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  • Date:2008-05-03
  • Kick-off:15:00
  • Venue:Madejski Stadium
  • Attendance:24125
  • Referee:Webb, H

Live Commentary

90mins

The final whistle is blown by Howard Webb and Reading are condemed to defeat in their last home game of the season.

90mins

There is to be three minutes of added time.

89mins

Reading could get caught on the counter attack in the final minutes as they continue to push every man forward, it's all or nothing for the home side.

88mins

John Oster replaces Liam Rosenior.

87mins

A top draw save from Spurs 'Keeper Radek Cerny as the away side failed to clear their lines, Dave Kitson directed the ball goalwards but Cerny some how managed to tip the ball wide for a corner.

84mins

Reading are now throwing everything and everyone forward to try and rescue a point from this game with the thought of a final day relegation battle looming.

81mins

Marek Matejovsky has brought some life to the Reading side and is taking the game by the scruff of neck. He is creating chances for the home side and there definately could be an equaliser in the the remainder of this game.

80mins

Shane Long replaces Kevin Doyle.

79mins

Reading need to make the most of their pressure because they are quickly running out of time to find an equaliser.

79mins

Reading need to make the most of their pressure because they are quickly running out of time to find an equaliser.

76mins

Kevin Prince Boateng replaces Robbie Keane.

75mins

Reading are very lucky to be just 1-0 down as Jamie O'Hara crashed a shot off the inside of Hahnemann's upright and rolled along the line across the face of the goal. That would have been a sucker-punch for Reading if it had went in.

72mins

Reading have lifted their game tenfold and the fans are now fully getting behind them, they have peppered the Tottenham penalty area in the last few minutes and look the most threatening they have been all afternoon.

69mins

Alan Hutton is lucky to get away without a booking after a late challenge on Matejovsky.

67mins

Half a chance for substitute Marek Matejovsky, similar to the one for Andre Bikey earlier but this time Matejovsky's shot went wide.

64mins

Marek Matejovsky replaces Andre Bikey.

61mins

Jamie O'Hara replaces Tom Huddlestone.

58mins

Their best chance of the game for Reading and it has seemed to have woken up the whole of the Madjeski Stadium, it was Andre Bikey for Reading who fired the ball towards the corner of the goal, only for Radek Cerny to tip wide.

55mins

This time it was Leroy Lita who showed some assertiveness for Reading as he looked to pull off a shot that possibly wasn't on, he had the right idea but his shot was weak and it trickled through to Cerny.

52mins

Reading show the first bit of ambition of the afternoon as Kevin Doyle picked the ball up deep and drove forward with it at his feet, he advanced into the penalty area but his shot curled wide of the far post.

49mins

Reading are living very dangerously and there is sure to be more goals in this for Spurs.

47mins

Yet another example of some disastrous defending from Reading as Spurs opened them up like a tin of beans. Keane should have scored his second but Reading some how survive.

46mins

The away side hit Reading on the attack immediately from the restart with Darren Bent breaking forward and firing a powerful shot straight at Hahnemann, the linesman's flag was up though so it wouldn't have counted anyway.

46mins

Tottenham get the game back underway for the second half.

45mins

Half time at the Madejski Stadium and Spurs go into the break 1-0 up.

44mins

Nicky Shorey whipped a free kick into the penalty area from around 35 yards out but it's too long for Andre Bikey and the ball ran out for a goal kick.

43mins

It is only a matter of time before Spurs score their second, Reading's defending is nothing but Championship-quality.

40mins

A fantastic tackle from Liam Rosenior as he dove in to block Malbranque's fierce shot which look destined for the bottom corner of the goal.

37mins

Another chance for Spurs falling to Robbie Keane as he pierced the Reading defence, he couldn't keep his shot on target though and sent the ball wide.

34mins

Stephen Hunt had a chance for Reading on the right side of the penalty area but the Irishman scuffed his shot and it flew past the up-right.

30mins

Robbie Keane is running Reading ragged here, Spurs broke on the counter attack with Keane advancing with the ball into the Reading half, he ran rings around Shorey but unfortunately ran the ball out of play.

26mins

A poor decision by Darren Bent once again as the striker held onto the ball for too long before eventually releasing it to Malbranque who shot well wide.

22mins

Malbranque had the ball in the back of the net moments ago but the linesman had his flag lifted with the Frenchman judged to have been offside.

19mins

Leroy Lita tried to fire Reading back level but the striker's shot was ambitious to say the least and his shot flew over the crossbar.

16mins

GOAL! READING 0 - 1 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (KEANE) Robbie Keane puts Spurs ahead after some good link up play with Darren Bent, Keane dummied two defenders and then slotted home superbly.

14mins

Reading revert to some unorthodox defending as they struggled to clear the ball from danger, Malbranque is causing them some problems and Reading don't seem capable of coping with him.

11mins

Darren Bent was put clear with Malbranque again the supplier, this time his effort was on target but Marcus Hahnemann made a good save with his feet.

8mins

Reading have woken up I think, they won two consecutive corners and forced Radek Cerny to punch clear the second time. Spurs cleared the ball from danger though.

5mins

First chance of the game has gone to Spurs. Steed Malbranque skipped down the right and crossed for Darren Bent at the back post who could only head the ball wide. He should have done better.

3mins

Tottenham have started very brightly and look very lively in the opening minutes of the game.

1mins

Reading get the game underway at the Madjeski Stadium.

0mins

The referee today is Howard Webb (South Yorkshire).

0mins

Spurs have little to play for after securing European football for next season by winning the Carling Cup, with Juande Ramos not having any new injury worries, Alan Hutton however does return to the starting line up after recovering from injury.

0mins

The home side will be without defender Ibrahima Sonko and midfielder Emerse Fae for the game after both were suspended by Steve Coppell, Leroy Lita keeps his place in attack but Brynar Gunnarsson is left out despite recovering from injury.

0mins

Tottenham Line-up: Cerny, Hutton, Dawson, Woodgate, Gilberto, Jenas, Zokora, Huddlestone, Malbranque, Keane, Bent

0mins

Reading Line-up: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Ingimarsson, Duberry, Shorey, Doyle, Harper, Bikey, Hunt, Lita, Kitson

Match Preview

Reading face a difficult task on Saturday if they are to escape the relegation battle, with Tottenham the visitors to the Madejski Stadium.

With Fulham and Birmingham City - three and two points below Reading respectively - playing each other this weekend a win for the Royals and alongside a draw in that match would finally see Reading safe.

However, with a worse goal difference than either team, a loss this weekend coupled with three points for either City or Fulham would see Reading drop into the relegation zone with just one game left to play.

Ivar Ingimarsson has begun the battle-cry, warning his team-mates not to expect any favourites from Spurs even though they have, mathematically, nothing left to play for.

"The simple thing is that we have our backs to the wall and the only thing you can do now is to compete," he said.

"Things are still in our own hands. If we go down, we only have ourselves to blame, but I honestly believe that we will still be in the Premier League next season."

With no new injuries, Ingimarsson is likely to be at the heart of an unchanged Reading team, fresh from the tight 0-0 draw with Wigan last weekend.

However, preparations have hardly been helped by news that Emerse Fae and Ibrahima Sonko have been suspended for two weeks following a breach of club discipline.

The Ivory Coast midfielder and Senegal defender will play no part in the relegation-plagued club's run-in after reportedly refusing to take part in a reserve team game.

Tottenham are much more likely to rotate their squad, especially with around eight players missing through injury.

Jonathan Woodgate and Jamie O'Hara both featured in last weekend's 1-1 draw with Bolton, but Woodgate is struggling with a sprained ankle and O'Hara, though likely to be fit, has injured his foot.

The club received a boost this week with the news that Luka Modric will sign for Spurs over the summer for a club record £16.5million.

The Dinamo Zagreb midfielder, who starred for Croatia during their successful Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, is awaiting a work permit before making the move official.

Meanwhile, the old signs of internal dispute flared up again when defender Younes Kaboul spoke out against Spurs boss Juande Ramos this week.


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Match Report

Robbie Keane's first-half strike was enough to condemn Reading to a defeat which sees them plunge into the Premier League relegation zone.

Keane's solo strike and Reading's sixth game without a goal leaves the Royals in huge danger of the drop as they head to Derby on the final day of the season needing a result and other games to go their way.

Reading came into their final home game of the season desperate to end a potentially fatal run of form which had seen them go five games without a win - or even a goal.

But if they expected Spurs side to roll over for them and start preparing for their summer holidays, they were horribly mistaken.

Juande Ramos' side have been in indifferent form since lifting the Carling Cup, but looked in a different league from the home side.

Darren Bent, handed a start because of Dimitar Berbatov's groin injury, was denied early on by a smart save by Marcus Hahnemann after Steed Malbranque had sent the striker clear and the French midfielder himself threatened with a cheeky back-heel attempt from Tom Huddlestone's low cross.

But Spurs' early probing was rewarded on 16 minutes when Michael Duberry was caught stepping forward just inside the Reading half and Keane was able to sprint into the space behind him.

Kevin Doyle was unable to stop him and last defender Liam Rosenior slipped, allowing Keane to run through unchallenged and clip a simple finish beyond the reach of Hahnemann.

Eight minutes later, Spurs looked to have gone two up as Malbranque coolly finished after a neat pass from Keane, only for a flag for offside to dubiously rescue Reading.

The decision was a massive let-off for the home side and boss Steve Coppell responded by pushing Doyle further forward in a 4-3-3 formation in a bid to at least threaten Radek Cerny's goal.

It was a fruitless exercise though, as Spurs continued to out-pass and outclass the hapless home side.

Keane was denied by a timely Rosenior block as Ramos' side threatened to double their lead before the break.

The half-time whistle could not come quick enough for Reading, but Coppell's interval teamtalk still didn't seem to breathe life into the strangely lacklustre Royals.

Reading looked to be frozen by fear and should have been further behind as Malbranque side-footed wide of an empty net after Keane's turn and shot across the face of goal.

But with half an hour left, Reading suddenly reacted as they seemed to realise their season was slipping away irretrievably.

Leroy Lita teed Andre Bikey up for a drive which deflected over off Didier Zokora's face - the Cameroon international's final contribution before making way for Marek Matejovsky, who added a much-needed spark to the midfield.

The Czech substitute went close with a side-foot shot that drifted just wide, before Bent almost finished Reading off with a breakaway that ended with the striker smacking a shot against a post.

But Reading finished strongly and finally forced Cerny into a save when Lita set Dave Kitson up for a low shot which was well stopped at the near post.

And Cerny then produced a remarkable save to keep out Rosenior's shot which took a deflection off Jonathan Woodgate and looked to be heading into the top right-hand corner.

A goal then would have kept Reading out of the relegation zone and ensured their fate remained in their own hands.

But defeat means the Royals travel to relegated Derby on the final day of the season needing at least a point - and probably three - to have any hope of survival.

Reading

Tottenham Hotspur

Corners

101

Fouls

107

Goal attempts

1313

Shots off target

76

Offsides

14

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