Reading FC Match Report: 2014/2015 Season - Championship
BRIGHTON 2 READING 2
Reading: G Murray (1), G Murray (26).
Brighton: J Caskey (40), I Calderon (90).
Post Match Fans' Opinion
I'm gutted. It felt like a defeat.
For forty minutes, the team were totally dominant (almost embarrassingly so from a Brighton perspective: Their fans were silent and had absolutely nothing to inspire them: they looked beaten and it looked like a question of their only ambition being to keep the score down)
Almost immediately after conceding a poor goal; the team capitulated.
It was definitely Feds error; classic error in being hesitant, then being caught neither coming for the ball or staying on his line; a totally soft goal
From that moment onwards; confidence entirely evaporated.
It was extraordinary to watch.
From then on the defence played deeper and deeper and just invited pressure.
We stopped passing; the impressive movement stopped; the crisp passing became two three touches before the pass and it was Brighton who showed the passion and the aggression.
The second half was like watching a non-league side defending a lead against a Premiership team in an FA Cup tie.
We had to retain our 2-0 lead through to half time; and didn't.
I was truly shocked but the almost instantaneous decline; we looked good and were by far the better team for 40 minutes; then we were instantly clueless; couldn't defend; offered very little threat and if it wasn't for Feds' saves in the second half, we would have lost; no doubt.
BORING 1-0
We dominated them until our second goal. We put them under pressure, played a great passing game, whilst Brighton looked hopeless and were the worst side I've seen all season. Then, we started to not put pressure on their players and sat further and further back and they started to just play the ball around us.
Feds was at total fault for their first goal but had an incredible second half to stop us from being battered.
Murray was imposing and was in total control of their defence, I can only think that he came off as Clarke knows he is leaving us after the Norwich game and wants to use the squad he is going to have as much as possible.
Blackman not passing the ball to Cummings was one of the most selfish and stupid decisions I have ever seen a player make.
Will95
Quotes From The Press
Reading had the lead when Glenn Murray turned in Hal Robson-Kanu's cross, and he doubled his tally by heading in Oliver Norwood's free-kick. The Seagulls, under the charge of caretaker Nathan Jones, pulled one back through Jake Forster-Caskey's effort.
And Calderon converted Adrian Colunga's 90th-minute delivery to earn a draw.
Despite the late goal, Brighton slipped to 23rd in the Championship, while Reading earned their first point under new boss Steve Clarke.
Referee Graham Salisbury waved away a strong penalty shout when Lewis Dunk barged over Royals forward Simon Cox.
But Murray, on loan from Crystal Palace, then scored his eighth goal in a Reading shirt with a powerful downward header.
The hosts struggled to gain a foothold, but a long throw from Greg Halford was nodded on by Dunk and Forster-Caskey forced the ball in to give his side a lifeline.
With Brighton in the ascendency, Adrian Colunga hit a post from another throw-in and Reading keeper Adam Federici had to be at his best to deny long-range strikes from Danny Holla and Joe Bennett.
Federici looked to have denied the hosts anything from the game, but captain Calderon had other ideas, drilling home from 10 yards.
Reading boss Steve Clarke: "Last year, I lost my job at West Brom just before Christmas so it's good to be back in and the players are giving everything. It's a start to get a draw and you're learning all the time. We got out of the blocks really quickly and were good value for our two-goal lead, but then got undone by long throws and were punished."
BBC Sport
Match Stats
Full Time: 2-2
Half Time: 1-2
Attendance: 26173
Referee: G Salisbury
Teams
Reading: A Federici, M Hector, A Pearce, J Obita, C Gunter, O Norwood, D Williams, J Taylor (S Cummings, 59), H Robson-Kanu (S Kelly, 81), G Murray (N Blackman, 59), S Cox.
Subs not used: C Tanner, A Kuhl, M Andersen, J Cooper.
Brighton: D Stockdale, L Dunk, I Calderon, J Bennett, G Halford, J Caskey, G Gardner, D Holla (P McCourt, 76), D Bent (C Mackail-Smith, 30), E Bennett (S March, 62), A Colunga.
Subs not used: A Chicksen, R Ince, C Walton, A Hughes.
Bookings / Red Cards
Reading: S Cox, O Norwood, S Cummings, G Murray
Brighton: J Bennett
This Championship game took place 3597 days ago in the 2014/2015 season.