Reading   3   Tottenham Hotspur    1      (Half-time score : 2-1)

Hahnemann

Murty (c)
Sonko
Ingimarsson
Shorey

Harper
Sidwell
Hunt (Lita 75)
Little (Gunnarsson 86)

Doyle
Seol (Lita 75)

Unused subs: 
Gunnarsson
Bikey
Federici

Robinson

YP Lee (Huddlestone 68)
Dawson
King (c)
Assou-Ekotto

Lennon
Jenas
Zokora (Defoe 68)
Ghaly

Keane
Berbatov

Unused subs: 
Cerny
Murphy
Ziegler

Shorey 38
Sidwell 45
Doyle 81

Tottenham Hotspur

Keane (p) 25

    
Seol (foul) 53  

    
Jenas (foul) 89 

Tottenham's players showed little of their fighting spirit of last Sunday.  Too many failed to put in the required effort to fight off the non-stop nagging of the Reading players and it is not hard to see how they have done so well under Steve Coppell.  But, having taken the lead and having had a large share of the possession without looking in trouble, Tottenham managed to go into the break 1-2 behind.

Hossam Ghaly, who sometimes looks like the most cultured midfielder we have, too often played loose passes or failed to track back.  When Sidwell took the ball off him with ten minutes gone, the ball was fizzed across the face of the goal and luckily for Spurs, with no hooped shirt there to convert it.  Spurs countered this with a goal chalked off for offside, when Keane shot as a ball was cleared, with Ghaly coming out, was clearly beyond the last defender.

A better opportunity came when Keane played in Ghaly and he went round the keeper to pull the ball back for DImitar Berbatov, who hit a shot that was kept out by Reading captain Graeme Murty on the goal-line.  But it was a short stay fo execution, as two minutes later, Spurs took the lead.  Keane and Berbatov linked again and the Irishman's ball into Ghaly saw him take a touch and as he went past Sonko, the Reading defender took his standing foot and a penalty was given,  Keane coolly strolled up to fire the spot-kick past the keeper, who went the wrong way.

Fifteen minutes later, some slow closing down cost Spurs dear.  Maybe a hangover from the rigorous two games every four days schedule they are currently in, but when the ball was played across to defender Nicky Shorey on the left, Dawson failed to get to him quick enough and his presence only served to unsight Robinson and the shot beat his hand into the net.

Berbatov failed to score, but showed flashes of what he is about and a clever bit of footwork created a chance and he fired in a low shot, but it was straight at Hahnemann. At the other end, Reading won a corner and from it, Spurs failed to take their positions quickly enough and when the ball came in Sidwell snuck in behind Zokora to poke the ball into the net from a yard out.  It was a very sloppy goal to concede and not one that Spurs have been used to giving away of late.

So, from a goal up to 1-2 down at the half-time interval.  All of our own making and leaving a tough task in the second period.

The Reading crowd were decidedly Second Division, with boos for Spurs players every tie they touched the ball after they had been fouled, which was frequently.  Indeed, while originally giving Stephen Hunt the benefit of the doubt about the Petr Cech incident, having seen him play, he is a player who involves himself in the nastier aspects of the game in my view. 

Jenas fired a low shot well wide after Aaron Lennon laid the ball into his path, then Berbatov headed Ghaly's cross straight at Hahnemann.  Jol had decided that enough was enough and Keane came off for Defoe to replace him, while Huddlestone took the place of the uninspired Zokora.

The changes failed to make much impact, as Robbo had to keep out Doyle with a sharp low save.  But with 12 minutes left, Spurs created a couple of good chances.  Firstly Ghaly struck a fierce volley as Ingimarsson's header dropped to the far side of the area, but it went across the face of the goal, while Lennon weighted a fine pass through to Jermaine Defoe, who fired for the near post rather than go across the keeper and his effort went into the side-netting.

Like the game at Liverpool, within seconds, the ball was in Tottenham's net.  Hahnemann's kick out was flicked on by Lita, finding Doyle, who struck a shot despite the presence of Ledley King with him and it flew past Robinson's left hand.  It was a direct goal and one which should have been prevented.

Even then, there was time for both sides to strike the woodwork.  Lita arched a header that had Robbo diving at his near post, but the ball cannoned off the outside of the post and off.  Breaking at the other end with three minutes left, Jermaine Jenas played Defoe through and his shot on the turn across Hahnemann hit the inside of the far post and bounced across the goal and away.  But Lennon won the ball back and Dimitar hit the ball to him way over the top to sum up his day.

Too many Spurs players looked mentally tired and physically tired, while Reading had the benefit of not playing midweek, but if Tottenham are to be successful, they will need to cope with playing the amount of games they are now.

Losing points like this might well cost us a place in Europe next season, let alone our five match unbeaten run.  We can't afford slip-ups like this again ... although it might be too late to get a UEFA Cup place through a league placing this season already.