Reading make it five leagues win at home in a row as they hold on to secure a 1-0 win over Leicester City.
Royals wasted no time in creating the first chance of the game as Deanna Cooper played a long ball forward for Natasha Dowie to run on to. For a moment it looked she was through on goal, but the Leicester keeper reacted well to the danger and managed to clear.
The first chance for Leicester came just after the sixth minute as O’Brien from the left delivered a ball to the heart of the Royals’ box, but Pike couldn’t quite control her volley and went out for a goal kick.
Reading continued to dominate the early possession, and the breakthrough came from an audacious lob from Dowie. A long ball was played in the gaps, and as Dowie was running onto the ball she had one look up to see the positioning of Lambourne in goal, and managed to get the ball up and under from outside the box.
The game had settled down after a scintillating opening 15 minutes. Reading had a glorious opportunity to double their lead as one-two by Harries and Dowie led to the Royals winning a penalty after Tierney upended Dowie. However, Lambourne produced a fantastic save to deny Dowie from the spot.
Emma Harries was denied late on in the first half, as Deanna Cooper’s long ball found the run of Harries. She did magnificently to drive towards the box, but her effort had just too much on it and cannoned off the crossbar. Amalie Eikeland tried to convert the rebound, but the ball came at her with so much pace it was a tough one to control.
The final action of the half came from a Royals counter lead by Vanhaevermaet, but the Leicester backline stood strong and manage to slow the move down and saw off any danger.
The Royals took a 1-0 lead into the break, but would be left to rue their missed chances?
Half-Time: Reading 1 – 0 Leicester City
Reading thought they had doubled their lead in the opening five minutes of the second half, as Eikeland played Dowie in behind who did well to finish, but the linesman had his flag up for offside.
Most of the early second-half possession fell Leicester City’s way but failed to create any real chances until Pike played a great ball in behind Gregory latched on to, but failed to make a good connection on her effort on goal.
Reading’s first chance of the second half came 20 minutes in, as Bethan Roberts played in Harries down the right hand side. Harries took the ball towards the box, and played a inch perfect pass to Dowie at the back post whose first time effort went straight at the keeper.
As the game progressed into the final stages, it was Leicester who was controlling the game, as they had been most of the second half. Pike came close as O’Brien whipped in a driven ball from the left, found her in space on the edge of the Royals’ penalty box but couldn’t direct her shot goalward.
Despite the possession, Leicester failed to create any clear cut chances as Reading managed to see it through to full time making it the fifth win on the bounce at home in the league.
Full-Time: Reading 1 - 0 Leicester City
Reading: Moloney, Woodham, Eikeland, Evans, Cooper (Roberts 45'), Harding ©, Troelsgaard, Vanhaevermaet, Rose (Primmer 79'), Harries, Dowie
Unused Subs: Stewart, Poulter, Macdonald, Lister
Goals: Dowie (10')
Yellow:
Leicester City: Lambourne, Plumptre, Howard, Tierney, McManus, O’Brien, de Graaf, Barker, Pike, Grant (Gregory 45'), Purfield
Unused Subs: Brougham, Goodwin, Robinson, Harris
Goals:
Yellows: Plumptre (35’), Tierney (72')