Reading hosted Aston Villa in a relegation six-pointer this afternoon, with both clubs occupying places in the bottom three ahead of the match.
The hosts went ahead through a comical own goal from Nathan Baker, but were ahead for less than two minutes as Christian Benteke's deflected effort restored parity.
Gabriel Agbonlahor got the winner for his side just before the break, lashing a loose ball into the roof of the net after Barry Bannan had hit the post.
You can read how events unfolded on a big day in the race to avoid relegation with Sports Mole's play-by-play coverage below.
Good afternoon! Thank you for joining Sports Mole for today's match between Reading and Aston Villa, let's get straight down to business.
This afternoon's match could well be the most important of the season to date for these two clubs. It is an old-fashioned relegation six-pointer, and could see either side move out of the bottom three as we move towards the tail end of the season.
We'll start by looking at Reading's current predicament. The Royals currently sit 19th in the Premier League table but are just one point away from safety. They still have the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City to play this season, so matches such as today's take on an even higher level of importance.
To stand any chance of Premier League survival, they will have to improve their recent form. Brian McDermott's men have lost their last four games in all competitions, although that run has come off the back of just one defeat in nine games.
Looking solely at their league form, three defeats on the bounce spells trouble for Reading, but four defeats in their last 10 games isn't too bad for a team battling against relegation. If they can rediscover the form they were in before this most recent slump, they stand a good chance of being a Premier League team next season.
Aston Villa are in pretty woeful form too. They have won just one of their last 11 league games since beating Liverpool 3-1 at Anfield back in December. They picked up what could prove to be a valuable win against West Ham a few weeks ago, but since then have lost their last two games, albeit against Arsenal and Manchester City.
Manager Paul Lambert believes that his side are playing well enough to stay up, but they will need to pick up results more regularly than they have been doing if that statement is to stand true. A draw would be good enough for them to move out of the relegation zone today as Wigan are not playing in the league, but a win would be even more precious, moving them level on points with Southampton in 16th.
Villa have been dubbed by some as 'too good to go down', but that line has sucked many big clubs into the Championship in the past. Remember, it wasn't that long ago that Newcastle were relegated from the top flight. Villa have been one of the Premier League's ever-presents, but they will have to improve drastically if they are going to keep that status.
TEAM NEWS: Right, it's about time I bring you some team news. Villa welcome back Ron Vlaar, Barry Bannan and Yacouba Sylla for the match, while Reading bring in Hal Robson-Kanu in place of Jimmy Kebe. Full team news coming right up...
READING STARTING XI: Taylor; Kelly, Harte, Pearce, Mariappa; Leigertwood, Akpan, Robson-Kanu, McAnuff; Le Fondre, Hunt
READING SUBS: Henly, Morrison, Shorey, Karacan, Guthrie, McCleary, Blackman
ASTON VILLA STARTING XI: Guzan; Lowton, Vlaar, Clark, Baker; Westwood, Bannan, Sylla, Agbonlahor; Weimann, Benteke
ASTON VILLA SUBS: Given, N’Zogbia, Holman, Dawkins, Carruthers, Bowery, Bennett
So, what can we make of those teams? Well, Reading have been forced to leave out Pavel Pogrebnyak due to suspension, but Adam Le Fondre is more than capable of providing goals for the hosts today. He has netted 10 times in 26 appearances for the club this season, making him their top scorer. Robson-Kanu can also chip in with a few from midfield, so watch out for him today.
Villa's best chances in this game lie, as ever, with Christian Benteke up front. He can be almost unplayable when in full flow, but he also has a tendency to go missing in some games. Andreas Weimann will provide capable back-up for him, while the likes of Gabriel Agbonlahor will test the pace of the Reading back four.
Villa will also be delighted to welcome back Ron Vlaar in the centre of defence. They have looked shaky at the back this season - they have the worst goal difference in the league - and Vlaar provides a solid base and plenty of experience for the young players around him.
Some good news for Villa is that their away form hasn't been too bad this season. It hasn't been great by any means, but 11 points from 14 games on their travels puts them 14th in the away table.
Paul Lambert's side have only won twice away from home, but five draws have helped up their points tally, and seven losses isn't dreadful for a team in their position.
Reading's home form is similarly average. They have picked up 18 points from their 14 matches at the Madejski Stadium and it has really been their away form - they have the worst record in the league on their travels - that has let them down this season.
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The Royals have made themselves hard to beat in front of their own fans, which is crucial for all teams battling relegation. They have only lost four times at home this season, and three of those were against Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Their last home game, however, saw them lose 3-0 to fellow relegation candidates Wigan Athletic. They have also won four and drawn the remaining six.
When it comes to historical matches between these two sides, Villa undoubtedly hold the edge. They have beaten Reading in each of the last four meetings between the sides.
This, of course, means that Villa won the reverse fixture earlier this season. They edged the Royals out by a solitary goal, Benteke scoring the only goal of the game with 10 minutes remaining.
The last time that Reading beat Villa was back in 2007 in a Premier League match at the Madejski. Steve Sidwell scored a brace to secure all three points as Reading finished the season just a point off seventh place.
How things have changed since that glorious season for Reading. They are now fighting for their Premier League lives, and the same applies for Villa, who finished 11th in that same season.
A reminder that 17th-placed Wigan are not in Premier League action today, so they will end the day in the relegation zone in place of one of these two sides. The good news for the Latics, however, is that they have moved into the next round of the FA Cup courtesy of a fine 3-0 win over Everton in today's early kickoff.
At the end of the 90 minutes at the Madejski, one of these sides will be out of the relegation zone. If Reading win, it will be them, if it is a draw or an Aston Villa win, then it will be the visitors who move above Wigan. In a relegation dogfight, it is the matches against the teams in and around the same position as you that really matter, and that is exactly what we have on our hands today.
PREDICTION: This is a tough one to predict. If Reading produce a similar home performance to the one against Wigan then Villa could win it. However, I believe that Reading will raise their game from that performance and I don't think they will lose this one. It could easily be a draw, but I'll go out on a limb and say 2-1 to Reading.
Of course, this match isn't the only one on show in the Premier League today. There are three other fixtures, all of which can be followed live on Sports Mole. I will also keep you up to date with scores from around the country.
The other matches could carry great significance for these two teams. Both QPR and Southampton are in action, and a win for the former could potentially see Reading go bottom of the table should they lose by enough goals.
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Both teams are huddled up in their respective halves as we near kickoff here. One final pep talk for arguably their biggest match of the season.
The home fans are in good voice at the start of this one.
Reading get us underway in this huge relegation battle.
CHANCE! That's a good early chance for the home side. Adam Le Fondre peels off his man at the back post and gets his head onto a deep cross. He sends it towards Guzan's near post, but the Villa keeper pulls off a good one-handed save. Bright start for Reading.
CHANCE! It's another chance for Reading as Le Fondre puts a cross in that just eludes Hunt. It falls to Robson-Kanu at the back post, but he can't bring it under control as the defence scrambles back to concede a corner.
The home fans are singing Brian McDermott's name, which is nice to hear with the club in the relegation zone. It makes a welcome change from the usual cut-throat nature of football nowadays.
Villa are just starting to get a foothold in this match after that bright start from Reading. As soon as they can get themselves in possession for a prolonged period of time the better for Paul Lambert.
Akpan brings down Bannan about 35 yards from goal in a good crossing position. Westwood's delivery from the free kick is good, but Clark's header goes quite a way over the bar.
YELLOW CARD! A really poor tackle from Lowton brings the first card of the match. I'm not sure there was anything malicious in that but it was a really bad tackle.
OFF THE BAR! That is Benteke at his best. Baker swings a cross in towards the striker, who leaps like a salmon to make the ball his own. His header is good, beating Taylor but not the crossbar and Reading eventually clear. Much better from Villa.
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Another hint of an opening for Benteke as Agbonlahor cuts back onto his right foot before curling a cross into a dangerous position. Benteke is a bit slow off the mark, though, and can't reach it.
Both sides are peppering the opposition penalty area with crosses in these early stages. Guzan comes to punch the latest one, but he only gets it as far as Akpan, who chooses not to shoot from range with Guzan scrambling to get back.
Guzan has been very positive in these early stages. He is a keeper who is always on the front foot and is always looking to come and collect crosses, which he has done with aplomb on a number of occasions already.
CLOSE! Robson-Kanu cuts inside onto his left foot and, from about 20 yards, goes for goal with a low effort. His shot skims just past the post with Guzan wrong-footed and well-beaten.
UPDATE: It's taken 20 minutes, but the first Premier League goal of the day has gone in. It is Steven Fletcher who has given Sunderland the lead against QPR.
Agbonlahor races down the right and has a good chance to swing a ball in towards Benteke in the box. He overcooks the cross and it goes out for a goal kick, but Benteke is not happy with the attention he received from Pearce there, The Reading defender was holding the Villa man as he threatened to race away.
Westwood swings a free kick into the box and Taylor comes a long way but gets a good punch on it. Baker stays down after the collision, but he will be fine to continue.
CHANCE! Reading are opened up by a long ball from Vlaar and flick on from Weimann. Benteke runs straight at the Reading defence before being brought down on the edge of the box. The referee plays a good advantage as the ball rolls into the path of Weimann, who really should score but drags his effort wide of the post. That's the best chance of the game so far.
Harte powers a huge header upfield that Le Fondre looks to race on to. Clark is in attendance and is forced to concede a throw-in, from which Reading win a corner...
The corner finds Pearce at the back post, but his header back across doesn't find a player in blue and white and the chance passes Reading by.
GOAL! Reading 1-0 Aston Villa (Nathan Baker og)
Oh that is an absolute nightmare for Baker, one for the greatest gaffe DVD collection. McAnuff reaches the byline and drills a low cross into the box which Akpan flicks on at the near post. Even with the flick, Baker has plenty of time to clear, but he gets it all wrong and somehow slices the ball into his own net.
GOAL! Reading 1-1 Aston Villa (Christian Benteke)
Aston Villa hit straight back! Weimann is slipped in down the right flank and he simply pulls it back to Benteke, who has been left unattended in the penalty box as the Reading players retreated towards their own goal line. Benteke doesn't get the cleanest of strikes on the ball, but it deflects off the leg of Kelly and over a diving Taylor to level the sides.
One man who will be very relieved at that goal is Baker. Lambert called the young defender over to the touchline during the celebrations and had a small word, telling him to clear his head and keep his chin up. Good management.
The match has just settled down a bit after those manic couple of minutes. It was a great response from Villa, though, exactly what they needed.
A mis-hit cross from Harte almost catches Guzan out at the near post. The Villa keeper scrambles back but can only palm it out for a corner.
UPDATE: There have been goals in two other Premier League games. QPR have equalised against Sunderland courtesy of a Loic Remy goal, while Luke Moore and Romelu Lukaku have both scored to make it West Brom 1-1 Swansea.
A cross into the box is headed out by the Reading defence, but only as far as Bannan, who goes for a first-time half-volley from 25 yards out. He can't quite get his foot round it, however, and it bobbles harmlessly out for a goal kick.
GOAL! Reading 1-2 Aston Villa (Gabriel Agbonlahor)
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Villa have taken the lead just before the break! A cross from Weimann is hit up rather than out by Kelly. Lowton wins a header to knock it back into the box and Bannan pokes an effort which deflects off the post and then off the keeper, but Agbonlahor is waiting to lash the rebound into the roof of the net. More poor defending from Reading.
HALF TIME: Reading 1-2 Aston Villa
The half-time whistle goes to a chorus of boos from the home support. They have seen their team throw away a lead yet again, and on both occasions their defence could have done a lot better.
The hosts took the lead through a cringe-inducing Baker own goal as he sliced the ball into his own net, but Villa hit back immediately through Benteke, who had earlier hit the crossbar with a header. Then, just before the break, Agbonlahor ended a goalmouth scramble by lashing the ball home to give his side the lead at the break.
Neither side have covered themselves in glory defensively today, but in attack both have had decent chances, which has made for an entertaining first 45 minutes. There are definitely more goals in this one.
The implications of this match could be huge for either side. One of them will move out of the relegation zone today and, as it stands, it will be Villa. If everything stays the same, Reading will be three points from safety and just two points ahead of rock-bottom QPR.
No doubt that will provide the main ammo for the team talks of both managers. Brian McDermott will be making his side fully aware of what would happen if they lose this one today, but his main concern will be defensively. They need to sharpen up at the back if they are to get themselves back into this one.
Lambert, meanwhile, will also be worried about his defence, but there is no question that he will be the happier of the two managers at the moment. Villa probably deserve their lead and have threatened enough to make themselves confident that they could get another goal in the second half.
As it stands, Southampton and QPR are both dropping points, so a win for either of these two sides would prove to be even more valuable.
The players are back out on the field now and we are nearing the restart. A huge second 45 minutes awaits both these teams.
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Benteke and Weimann get us back underway.
Vlaar makes an early charge upfield who Villa, and he is only stopped as he threatened to break into the opposition penalty area.
Villa have made a comfortable start to this half, knocking the ball around nicely in midfield, until Sylla hoofs it up to no-one in particular.
Weimann finds a hint of an opening as he gets the ball and moves into the Reading area. He just hesitates as he goes to shoot, allowing Pearce to slide in a make a fine challenge.
Benteke turns on the egd eof the box and only has one thing on his mind as he goes for goal. It takes a deflection on its way out for a corner, which comes to nothing.
Reading haven't really got themselves into this second half yet.
SHOT! Harte goes down in comical fashion with no-one anywhere near him, gifting the ball to Villa. A cross into the box is cleared out only as far as Sylla, who smashes it just over the bar. That ball was really travelling!
DISALLOWED GOAL! McAnuff beats his man down the left and puts a low ball into a very danergous area. Hunt is waiting at the back post to tap it in, but the linesman has his flag up. Hunt is furious and picks up a yellow card for his complaints, but the replays suggest that it was the right decision by a matter of inches.
READING SUBS: Gareth McCleary replaces Akpan and Nick Blackman comes on for Hunt. Both subs were greeted by a symphony of boos, whether they were directed at the players or the manager's decision, I'm not quite sure.
WHOOSH! Sylla, bouyed by that earlier strike, is convinced to shoot from range by the away fans. This time his effort is not as impressive, however, as he puts it way over the bar and into row Z.
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Better defending from Villa as McAnuff gets the ball about 30 yards from goal. He chooses not to shoot, beating his marker before trying to slide a teammate in, but he can't thread the ball through a small gap as Villa intercept and get it clear.
Blackman takes the ball well on his chest as his first touch, but that's about everything positive I can say about that. His next touch - or should I say attempted touch - sees him swing a leg at the ball and completely miss it. A moment to forget for the youngster, but it is making me think whether players are trying their hardest to win gaffe of the game today!
UPDATE: Jonathan de Guzman has scored an own goal to put West Brom 2-1 up against Swansea.
SHOT! Reading are starting to knock on the door a bit more now. A throw-in allows McCleary to turn his man and get a shot away, but he pulls it wide of Guzan's near post.
CHANCE! Great chance for Robson-Kanu! A cross comes into the Villa box and Vlaar completely misjudges it, allowing the Reading man to take it down on his chest. He does the first part very well, but snatches at the shot and puts it wide. He had more time than he thought then and really should have done better.
YELLOW CARD! Benteke becomes the latest player to enter the referee's book as he tries to close down Mariappa's clearance but misses and catches the player. A bit of a harsh card.
CHANCE! Another great chance for Reading and it's more poor defending from Villa. McAnuff clips a ball into Blackman, who rises unmarked to put a decent header in, but again it's towards the near post and Guzan saves. Reading should probably be level by now.
Half-chance this time for the hosts as Mariappa slides Le Fondre in. He is forced too far wide to shoot, so pulls it back into a dangerous area, where Vlaar is waiting to clear.
ASTON VILLA SUB: Bannan will make way for Charles N'Zogbia. A ploy from Lambert to catch Reading on the counter attack, perhaps?
Villa will be painfully aware that Reading have forged a reputation as late comeback kings in the last month or two. Can the Royals do it again?
A good little stat for you here, courtesy of OptaJoe: Benteke's goal was Villa's 1000th in the Premier League. They become the eighth team to reach that milestone.
SHOT! McCleary and McAnuff exchange passes before the former finds Blackman. If the youngster gets his head up he would see a man free in a good position on the right, but he only has one thing on his mind and his shot is easily gathered by Guzan.
CLOSE! Benteke and Weimann link up and the latter races forward before trying to feed Agbonlahor on his left. The pass forces the winger further wide than he would like to be, but Reading are slow to close him down and he tries to curl an effort towards the far post, but it flies just wide.
SHOT! McAnuff squares up Nathan Baker and takes him on down the right before unleashing a powerful shot that Guzan needs two attempts to hold on to.
ASTON VILLA SUB: Off goes Baker, scorer of that comical own goal, and on comes Joe Bennett.
This next 10 minutes could be a defining period in the seasons of both of these sides. Get ready for a tense and nervy finale for Villa!
READING SUB: While the earlier subs were greeted by boos, this one is cheered by the fans as Leigertwood is replaced by Guthrie.
CHANCE! Good chance for Villa to kill this games off. Benteke takes his time to find N'Zogbia in the box, but the sub is leaning back and sends his effort high over the bar.
UPDATE: More bad news for Reading coming up: QPR are beating Sunderland 2-1 courtesy of an Andros Townsend strike. The Royals will be level on points with QPR as things stand.
Bennett bundles a Reading player over and the hosts have a free kick in a good crossing position. Villa have struggled with balls into the box so far today, but not this time as Vlaar clears it.
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CLOSE! Oh that is inches away from being 2-2! Guthrie finds Robson-Kanu on the edge of the box and he tries to curl a first-time effort into the bottom corner. His effort looks good, but goes just, just, wide.
CHANCE! A chance at the other end now as N'Zogbia pulls it back to Benteke, who finds himself in a similar position to his goal. This time Taylor deals with the low strike on goal, however.
YELLOW CARD! McAnuff lunges in on Weimann on the edge of the box and is shown a yellow card for the tackle. More importantly, though, Villa have a free kick in a very good position here...
...but N'Zogbia curls it over the bar. Still time for Reading!
CHANCE! Reading swing yet another cross into the Villa box and this one finds Le Fondre, who has got across his marker. He completely mis-cues his header, however, and another good chance is missed by the home side.
We will have four minutes of added time, and what a huge four minutes they could turn out to be.
Reading have a good chance to pump the ball into the box but it is a cross which flies straight out for a goal kick. Blackman wants a penalty for an alleged foul in the area, but the referee is right to wave it away.
UPDATE: QPR have secured the three points with a 90th minute goal from Jermaine Jenas.
Lambert is trying to urge his side to hold on now. Any goal conceded now would be gutting for Villa.
FULL TIME: Reading 1-2 Aston Villa
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There is it! Villa pull off a massive, massive win. They move out of the relegation zone, and you can see how much it means to their players and manager. Reading, meanwhile, cut a distraught collective figure, and their fans are becoming increasingly frustrated.
Reading took the lead in fortuitous circumstances as Baker somehow turned the ball into his own net, but Christian Benteke scored less than two minutes later to bring the scores back level. The winner came right on the stroke of half time as Gabriel Agbonlahor smashed a loose ball into the roof of the net after Barry Bannan had hit the post.
It was an action-packed and thoroughly entertaining 90 minutes, but that was largely down to incompetent defending from both sides. Villa really struggled with crosses into the box, but Reading didn't have anyone to take advantage of that. Had someone like Benteke been on the other side, it would have been a very different story.
Things are looking grim for Reading now, however. QOR's win means that the Royals are level on points with Harry Redknapp's team at the bottom of the Premier League table as well as being four points from safety. They face an uphill battle to avoid relegation now.
Right, that's it from me today. Thank you for joining Sports Mole for what was a hugely important relegation battle between Reading and Aston Villa, the latter of whom move out of the bottom three with the win. I will leave you with Liam Power's match report and be sure to stick around for match analysis, which will be on site within half an hour. Goodbye!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
