is that the lads will be completely knackered for Saturday as they gave everything tonight. It will be really hard to pick themselves up and give that much again. If we lose, we then have Spurs next and only a point on the board - hardly an easy run of games.

[Ups and Downs]

I'm not that best at recognising individual displays but just what did Leigertwood do that was excellent? From what I saw he misplaced a lot of simple passes. That's all I remember of him.

[Fubar]

Gutted, but very proud.

Didn't deserve to lose. The new guys were all excellent, particularly the Pog who bossed Terry throughout the first half.

+1

[St Pauli]

A great example of a great game where I left beaming despite the result. Great for the following reasons:

Great first halffor Reading which silenced the home fans, and led to a great atmosphere in the away end.

Good songs started by the gentleman with the curly hair and glasses, great Gorks and McCleary songs.

Good banter with the baldy guy in the pink shirt next to the away end.

Lad in front of me had wellies on, had come from the festival, must be a while since a pair of them have been worn in the away end.

Oh and great work by Feds at then end, whatever we are we are a exciting team to watch, neutral would haveloved it, and even if we go down by one goal on difference, I'll stillbe glad he went up. Play to win.

[nev monkey]

Brilliant display once Chelsea had scored but up to that point we were chasing shadows. Liegertwood, McAnuff, Gunter and Guthrie gave the ball away to cheaply and Pog wasn't really involved at all. The a great cross form McLeary and a stupendously good header from Pog and we were back in it. A bit of confidence and then we started to ping the ball about a bit and with a bit more luck and composure we could have had a third. Karacan and Legs were suddenly first to every ball and Guthrie was immense, battling hard, playing simple but effective balls and Pog looked absolutely brilliant. Both centre halves looked at solid as last season and this continued all the way up to the 70th minute.

The game changed when Sturridge came on, we were really tired by this point and he seemed to have to muc space on the right. Karacan had gone off as had Pog but if Feds had kept that shot out I really don't think Chelsea would have scored.

The third looked offside but Chelsea were now playing with a fluidity that wasn't there before the equaliser went in. The fourth was obviously a result of throwing the kitchen sink at them in the last minute.

All in all a great performance and if we keep playing like that we'll have no problem staying up.

I really hope that we all get behind Feds because even though he's made two howlers he's been superb over the last two seasons and deserves his chance and a few more games.

[Irvinchangeyaname]

Superb. Go Rouge!

[John Peel]

Agree about Legs. Not his best game. Made silly errors at times.

At times we looked great tonight, especially when we played at pace and Chelsea certainly didn't like it up em.

The first 10-15 minutes was shocking and I thought for a bit that Chelsea might knock 4 or 5 past us. They scored (Hazard went down like a sack of sht all night) and that gave us the kick up the proverbial we needed. For about 15 minutes afterwards we were all over them and could easily have gone in 3-1 at half-time. Pog was great at times too from about 15 mins till half-time, but his fitness is appalling. Tired and all over the shop as the second half progressed.

Incredibly entertaining game but we were far, far too naive in our play at times. Yep, naive is the word that describes us right now. Full of energy, pure raw talent but not sensible (WTF didn't Fed come back after the first attack on that corner at the end?!!) and we needed an old head or two that have been there, done that in the premiership. Robert is obviously in that category but we could do with another solid premiership journeyman I think.

We are still finding our feet and good to have the Chelsea away challenge so early on. It will give the players plenty of confidence and hopefully we can start to settle in a bit on Saturday.

[E. Andrew]

Post-game vid with BM. Two minutes, no blinking. WTF??

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/8010734?

[southbank1871]

Had the misfortune of sitting in the Chelsea end for that one, where Reading got no credit at all. We really did play well though, especially the last 20 mins or so of the first half. Pog's header was a thing of beauty, as was the move that led to it. I think people thought I was mentally ill due to the stifled celebration for that. Torres's goal was pretty clearly offside from where I was sat, so it's very disappointing for that to be the crucial goal.

Such a shame we didn't have Roberts to bring on for Pog. Hunt did ok, but the ball just wasn't sticking once Pog went off.

Felt Howard Webb did alright, but he did seem to give most 50/50 decisions Chelsea's way, although that may just be me being bitter.

[tomrfcurz]

MOTM was Guthrie for me. Hazard will be one hell of a player in this league but needs to cut out the diving before he earns that status in my opinion, that said it was a penalty and a poor attempt to win the ball back after being skinned from Gunter.

I genuinely thought Pearce had Torres in his pocket for the majority of the game bar a few moments of concentration lapses and Gorkss was ever solid albeit a bit slow. Guthrie played fantastically and very rarely lost the ball, one many challenges and distributed the ball to the wings with perfection where McAnuff and McCleary were fantastic in the 1st half.

Hate to say it but for me McDermott's subs cost us this game, or at least a point from it. Players are fit enough to play the full 90 mins at this stage, perhaps with the exception of Karacan and if i was boss i would've kept the same team throughout perhaps only bringing on Tabb for Karacan but thats how he chose to do it and that all or nothing attitude has won us many games in the past i.e. Southampton so i can't complain.

All in all, reasons to be very happy with this performance and away showings like that coupled with solid home performances which I'm confident of will surely keep us up.

[tomrfcurz]

Felt Howard Webb did alright, but he did seem to give most 50/50 decisions Chelsea's way, although that may just be me being bitter.

Ref was Lee Mason though?

[winchester_royal]

Good songs started by the gentleman with the curly hair and glasses, great Gorks and McCleary song.

I think, if my interwebz stalking skills are good, that was Big Foot. If so I have my first ever HNA spotted

Fans in the lower tier were pretty superb throughout I thought, as noticed by my favourite journo

Henry Winter ‏@henrywinter
#readingfc terrific against the champions of Europe. Loud fans, Pogrebnyak/Guthrie especially good. Federici a concern at this level tho

[genome]

Glorious

[southbank1871]

Lol @ me

[Geekins]

Good songs started by the gentleman with the curly hair and glasses, great Gorks and McCleary songs.

Big Foot. What were the songs?

[southbank1871]

Curly hair, glasses and rascal coat shirley?

[winchester_royal]

My favourite was the Mariappa one