A huge three points on the road against The Posh
A Harvey Knibbs double in the first half was enough to claim all three points on our return from the International Break.
The first moment of danger for Reading came just a minute into the game, when Peterborough won a corner. However, Harvey Knibbs rose well to head the ball clear and avert the early threat.
Peterborough’s Mothersille was their liveliest player in the opening stages, showing flair on the left flank with stepovers before cutting inside and laying the ball off to a teammate, whose shot was comfortably gathered by Pereira.
Reading quickly responded with their first dangerous move. Mbengue delivered a sublime pass to Knibbs, who found himself in a promising position but was unable to get a shot away. It didn’t matter for long, as moments later the Royals opened the scoring.
Smith held off his marker superbly before firing a shot that struck the goalkeeper in the face, with the rebound falling perfectly for Knibbs to tap into an empty net.
Reading continued to trouble the Peterborough defence. A sweeping move saw Campbell slide the ball to Craig, who delivered a low cross across the six-yard box, but there was no one in a Royals shirt to finish.
Peterborough’s opportunities were limited to long-range efforts, with De Havilland’s latest attempt easily held by Pereira as the Royals’ defence stood firm.
Knibbs, fresh from scoring before the international break, struck again in the 20th minute. A brilliant pass from Savage picked out Knibbs’ run between the centre-back and full-back. Holding off his defender, Knibbs finished clinically into the far corner, despite the angle tightening.
The Posh nearly pulled one back through Fernandez, who met a corner delivery but couldn’t direct his effort on target from close range.
The game continued at a frenetic pace, and Reading almost netted a third. Dorsett’s clever pull-back found Smith in the box, whose curling effort was tipped behind for a corner by the keeper. However, the resulting set piece came to nothing, with the referee blowing for a foul.
Peterborough’s best chance of the half arrived after 30 minutes. Jade-Jones found space just inside the Reading box and attempted to curl a shot towards the far post, but Pereira was at full stretch as the ball rolled narrowly wide.
Wing had an opportunity to extend Reading’s lead five minutes before the break with a free kick just outside the box. His strike hit a defender in the wall and went behind for a corner, but his subsequent delivery sailed over everyone in the penalty area.
Pereira then produced a stunning double save, first cutting out a low cross at the near post before reacting sharply to smother the ball as Jade-Jones closed in.
The tempo remained high throughout the half, with Peterborough dominating possession in the final moments. Their last chance came from a free kick 25 yards out, but it was headed clear, ensuring the Royals carried a 2-0 lead into the break.
Half-Time: Peterborough 0-2 Reading
Reading nearly made a dream start to the second half when Savage struck a half-volley that looped over the goalkeeper but clipped the top of the crossbar on its way out.
Peterborough responded just two minutes later with a free kick from the right side of Reading’s penalty area. The delivery was floated to the back post, but Pereira claimed it comfortably.
The Royals came close to extending their lead to 3-0 when Campbell showed strength to hold off his marker and break down the right. He played a clever reverse pass to Wing, who cut inside and unleashed a shot, but it was blocked by a defender.
Reading’s relentless high press continued to cause problems for the hosts, creating another opportunity. Knibbs delivered an inswinging cross towards Smith, whose header was on target but struck a defender in the face.
On the hour mark, Pereira pulled off a fantastic save. A deflected ball from Wing found its way to Jade-Jones in the box, but Pereira rushed off his line to close down the space and deny him. The linesman’s flag was raised, but it didn’t detract from the quality of the stop.
Craig delivered an outstanding cross into the box, finding Smith unmarked in the centre. Smith’s powerful header was well-directed but straight at Bilokapic, who gathered it easily.
As the match entered the final 15 minutes, Peterborough began to dominate possession, with Reading dropping deeper to defend their lead.
The Posh had their best chance of the game 12 minutes from time. Jade-Jones got behind Craig and squared the ball to Poku, who only needed to tap it into the net but completely missed the target – a huge let-off for Reading.
Wareham and Elliott combined brilliantly to create another opportunity. Elliott struck cleanly from the edge of the box, aiming for the bottom-left corner, but a defender’s leg deflected the ball away from danger.
Wareham almost added a third with a moment of individual brilliance. Receiving the ball with his back to goal, he turned sharply and unleashed a quick shot that rolled just wide of the post.
Reading continued to push for another goal with a fine team move. Wareham threaded a clever pass inside the box to Savage, who pulled his shot narrowly wide.
The Royals’ determination was evident in their defensive efforts, exemplified by Elliott’s crucial intervention in the box to toe the ball away and deny a clear chance for Peterborough.
The game was set for a tense end, as Fernandez pulled one back for The Posh, as a well struck effort found the roof of the net at the near post.
A long throw for the hosts was the final action of the game, but it was well dealt with by the Royals who cleared their lines and claimed a big three points.
Full-Time: Peterborough 1-2 Reading
Peterborough United: Bilokapic, Collins (C), Wallin, Mothersille (Conn-Clarke 84’), De Havilland, Poku, Randall, Jones, Sparkes (Hayes 85’), Dornelly (Curtis 60’), Fernandez
Subs: Blackmore, Odoh, Nevett, O'Brien-Brady
Goals: Fernandez (90+5')
Yellow: Fernandez (90+6')
Reading FC: Pereira, Dorsett, Elliott, Craig, Knibbs, Savage, Smith (Wareham 75’), Campbell, Bindon, Mbengue (Kanu 67’), Wing (C)
Subs: Button, Camara, Garcia, Akande, Ahmed
Goals: Knibbs (8’, 23’)
Yellows: Bindon (45+1’), Mbengue (46’)