Football Live

Sunday February 24, 2008 Finished Madejski Stadium

Reading 1 - Logo 2

Reading

  • Shorey 90’

Aston Villa

  • Young 45’
  • Harewood 84’
  1. Villa deepen Royals gloom

    Villa deepen Royals gloom

    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. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Reading
    • Aston Villa
    • 90+5' But there's no time for an equaliser, and Villa return to Birmingham with a well-earned three points.
    • 90+4' GOAL! 2-1! Shorey bends a free-kick around the wall from 25 yards and Carson gets his hand to it but can't keep it out!
    • 90+2' Carew jinks into the Reading box before lifting a shot just over the crossbar with his left foot!
    • 90+1' Kitson's shot from a narrow angle on the right is pushed behind for a corner by Carson, but the Villa keeper claims it confidently.
    • 90' Off the line! Reading play another dangerous ball into the box, and Hunt's volleyed effort is blocked on the line by Gardner!
    • 87' Villa attack again, and Carew's close-range effort at the back post from Harewood's low right-wing cross is blocked!
    • 86' Villa make their final change of the afternoon, as Reo-Coker is replaced by Isiah Osbourne.
    • 84' GOAL! 2-0 Villa! Villa break down the left, Young slips the ball to Harewood and the substitute coolly curls the ball around Hahnemann - a la Thierry Henry - to seal the points for the visitors!
    • 82' Harewood bursts between two defenders but has to stretch to get his shot in and it eventually dribbles out for a throw-in on the far side, much to the amusement of the home fans.
    • 81' We're into the last 10 minutes!
    • 79' Good stop Hahnemann! A corner from the Villa right finds Young at the back post, and his well-hit half-volley is well kept out by the Reading 'keeper at his near post!
    • 76' Carew tees up Harewood, but his shot from distance is straight at Hahnemann. Carew then surges past Sonko inside the area before prodding a shot goalwards that Hahnemann does well to save!
    • 75' 15 minutes to go! Can Reading find an equaliser from somewhere? Villa are penned inside their own half at the moment.
    • 74' Maloney departs the action, to be replaced by Marlon Harewood.
    • 73' Murty reacts with incredulity after being penalised for bringing down Maloney.
    • 71' Kitson gallops onto Barry's loose pass but sends his shot well over the bar from outside the box. Reading make a double change: Ivar Ingimarsson comes on for Cisse and Shane Long replaces Doyle.
    • 69' Chance for Reading! Shorey's free-kick from the right goes right down Carson's throat but Kitson can't get his head to it and Carson manages to keep it out!
    • 67' Carew cuts the ball back for Agbonlahor from the byline on the right but the Villa man lifts his shot over the bar from eight yards!
    • 66' Agbonlahor's cross from the right is pushed out by Hahnemann and Reading clear their lines. Hunt goes down in the Villa box with no-one anywhere near him, and the referee is rightly disinterested.
    • 65' Steve Coppell's men are starting to up the ante here...
    • 64' Panic in the Villa box! Shorey's shot from the edge of the area is parried by Carson, and when the Villa 'keeper orders his defenders out of the way so he can claim the ball Hunt nips in but sees his shot blocked by Davies!
    • 63' Barry's corner is aimed towards Carew, but when the ball bounces down Reading are able to hack it clear.
    • 62' Carew wins a corner off Cisse on the Villa right.
    • 61' Agbonlahor is caught offside.
    • 59' Young and Hunt do battle on the Villa right, and Hunt emerges with the ball just as the Villa man is about to cross.
    • 58' Reading make their first change. Oster is replaced by home debutant Jimmy Kebe.
    • 57' Hunt's cross from the left appears to strike Gardner on the arm, but a throw-in is given. Hunt then wins a corner off Young.
    • 55' Doyle crosses from the left but there's no-one there and Bouma has time to guide a header back to his goalkeeper.
    • 54' Villa are trying to settle things down with a spot of keep-ball, but Reading are snapping at their ankles at every turn.
    • 53' Shorey's free-kick from the left is headed clear by Laursen, and Marek Matejovsky is carded for holding back Agbonlahor as Villa look to break.
    • 52' Gardner is booked for a blatant body-check on Hunt.
    • 51' Laursen looks to slide a pass through to Carew, but Sonko reads it well and cuts it out. Reading have started well here.
    • 49' Oster picks out Hunt on the penalty spot with his corner from the left, but the Reading number 10 wasn't expecting it and his half-volley loops over the bar.
    • 48' Oster's free-kick from the left is headed into the air by Sonko, and Gardner has to nod it behind for a corner.
    • 47' Great play from Reading! Kitson slips in Hunt down the left, and when the Irishman gets away from Gardner, Laursen comes across to clear. Shorey's corner from the left finds its way back to him, and when his cross strikes Gardner at close range, the hand-ball appeals ring out around the ground. Referee Martin Atkinson isn't interested though.
    • 46' The second half begins! No changes to report from either side at the break.
    • 45+2' The half-time whistle goes! Barry's penalty miss looked to have let Reading off the hook, but Young's composed finish gives the visitors a lead they fully deserve.
    • 45' GOAL! 1-0 Villa! Cisse dives in on Agbonlahor on the Villa right and is easily beaten, Agbonlahor slides the ball across the box to Young, and the youngster composes himself before sweeping the ball past Hahnemann into the top-left corner!
    • 43' Sonko is booked for chopping down Carew on the Villa left. Young plays the resulting free-kick to the back post and Laursen's header is well held by Hahnemann!
    • 42' Barry swings in a free-kick from the Villa right but Hahnemann comes off his line to claim it.
    • 41' Hunt goes down on the edge of the box after having his heels clipped by Reo-Coker but the referee waves play on! Hunt is furious!
    • 40' Bouma's cross from the left is touched on by Carew but there's no-one there to get on the end of it.
    • 38' Sight of goal for Villa! Carew's knockdown finds Agbonlahor with his back to goal, and his attempted pass to Young is cut out by Hunt!
    • 36' Young nicks the ball off Hunt in midfield but his right-wing cross is headed clear.
    • 34' Maloney lays the ball back to Carew on the left, but his weak shot goes wide of the near post.
    • 33' Barry trots up... AND BLASTS THE BALL MILES WIDE OF THE LEFT-HAND POST! What an awful penalty from the England man!
    • 32' PENALTY TO VILLA! Young's left-wing corner is only half-cleared, and Gardner's effort from the edge of the box strikes Cisse on the arm!
    • 30' Good pressure from Villa! Nigel Reo-Coker crosses from the right and Murty has to head it behind. Young's corner finds Carew with his back to goal and the ball works its way to Davies, who slips as he shoots and sees his ballooned effort easily saved by Hahnemann.
    • 29' Reading clear the corner, and Gareth Barry's volleyed follow-up cross from the left.
    • 28' Shorey bends in a free-kick from the right, but it curls straight into the arms of Carson. Carew's snap-shot at the other end is deflected behind for a corner off Cisse.
    • 26' Doyle chases Laursen down and wins a corner on the Reading right. Reading send the big men forward from the back, but Shorey's kick is comfortably dealt with. And then there's a spot of handbags on the touchline, as Harper pushes Martin O'Neill while trying to retrieve the ball for a throw-in!
    • 25' Kevin Doyle beats Davies on the right and plays a cross into the penalty area, but it's far too high for Hunt, and Carson is able to gather it after a couple of bounces.
    • 23' Reading starting to mount some pressure. Murty crosses from the right, Hunt turns the ball back in from the left and Davies has to hack it away.
    • 22' Hunt wins a free-kick after being tripped in midfield by Young. Shorey swings it to the back post, where it's headed clear.
    • 19' Scramble in the Reading box! Agbonlahor finds space on the left and slides in a low cross which Cisse cuts out brilliantly, Murty then produces a superb block to deny Maloney before Agbonlahor is penalised for a foul!
    • 18' Shorey wins a corner on the left, which Martin Laursen heads clear.
    • 16' Ashley Young bursts infield from the Villa right before sending in a low, left-footed effort from 25 yards that draws a fairly comfortable save from Hahnemann.
    • 15' John Oster wins a throw-in off Wilfred Bouma on the Reading right.
    • 13' Stephen Hunt forces Gardner into a rather hurried clearance from the Villa right-back position.
    • 12' Cisse's mis-kick forces Marcus Hahnemann to sprint from his line to clear the danger. The ball falls to Maloney, but Villa can't capitalise. Carew wastes a good crossing opportunity on the right, and makes a big show of stamping down the divot responsible.
    • 10' Carew gets away from Cisse on the Villa left but his cross is deflected and Harper is able to play the ball away. Dave Kitson is penalised for a barge on Curtis Davies as the Villa man seeks to shepherd the ball out of play for a goal kick on the far side.
    • 9' The home side are starting to see a bit more of the ball. Villa look content to play on the counter-attack for now.
    • 8' Nicky Shorey pumps a high ball into the Villa box from the left, but it's headed clear.
    • 7' Both sets of fans are in fine voice in the early stages here.
    • 5' Chance for Villa! Kalifa Cisse and Ibrahima Sonko get in a muddle at the back and John Carew snatches onto a through-ball before lashing a half-volley across goal and wide of the far post!
    • 2' Villa retaliate, and Agbonlahor slides a low cross right across goal from the right-hand side.
    • 1' Off we go! Reading make a bright start, and James Harper cracks in a left-footed shot from the edge of the box that is straight at Scott Carson in the visitors' goal.
    • 12:30 The teams are on the pitch, and we're about to get underway. Reading are in their home strip of blue and white horizontally-striped shirts, blue shorts and blue socks, while the visitors are in claret shirts with blue sleeves, white shorts and blue socks. Referee: Martin Atkinson (Yorkshire).
    • 12:15 TEAM NEWS: Reading have Emerse Fae and Andre Bikey back from African Cup of Nations duty, while Ivar Ingimarsson returns from suspension. Villa welcome back Gabriel Agbonlahor after he missed the 4-1 win over Newcastle with a hamstring problem, but defender Olof Mellberg is out with an ankle injury. Craig Gardner drops to right-back, allowing Shaun Maloney to come into midfield.
    • 12:00 Hello and welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's LIVE coverage of Reading v Aston Villa from the Madejski Stadium. Reading go into the game on the back of seven straight defeats and are looking for the three points they need to clamber out of the relegation zone. Villa can go level on points with Liverpool in fourth place with victory today. Kick-off is at 12:30 GMT.

  • Team Stats

    Reading Stats Aston Villa
    54% Possession 45%
    11 Shots 21
    7 Shots on target 8
    4 Saves 4
    11 Corners 7
    16 Fouls 10
    0 Offsides 2
    2 Yellow cards 1
    0 Red cards 0
    32 Tackles 28
    244 Accurate passes 185
    87 Bad passes 53

  • Player Stats

    G =
    Goals
    S =
    Shots
    SoT =
    Shot on Target
    F =
    Fouls
    FW =
    Fouls Won
    O =
    Offsides
    A =
    Assists
    AP =
    Accurate Passes
    BP =
    Bad Passes
    T =
    Tackles
    • Reading
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Marcus Hahnemann 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 5 0
      3 Nicky Shorey 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 34 19 4
      2 Graeme Murty 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 26 0 2
      5 Ibrahima Sonko 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 12 1 2
      4 Khalifa Cissé 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 10 2 2
      28 Marek Matejovsky 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 41 16 9
      15 James Harper 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 29 10 2
      11 John Oster 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 2 2
      10 Stephen Hunt 0 3 1 1 3 0 0 19 14 6
      12 Dave Kitson 0 4 3 2 6 0 0 20 12 0
      9 Kevin Doyle 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 11 5 2
      24 Shane Long 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
      22 André Stéphane Bikey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      16 Ivar Ingimarsson 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 1
      32 Adam Federici 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      30 Jimmy Kebe 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 9 0 0
    • Aston Villa
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      22 Scott Carson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 0
      15 Curtis Davies 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 13 1 3
      3 Wilfred Bouma 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 21 11 6
      26 Craig Gardner 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 18 0 6
      5 Martin Laursen 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 14 4 3
      20 Nigel Reo-Coker 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 16 3 2
      6 Gareth Barry 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 27 9 4
      11 Gabriel Agbonlahor 0 2 0 2 2 1 1 11 7 2
      10 John Carew 0 8 2 1 2 1 0 21 4 0
      28 Shaun Maloney 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 18 3 1
      7 Ashley Young 1 3 3 1 1 0 1 13 5 1
      16 Zatyiah Knight 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      13 Stuart Taylor 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      9 Marlon Harewood 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 6 3 0
      27 Isaiah Osbourne 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 1 0
      17 Moustapha Salifou 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90+4' GOAL! 2-1! Shorey bends a free-kick around the wall from 25 yards and Carson gets his hand to it but can't keep it out!
    • 90+2' Carew jinks into the Reading box before lifting a shot just over the crossbar with his left foot!
    • 90' Off the line! Reading play another dangerous ball into the box, and Hunt's volleyed effort is blocked on the line by Gardner!
    • 87' Villa attack again, and Carew's close-range effort at the back post from Harewood's low right-wing cross is blocked!
    • 84' GOAL! 2-0 Villa! Villa break down the left, Young slips the ball to Harewood and the substitute coolly curls the ball around Hahnemann - a la Thierry Henry - to seal the points for the visitors!
    • 79' Good stop Hahnemann! A corner from the Villa right finds Young at the back post, and his well-hit half-volley is well kept out by the Reading 'keeper at his near post!
    • 76' Carew tees up Harewood, but his shot from distance is straight at Hahnemann. Carew then surges past Sonko inside the area before prodding a shot goalwards that Hahnemann does well to save!
    • 69' Chance for Reading! Shorey's free-kick from the right goes right down Carson's throat but Kitson can't get his head to it and Carson manages to keep it out!
    • 67' Carew cuts the ball back for Agbonlahor from the byline on the right but the Villa man lifts his shot over the bar from eight yards!
    • 66' Agbonlahor's cross from the right is pushed out by Hahnemann and Reading clear their lines. Hunt goes down in the Villa box with no-one anywhere near him, and the referee is rightly disinterested.
    • 64' Panic in the Villa box! Shorey's shot from the edge of the area is parried by Carson, and when the Villa 'keeper orders his defenders out of the way so he can claim the ball Hunt nips in but sees his shot blocked by Davies!
    • 45' GOAL! 1-0 Villa! Cisse dives in on Agbonlahor on the Villa right and is easily beaten, Agbonlahor slides the ball across the box to Young, and the youngster composes himself before sweeping the ball past Hahnemann into the top-left corner!
    • 38' Sight of goal for Villa! Carew's knockdown finds Agbonlahor with his back to goal, and his attempted pass to Young is cut out by Hunt!
    • 33' Barry trots up... AND BLASTS THE BALL MILES WIDE OF THE LEFT-HAND POST! What an awful penalty from the England man!
    • 32' PENALTY TO VILLA! Young's left-wing corner is only half-cleared, and Gardner's effort from the edge of the box strikes Cisse on the arm!
    • 19' Scramble in the Reading box! Agbonlahor finds space on the left and slides in a low cross which Cisse cuts out brilliantly, Murty then produces a superb block to deny Maloney before Agbonlahor is penalised for a foul!
    • 5' Chance for Villa! Kalifa Cisse and Ibrahima Sonko get in a muddle at the back and John Carew snatches onto a through-ball before lashing a half-volley across goal and wide of the far post!

Live Team Line-Up

  • Reading

    Manager: Steve Coppell

    On the Field

    • Hahnemann
    • Murty
    • Cisse Substitution In (71′)
    • Sonko Yellow Card
    • Shorey Goal
    • Oster Substitution Out (58′)
    • Harper
    • Matejovsky Yellow Card
    • Hunt
    • Kitson
    • Doyle Substitution Out (71′)

    Subs

    • Ingimarsson Substitution In (71′)
    • Bikey
    • Kebe Substitution In (58′)
    • Long Substitution In (71′)
    • Federici

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None

  • Aston Villa

    Manager: Martin O'Neill

    On the Field

    • Carson
    • Gardner Yellow Card
    • Laursen
    • Davies
    • Bouma
    • Reo-Coker Substitution Out (86′)
    • Petrov
    • Maloney Substitution Out (74′)
    • Barry
    • Agbonlahor
    • Young Goal
    • Carew

    Subs

    • Taylor
    • Harewood Substitution In (74′) Goal
    • Knight
    • Osbourne Substitution In (86′)
    • Salifou

    Injured

    None

    Suspended

    None