FOOTBALL Live

Saturday May 3, 2008 Finished Madejski Stadium

Reading 0 - Tottenham 1

Reading

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Keane 16’
  1. Reading sink into bottom three

    Reading sink into bottom three

    Reading dropped into the relegation zone with just one match of the season left after losing 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur at the Madejski Stadium. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Reading
    • Tottenham Hotspur
    • 90+2' It's all over, and Reading drop into the relegation zone on goal difference after Fulham's 2-0 win over Birmingham! It's going to be a nailbiting final day! Thanks for joining us, remember Bolton v Sunderland kicks off at 17:15 GMT.
    • 90+1' Trevor McDonald does not look happy as the match moves into injury time. It looks as though the bell is tolling for the Royals. News at Ten... Big Ben tolling... Never mind.
    • 88' That's Rosenior's last contribution, as John Oster comes on to replace him.
    • 87' Woodgate loses out on the edge of the SPurs area, and the ball is loose for ROSENIOR TO DIG OUT A SHOT... WONDERFUL SAVE BY CERNY!! What do Reading have to do to score?
    • 85' Reading have had all of the ball. Lita's excellent flick-on releases KITSON... SAVED BY CERNY AT THE NEAR POST!!
    • 80' Kevin Doyle's rather anonymous performance comes to an end, as Shane Long comes on in his stead.
    • 80' Ingimarsson tries his luck from distance... It's a solid strike bt right at Cerny, who blocks it and then holds onto it at the second time of asking.
    • 78' Chants of "There's only one Keano" can be heard as the goalscorer comes off to be replaced by Adel Taraabt for Spurs.
    • 77' Shorey fires a low cross to KITSON AT THE NEAR POST... Steered wide!
    • 75' Spurs break out and they outnumber Reading four to three! O'Hara carries it 50 yards before passing to Bent, who cuts in from the left and SHOOTS... OFF THE NEAR POST!!! Hahnemann was beaten as the ball rolled across the face of goal! What a let-off for Reading!
    • 72' Reading are finally beginning to put Spurs to the sword. One long-range shot is blocked by O'Hara, and then Matejovsky slips through a ball to LITA... The striker was flat-footed and couldn't latch onto the pass! That's pretty much the first time he has put a foot wrong all match, and it was at the most crucial time! There is hope for them yet...
    • 68' Reaidng best move of the match as Kitson lays to ball back for MATEJOVSKY ON THE EDGE OF THE BOX.... Sidefooted JUST wide of the post!
    • 65' Reading finally make a change, and it's Andre Bikey making way for Marek Matejovsky. How they could do with a repeat of his fabulous strike against Liverpool now.
    • 61' Spurs boss Juande Ramos seems confident enough to shuffle his pack, and brings on Jamie O'Hara for Tom Huddlestone. O'Hara will go on the left wing, and Malbranque will move infield.
    • 59' Kitson feeds Lita, who holds the ball up well in the box yet again. He spots the run of Bikey, and pulls it back for the STRIKE... Deflected behind for a corner! It was bound for the top corner, but Zokora broke Reading hearts with his intervention!
    • 57' The game's first real fallow period. Neither side able to move out of midfield. Coppell cannot afford to let this match stagnate. he'll have to make changes soon.
    • 50' Jenas finds himself in space with his back to goal. He cant' get the shot so squares to BENT... Hahnemann is out to block the effort. The Reading back four are still in the dressing room, it seems.
    • 49' Harper's cross is bound for KITSON... Cerny punches away the ball just as Kitson got his head to it! Finally the Czech keeper is called upon.
    • 47' The Royals are all at sea immediately as hutton's ball finds Keane in space. He fires it across goal and Malranque fires into the sidenetting! He was unlucky not to double Tottenham's lead.
    • 46' Play is underway for the second half. Will we see a different Reading now? Royals fans should hope so.
    • 45+1' Referee Howard Webb blows for half time! Reading boss Steve Coppell has got to get his side fired up for the second half, his team are virtual spectators at the moment.
    • 45' Reading have a free kick deep on the right. Shorey curls in the long ball and BIKEY RISES HIGHEST... He just can't reach it and it's a goal kick.
    • 42' Keane and Malbranque exchanges some quick one-touch passes and KEANE IS IN ON GOAL... GREAT CHALLENGE ROSENIOR! A timely diving tackle from the full-back surely saves his side from going into the break two goals down!
    • 39' Reading are having their best spell of the match in terms of possession, but they look rather toothless, unable to find any cutting edge. Spurs look too relaxed considering they are palying a side fighting relegation.
    • 35' The ball falls to Hunt on the edge of the Tottenham area and he SHOOTS.. A wild swing but it's a tame effort that rolls wide of Cerny's goal.
    • 33' Bikey feeds Shorey on the wing, and the full-back beats Huton to send in another cross, but it's over everyone and hacked away by Gilberto.
    • 30' Reading break and Kevin Doyle has space on the left wing! He beats Dawson to get to the byline but a good recovery from the Spurs man means it's another corner. Once more Reading can't capitalise and the danger is cleared.
    • 28' Lita looks like the only man who will get something from this game for Reading. He backs into Dawson and turns him well and SHOOTS... Again off target, but he's making chances for himself. It's been a while since Lita has looked so dangerous.
    • 28' Nicky shorey is out of position and Bent breaks down the right. He holds onto the ball for too long and is tackled. Malbranque picks up the loose ball but misjudges his cross to Keane. Sprs are strolling right now.
    • 26' Reading haven't scored in their last five matches, and on this showing that barren run looks set to continue.
    • 23' GOAL!! Keane bamboozles two defenders before slipping a ball through for MALBRANQUE... Curled round Hahnemann and in! Wait... The flag is up for offside! Repalys show Malbranque was clearly onside though.
    • 21' Bikey trips Malbranque on the edge of the box. Keane curls the free kick round the wall... GOOD SAVE HAHNEMANN! He beat it away with both hands.
    • 17' Leroy Lita aims to hit back right away for Reading. He gets space to cut in on the left and SHOOT... Blasted wide of the near post!
    • 16' GOAL!! Bent picks it up in midfield and runs unchallenged by the Reading defenders and slips it through to Keane. It's a wonderfully delicate first touch and Keane pokes a cool finish past Hahnemann to give Spurs the lead!
    • 13' Huddlestone chases the ball down to the byline and pulls it back for MALBRANQUE... The Frenchman tries an audacious backheel, but it's blocked!
    • 12' Reading win their third corner. It's a dangerous delivery from Shorey but Cerny punches clear and Spurs can break! Huddlestone's ball forward is too long for Keane.
    • 10' Malbranque slips a fine ball right through the flat-footed centre-backs for BENT... He shoots with his left foot on the turn and Hahnemann does well to get a foot to it and keep it out!
    • 9' SPOTTED: Newsreader Trevor McDonald sitting with Reading owner John Madejski! First Cilla Black, now Sir Trev? Madejski knows all the top slebs!
    • 7' Tottenham come forward and huiddlestone finds Malbranque... The shot is high over the bar.
    • 7' Lita brings down a long ball well with his first touch, but Woodgate is there to clear for a corner. Played short by Harper for Shorey to cross in, but it's out for a goal kick.
    • 5' Gilberto sends an inswining cross in for BENT... He glances the diving header wide! First chance falls to Spurs after some nice football around the box.
    • 3' Dave Kitson goes in studs up on Huddlestone and concedes the free kick. Expect plenty of full-blooded challenges from Reading today, and just as many half-hearted ones from Spurs.
    • 2' Reading bring it forward and Shorey gets three crosses in. The first two are cleared and the third is caught by Cerny in unnecessarily acrobatic fashion!
    • 1' Welcome to Eurosport's LIVE coverage of Reading v Tottenham! The Royals are in desperate need of a win to keep out of the relegation zone. they amy have lost 6-4 in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, but this a Spurs side with nothing left to play for. Dimitar Berbatov, who scored four for Spurs in that match, has been left out of the squad, along with Aaron Lennon. The match is underway!

  • Team Stats

    Reading Stats Tottenham Hotspur
    44% Possession 56%
    17 Shots 17
    4 Shots on target 4
    2 Saves 3
    10 Corners 1
    7 Fouls 10
    1 Offsides 4
    1 Yellow cards 0
    0 Red cards 0
    18 Tackles 32
    244 Accurate passes 357
    67 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 8 1 0
      22 André Stéphane Bikey 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 15 6 1
      16 Ivar Ingimarsson 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 15 3 2
      3 Nicky Shorey 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 46 23 3
      19 Liam Rosenior 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 16 2 1
      29 Michael Duberry 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 11 0 2
      15 James Harper 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 32 8 0
      10 Stephen Hunt 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 29 10 5
      8 Leroy Lita 0 4 1 2 1 1 0 15 4 0
      9 Kevin Doyle 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 11 2 3
      12 Dave Kitson 0 3 1 1 1 0 0 26 5 0
      24 Shane Long 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0
      11 John Oster 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      4 Khalifa Cissé 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      32 Adam Federici 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      28 Marek Matejovsky 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 17 3 1
    • Tottenham Hotspur
      G S SoT F FW O A AP BP T
      12 Radek Cerny 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0
      39 Jonathan Woodgate 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 8 0 5
      28 Alan Hutton 0 1 0 2 2 0 0 37 1 7
      20 Michael Dawson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 0 3
      4 Didier Zokora 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 39 6 1
      22 Tom Huddlestone 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 36 5 2
      11 Gilberto da Silva Melo 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 37 13 3
      8 Jermaine Jenas 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 56 11 5
      15 Steed Malbranque 0 4 0 0 1 1 0 53 6 4
      10 Robbie Keane 1 5 2 0 0 0 0 42 2 0
      23 Darren Bent 0 4 1 3 1 1 1 18 2 0
      17 Kevin-Prince Boateng 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 2 2
      2 Pascal Chimbonda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      1 Paul Robinson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
      24 Jamie O'Hara 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 15 5 0
      19 Adel Taarabt 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

  • Summary

    • 87' Woodgate loses out on the edge of the SPurs area, and the ball is loose for ROSENIOR TO DIG OUT A SHOT... WONDERFUL SAVE BY CERNY!! What do Reading have to do to score?
    • 85' Reading have had all of the ball. Lita's excellent flick-on releases KITSON... SAVED BY CERNY AT THE NEAR POST!!
    • 77' Shorey fires a low cross to KITSON AT THE NEAR POST... Steered wide!
    • 75' Spurs break out and they outnumber Reading four to three! O'Hara carries it 50 yards before passing to Bent, who cuts in from the left and SHOOTS... OFF THE NEAR POST!!! Hahnemann was beaten as the ball rolled across the face of goal! What a let-off for Reading!
    • 72' Reading are finally beginning to put Spurs to the sword. One long-range shot is blocked by O'Hara, and then Matejovsky slips through a ball to LITA... The striker was flat-footed and couldn't latch onto the pass! That's pretty much the first time he has put a foot wrong all match, and it was at the most crucial time! There is hope for them yet...
    • 68' Reaidng best move of the match as Kitson lays to ball back for MATEJOVSKY ON THE EDGE OF THE BOX.... Sidefooted JUST wide of the post!
    • 59' Kitson feeds Lita, who holds the ball up well in the box yet again. He spots the run of Bikey, and pulls it back for the STRIKE... Deflected behind for a corner! It was bound for the top corner, but Zokora broke Reading hearts with his intervention!
    • 50' Jenas finds himself in space with his back to goal. He cant' get the shot so squares to BENT... Hahnemann is out to block the effort. The Reading back four are still in the dressing room, it seems.
    • 49' Harper's cross is bound for KITSON... Cerny punches away the ball just as Kitson got his head to it! Finally the Czech keeper is called upon.
    • 47' The Royals are all at sea immediately as hutton's ball finds Keane in space. He fires it across goal and Malranque fires into the sidenetting! He was unlucky not to double Tottenham's lead.
    • 42' Keane and Malbranque exchanges some quick one-touch passes and KEANE IS IN ON GOAL... GREAT CHALLENGE ROSENIOR! A timely diving tackle from the full-back surely saves his side from going into the break two goals down!
    • 28' Lita looks like the only man who will get something from this game for Reading. He backs into Dawson and turns him well and SHOOTS... Again off target, but he's making chances for himself. It's been a while since Lita has looked so dangerous.
    • 23' GOAL!! Keane bamboozles two defenders before slipping a ball through for MALBRANQUE... Curled round Hahnemann and in! Wait... The flag is up for offside! Repalys show Malbranque was clearly onside though.
    • 21' Bikey trips Malbranque on the edge of the box. Keane curls the free kick round the wall... GOOD SAVE HAHNEMANN! He beat it away with both hands.
    • 17' Leroy Lita aims to hit back right away for Reading. He gets space to cut in on the left and SHOOT... Blasted wide of the near post!
    • 16' GOAL!! Bent picks it up in midfield and runs unchallenged by the Reading defenders and slips it through to Keane. It's a wonderfully delicate first touch and Keane pokes a cool finish past Hahnemann to give Spurs the lead!
    • 13' Huddlestone chases the ball down to the byline and pulls it back for MALBRANQUE... The Frenchman tries an audacious backheel, but it's blocked!
    • 10' Malbranque slips a fine ball right through the flat-footed centre-backs for BENT... He shoots with his left foot on the turn and Hahnemann does well to get a foot to it and keep it out!
    • 5' Gilberto sends an inswining cross in for BENT... He glances the diving header wide! First chance falls to Spurs after some nice football around the box.

Live Team Line-Up

  • Referee: Howard Webb

  • Reading

    Manager: Steve Coppell

    Captain: Ivar Ingimarsson

    On the Field

    • Hahnemann
    • Rosenior Substitution Out (87′)
    • Ingimarsson
    • Duberry
    • Shorey
    • Doyle Substitution Out (80′)
    • Harper
    • Bikey Substitution Out (65′)
    • Hunt
    • Lita
    • Kitson

    Subs

    • Oster Substitution In87′
    • Long Substitution In80′
    • Matejovsky Substitution In65′
    • Federici
    • Cisse

    Injured

    • Gunnarsson

    Suspended

    • Sonko
    • Fae

  • Tottenham Hotspur

    Manager: Juande Ramos

    Captain: Robbie Keane

    On the Field

    • Cerny
    • Hutton
    • Dawson
    • Woodgate
    • Gilberto
    • Jenas
    • Zokora
    • Huddlestone Substitution Out (61′)
    • Malbranque
    • Keane Goal Substitution Out (77′)
    • Bent

    Subs

    • Robinson
    • Chimbonda
    • Boateng
    • O'Hara Substitution In61′
    • Taarabt Substitution In77′

    Injured

    • King
    • Rocha
    • Bale

    Suspended

    None