Royals leave it late to maintain unbeaten run
Lauren Wade's last minute strike saw the Royals come away with a point.
The opening ten minutes of the game saw an even contest, with both sides enjoying plenty of possession but failing to create clear scoring opportunities.
A half-chance emerged for Reading as Wade fed Roberts, who made an overlapping run. However, her cross into the box found its way onto the roof of the net.
Reading's next opportunity came through a high press from Estcourt, who regained possession and quickly picked out Longhurst in the box. Unfortunately, Longhurst couldn't direct her effort on target, despite the promising build-up play.
The first notable chance for the hosts came via Boye-Hlorkah, who had time on the edge of the Royals' box. She attempted to bend one into the far corner but put too much power behind her shot, sending it over the crossbar.
Soon after, Boye-Hlorkah turned creator, delivering a ball into the six-yard box, but the London City forward couldn't find the target.
As the clock reached the 30-minute mark, Reading's defense faced a surge of pressure. Numerous attempts on goal were well-blocked, with the final chance falling to Littlejohn, requiring a sharp save from Orman to quell the threat.
Reading had an opportunity to deliver the ball into the box as Woodham hustled to win a free-kick 30 yards from goal. The delivery drifted towards the back post, with Cooper and Hendrix lurking, but it was slightly overhit.
Despite a growing presence in the game, Reading struggled with a miscommunication between Houssein and Wade, resulting in another phase of play breaking down.
However, just before halftime, London City delivered a sucker punch. Reading failed to clear their lines from a corner, and the ball somehow found its way to Boye-Hlorkah, who turned and found the corner of the net just beyond Orman's reach.
Half-time Score: London City 1 – 0 Reading
The second half began with an early corner for Reading, presenting an opportunity to draw level. Estcourt attempted a short ball routine to set up Woodham for a delivery, but a well-positioned London City defender cleared the danger.
Reading continued their fast start in the second half, with another chance created through individual brilliance from Wade. She cut inside from the right flank, creating space to curl an effort towards goal, but it sailed just over the crossbar.
While Orman had been relatively untested in the half, she produced an outstanding save 15 minutes into the second half to deny a thunderous long-range strike from Littlejohn.
London City briefly thought they had doubled their lead when a flick-on from the edge of the Reading box seemed to catch the defense off guard. However, as the effort found the net, the offside flag was raised, and the goal was disallowed.
Woodham stood over another indirect free-kick with 15 minutes to go, but once again, the London City defense successfully cleared their lines.
Reading continued to press hard in the final moments of the match. In a decisive moment, Wade conjured up a piece of magic to level the score. A long ball forward was intelligently left by Hendrix, setting up Elwood to feed Wade. She struck the ball first-time, and it flew into the bottom corner of the net.
The Royals' unbeaten run continued, and it was in dramatic style!
Full-time Score: London City 1 – 1 Reading
