Aston Villa moved level on points with fourth-placed Liverpool after a well-earned 2-1 victory over relegation-threatened Reading at the Madejski Stadium.

Ashley Young's cool finish gave the visitors the lead seconds before half-time, after Gareth Barry had blasted a penalty well wide with half an hour played.

Villa weathered concerted Reading pressure in the second half before Marlon Harewood's well-taken goal on the counter-attack sealed the three points for Martin O'Neill's men.

Nicky Shorey's injury-time free-kick gave the home fans something to cheer, but the result extends the Royals' losing streak to eight games and keeps them rooted in the bottom three.

Steve Coppell's men had begun the game in characteristically bright fashion, and James Harper drew a save from Scott Carson with a shot from the edge of the area after only 30 seconds.

But Villa were content to play on the counter-attack, and minutes later John Carew flashed a half-volley across goal and wide after a mix-up between Reading centre-halves Kalifa Cisse and Ibrahima Sonko.

The visitors' pacy forward line posed a constant threat, and with 20 minutes played Reading were indebted to Cisse for superbly cutting out Gabriel Agbonlahor's left-wing cross, before Graham Murty blocked Shaun Maloney's follow-up effort.

Villa kept on coming though, and after half an hour they were awarded a penalty when Craig Gardner's effort from the edge of the box struck Cisse on the arm.

Barry - usually so reliable from the spot - shanked his effort embarrassingly wide of the left-hand post, but his blushes were spared when Agbonlahor teed up Young to sweep the ball into the top-left corner and give his side a deserved advantage on the stroke of half-time.

The second period adopted a similar pattern to the first, with Reading taking the attacking initiative and Villa content to soak up the pressure and strike on the break.

The home side won plenty of corners and free-kicks in promising wide positions, but found Villa's defence well marshalled by the imperious Martin Laursen.

On 65 minutes they were given a scare when Carson parried Shorey's effort from the edge of the box and Stephen Hunt's follow-up was scuffed clear by Davies, and moments later the Villa keeper had to be alert when Shorey's inswinging free-kick from the right just eluded Dave Kitson.

But Villa held firm amidst repeated Reading attacks, and Carew almost extended their lead when he knocked the ball past Sonko before seeing a prodded effort from a tight angle pushed away by Marcus Hahnemann.

The Reading keeper then did well to keep out Young's well-struck half-volley with 10 minutes remaining, before substitute Harewood sealed the victory with a sumptuous curling effort from just inside the box after being fed by Young.

The home side continued to press for a goal, and in the last minute Hunt was denied by Gardner's goal-line block before Shorey curled in a 25-yard free-kick deep into injury time to end the Royals' five-game goal drought.

Tom Williams / Eurosport