Football Live

Saturday April 12, 2008 Finished Madejski Stadium

Reading 0 - Logo 2

Reading

Fulham

  • McBride 24’
  • Nevland 90’
  1. Crucial win for Fulham

    Crucial win for Fulham

    Goals from Brian McBride and Erik Nevland gave an inspired Fulham a 2-0 victory at Reading, their first away win in the Premier League since September 2006. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Reading
    • Fulham
    • 90+4 And it's all over. A lacklustre Reading deservedly lost to a resolute and inspired Fulham. The Cottagers are now back in the relegation dogfight after looking dead and buried - will Reading be dragged into the mire?
    • 90+3 Fulham have secured a famous away win - after 34 attempts.
    • 90+2 ERIK NEVLAND SCORES FOR FULHAM! The Norwegian striker scores his first goal for Fulham, securing Fulham their first away victory since September 2006. A powerful shot from the right of the area fires past Hahneman in goal.
    • 90+2 Paul Stalteri takes his time with a throw-in and Fulham look in control here.
    • 90+1 Fulham substitution. Andreasen ON, Murphy OFF. A like-for-like swap.
    • 90 We're into added time now. Fulham are so close to lifting their curse. Can they hold on?
    • 88 It's getting nervous out there. Reading are fighting tooth-and-nail at last.
    • 86 Four minutes to go. Can Fulham hold on for an unlikely first away win in 34 games? The fans are certainly vocal.
    • 84 Fulham substitution. Bocanegra ON, Dempsey OFF. Here comes the defence-strengthening substitution. In theory, at least.
    • 83 Coppell is going for broke now - he's used up all his subs. Rather than shoring up the defence, Hodgson swaps a striker for a striker. Fulham deserve to be 3 up but, as the cliché goes, it's goals that win games.
    • 81 Fulham substitution. Nevland ON, Healy OFF.
    • 78 Reading substitution. Cisse ON, Matejovsky OFF.
    • 78 Another Fulham free-kick, this one from a tighter angle on the right. Murphy dummies and Bullard takes; the ball floats into the area and is cleared for a corner by Rosenior's diving head.
    • 77 Excellent tackle on Dave Kitson by Jimmy Bullard as the Reading striker heads towards the penalty area.
    • 76 Reading have been somewhere else for the last 10 minutes. Coppell's substitutions have had no effect whatsoever so far and his side look asleep.
    • 75 Hodgson is still deep in thought on the Fulham bench. Will the woodwork cost Fulham dear?
    • 73 BULLARD NEARLY SCORES! Fulham win a free-kick some 25 yards out. Free-kick whizz Bullard takes and his effort is almost perfect - but it rebounds off the top right corner of the post. Reading are skating on really thin ice.
    • 70 WHAT AN EFFORT! That really should have been 0-2 to the Cottagers. The Sami Hyypia-esque Brede Hangeland gets his head on the end of another superb Bullard corner. The Norwegian centre-back's effort cannons off the crossbar. The woodwork has saved Reading twice.
    • 67 McBride gets on the end of a corner, but he should have done a lot better. His effort from just inside the area goes into orbit.
    • 66 Ingirmarsson makes a good clearance from a sharp Simon Davies cross into the box. Healy was ready to pounce.
    • 64 Bikey's header from the penalty spot is powerful but wide. The Reading fans got very excited about it, though.
    • 62 Davies' cross-shot is blocked by Bikey. Fulham win a corner.
    • 61 Reading double substitution. Little ON, Oster OFF. Kitson ON, Long OFF.
    • 59 Keller is having a strong today. He makes another solid catch from a looping Hunt cross into the box. Again, Fulham may look cocksure going forward but, with the exeption of Kasey Keller, they look ropey at the back.
    • 59 Healy tries a curler from 25 yards out but it's woeful. Out it goes into row M of the stand.
    • 58 Fulham corner. Bullard takes - as ever - and Dempsey's flick-header bunces wide. Not the best effort in the world.
    • 56 Reading look a bit lost at the moment. Fulham are in top gear and confident going forward.
    • 54 David Healy's cross was perfect and McBride's strike so nearly gave Fulham a decisive 0-2 lead. The American will be kicking himself.
    • 52 Brian McBride should have scored another! A great strike on the volley beat Keller before whacking against the crossbar. So, so close.
    • 49 Fulham look to have lost their shape a little, while Reading are definitely up for it after a subdued first half. But still no clear chances on goal.
    • 48 It's Reading who are piling forward now, and Fulham look far from comfortable at the back. There are some nervous characters out there, not least Aaron Hughes and Paul Konchesky.
    • 47 Early pressure from the visitors but Reading are holding the midfield well.
    • 46 We're away at the Madejski.
    • 45+2 Half-time. Reading look less-than-inspired, but Fulham were playing with fire towards the end there. Both managers will have lots to say in the interval.
    • 45 2 minutes added time to be played.
    • 44 Seconds to go till the break. Reading have looked dangerous these last few minutes. Can Fulham hold on till half-time?
    • 42 Another cross from the Reading left flank, this time punched out by Keller. Roy Hodgson might need to address the whole left flank situation in half-time.
    • 41 Now THAT was a chance to equalise. Doyle's header looks to be going in as Keller comes out of his goal, but the ball bounces wide of the post. Fulham were very lucky there.
    • 40 The visitors are keeping hold of the ball more than their hosts. Stalteri whips in a low, dangerous cross from the right but McBride can't quite get to it. Hahnemann palms it away.
    • 39 Fulham are masters at losing games they take the lead in. Will it be deja vu or an end to the hoodoo?
    • 38 Keller makes yet another catch from a Reading cross. The home side are lacking decisiveness in the final third.
    • 35 Meanwhile, at the other end, Jimmy Bullard tries to float a cross into the centre of the area but it flies out for a goalkick.
    • 34 NEARLY! McBride clears a dangerous Reading corner with his head. The subsequent corner is another easy catch for Keller, who is yet to be tested.
    • 32 Murphy is back on having "run it off". Reading are attacking again. Rosenior wins a corner on the right wing.
    • 31 Danny Murphy has injured himself in trying to tackle Kevin Doyle. The ex-Liverpool midfielder doesn't look too good at the moment.
    • 29 Doyle breaks into the Fulham box and nearly turns in a neat cross - but Fulham's back-line is holding firm.
    • 28 Harper has just given Bullard a whack in the face and the Fulham man is furious. Ref Chris Hoy is giving Harper a long lecture.
    • 26 The 2,500 Fulham fans are in good spirit now. But given their away record, they might want to hold on the chicken-counting.
    • 24 GOAL! FULHAM! BRIAN McBRIDE powers it in from inside the 6-yard box after getting on the end of a perfect Simon Davies cross from the left. Fulham are ahead!
    • 23 Free-kick for Reading after a foul by Hangeland. Oster floats it in without great pace and Keller makes an easy catch.
    • 22 Roy Hodgson looks like a man with a lot on his mind in the Fulham dugout. Surely even Chairman Fayed wouldn't sack a man after 3-and-a-half months in the job?
    • 20 Fulham right-back Paul Stalteri is looking firm on the right now, after an opening 15 minutes in which Reading were finding a lot of space down there.
    • 18 That chance may come back to haunt Fulham, and Brian McBride. It was a glorious opportunity to open the scoring.
    • 16 What a chance for Brian McBride! Bullard's free-kick into the area lands at the unmarked American's feet on the left of the six-yard box. He strikes firmly but his effort is blocked - it was surely going in otherwise.
    • 14 Steve Coppell's doing a bit of texting on his mobile phone. It's not riveting out there, but surely he's going a step too far.
    • 13 A dangerous cross into the box by Doyle, down the left. Fulham are getting exposed on both wings at the moment.
    • 12 In true April fashion, the rain and hail have disappeared and the Madejski is now basking in glorious sunshine.
    • 11 A Reading corner comes to nothing, but Bikey has just kicked McBride in the face. The American striker gets up quickly.
    • 9 Konchesky gives the ball away needlessly on the edge of the Reading area and the home side break with pace. Luckily for Fulham, Oster's cross into the box is caught by Keller.
    • 8 Now there are sheets of hail falling, too. It's all go.
    • 7 It's pouring with rain all of a sudden. This is a proper downpour.
    • 5 Neat passing in the middle of the park by Hunt and Matejovsky, who lays it off to Rosenior on the right. The former Fulham man has acres of space as he crosses into the box but Shane Long can't quite get his effort on target. Best move of the game.
    • 4 Reading are losing the ball very easily, and Fulham are really closing them down at every opportunity. Clint Dempsey has just tried a long-range effort. He shouldn't have bothered.
    • 3 Hahnemann for Reading; Keller for Fulham. Two American keepers. Both in their late thirties. Both bald. Scary, isn't it?
    • 2 Early pressure from Fulham skipper Brian McBride but his cross into the box from the left flank is an easy catch for Marcus Hahnemann.
    • 1 Reading do the early running, Stephen Hunt looking lively despite a niggling injury.
    • 1 We're off at the Madejski Stadium! It's the visitors, in red and black stripes, who kick off.
    • -- Steve Coppell has gone for a Long-Doyle double act up front, leaving Dave Kitson on the bench. He welcomes back Marek Matejovsky following suspension. Roy Hodgson drops Diomansy Kamara to the bench and starts with David Healy, who came on as a sub and scored against Sunderland last weekend. In midfield, Leon Andreasen is out and Clint Dempsey is in.
    • -- Reading are currently on 32 points, which is six above the relegation zone. A win would make Premier League football next season seem very likely. The Royals have lost two games more than the Cottagers but they've won nine, where as the London side have mustered only four wins all season.
    • -- It really is do-or-die time for Fulham, who haven't won away in 33 games. That's a Premier League record. 6 points from safety, Fulham desperately need a win, and will hope that fellow strugglers Birmingham and Bolton get royally beaten in their respective games.
    • -- Hello and welcome to eurosport.yahoo.com's LIVE text commentary of the relegation clash between Reading and Fulham from the Madejski Stadium. Kick-off is at 3pm.

  • Team Stats

    Reading Stats Fulham
    47% Possession 52%
    4 Shots 19
    0 Shots on target 4
    2 Saves 0
    4 Corners 7
    5 Fouls 11
    1 Offsides 1
    0 Yellow cards 1
    0 Red cards 0
    19 Tackles 16
    203 Accurate passes 288
    48 Bad passes 64

  • 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 0 0
      22 André Stéphane Bikey 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 13 2 3
      3 Nicky Shorey 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 24 9 1
      19 Liam Rosenior 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 16 0 1
      16 Ivar Ingimarsson 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 12 3 4
      15 James Harper 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 26 2 2
      28 Marek Matejovsky 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 34 11 2
      11 John Oster 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 13 0 1
      10 Stephen Hunt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 17 7 1
      24 Shane Long 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 13 2 2
      9 Kevin Doyle 0 2 0 0 1 1 0 12 8 2
      7 Glen Little 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 0
      5 Ibrahima Sonko 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      4 Khalifa Cissé 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0
      32 Adam Federici 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      12 Dave Kitson 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 6 3 0
    • Fulham
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      1 Kasey Keller 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 10 1 0
      18 Aaron Hughes 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 2
      4 Paul Konchesky 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 31 15 2
      17 Paul Stalteri 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 26 0 3
      32 Brede Hangeland 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 23 4 2
      21 Jimmy Bullard 0 3 0 1 3 0 0 44 8 2
      27 Danny Murphy 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 34 9 1
      25 Simon Davies 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 33 4 1
      20 Brian McBride 1 6 2 0 3 0 0 26 7 0
      9 David Healy 0 5 0 0 2 1 0 16 5 0
      23 Clint Dempsey 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 25 7 2
      12 Tony Warner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      11 Diomansy Kamara 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      3 Carlos Bocanegra 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 1
      26 Leon Andreasen 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5 2 0
      15 Erik Nevland 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 5 0 0

  • Summary

    • 90+2 ERIK NEVLAND SCORES FOR FULHAM! The Norwegian striker scores his first goal for Fulham, securing Fulham their first away victory since September 2006. A powerful shot from the right of the area fires past Hahneman in goal.
    • 78 Another Fulham free-kick, this one from a tighter angle on the right. Murphy dummies and Bullard takes; the ball floats into the area and is cleared for a corner by Rosenior's diving head.
    • 73 BULLARD NEARLY SCORES! Fulham win a free-kick some 25 yards out. Free-kick whizz Bullard takes and his effort is almost perfect - but it rebounds off the top right corner of the post. Reading are skating on really thin ice.
    • 70 WHAT AN EFFORT! That really should have been 0-2 to the Cottagers. The Sami Hyypia-esque Brede Hangeland gets his head on the end of another superb Bullard corner. The Norwegian centre-back's effort cannons off the crossbar. The woodwork has saved Reading twice.
    • 66 Ingirmarsson makes a good clearance from a sharp Simon Davies cross into the box. Healy was ready to pounce.
    • 64 Bikey's header from the penalty spot is powerful but wide. The Reading fans got very excited about it, though.
    • 52 Brian McBride should have scored another! A great strike on the volley beat Keller before whacking against the crossbar. So, so close.
    • 41 Now THAT was a chance to equalise. Doyle's header looks to be going in as Keller comes out of his goal, but the ball bounces wide of the post. Fulham were very lucky there.
    • 34 NEARLY! McBride clears a dangerous Reading corner with his head. The subsequent corner is another easy catch for Keller, who is yet to be tested.
    • 24 GOAL! FULHAM! BRIAN McBRIDE powers it in from inside the 6-yard box after getting on the end of a perfect Simon Davies cross from the left. Fulham are ahead!
    • 16 What a chance for Brian McBride! Bullard's free-kick into the area lands at the unmarked American's feet on the left of the six-yard box. He strikes firmly but his effort is blocked - it was surely going in otherwise.
    • 9 Konchesky gives the ball away needlessly on the edge of the Reading area and the home side break with pace. Luckily for Fulham, Oster's cross into the box is caught by Keller.
    • 5 Neat passing in the middle of the park by Hunt and Matejovsky, who lays it off to Rosenior on the right. The former Fulham man has acres of space as he crosses into the box but Shane Long can't quite get his effort on target. Best move of the game.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Chris Foy

  • Reading

    Manager: Steve Coppell

    Captain: Ivar Ingimarsson

    On the Field

    • Hahnemann
    • Rosenior
    • Ingimarsson
    • Bikey
    • Shorey
    • Oster Substitution Out (60′)
    • Matejovsky Substitution Out (76′)
    • Harper
    • Hunt
    • Long Substitution Out (60′)
    • Doyle

    Subs

    • Little Substitution In (60′)
    • Sonko
    • Kitson Substitution In (60′)
    • Federici
    • Cisse Substitution In (76′)

    Injured

    • Gunnarsson
    • Kebe

    Suspended

    None

  • Fulham

    Manager: Roy Hodgson

    Captain: Aaron Hughes

    On the Field

    • Keller
    • Stalteri Yellow Card
    • Hangeland
    • Hughes
    • Konchesky
    • Dempsey Substitution Out (82′)
    • Bullard
    • Murphy
    • Davies
    • McBride Goal
    • Healy Substitution Out (82′)

    Subs

    • Nevland Substitution In (82′) Goal
    • Kamara
    • Bocanegra Substitution In (82′)
    • Andreasen
    • Warner

    Injured

    • Pearce
    • Litmanen
    • Niemi
    • Elliott
    • Omozusi

    Suspended

    None