Stoke City's Robert Huth and Cameron Jerome prove too much for Reading - The Guardian

Having endured 66 minutes of grim mundanity, the crowd thoroughly deserved the half an hour of excitement that followed. Robert Huth, with a header direct from a corner, and Cameron Jerome, with a sumptuous volley, seemed to have won the match for Stoke City, but Reading are never beaten, and Adrian Mariappa – also with a header straight from a corner – ensured the Stoke faithful had to endure a tortuous final few minutes before their victory was confirmed.

Stoke, for once playing a traditional 4-4-2 with Jon Walters joining Peter Crouch up front instead of lurking somewhere out on the right of midfield, did create a couple of early chances in an appropriately traditional manner, which is to say crosses aimed at a tall centre-forward.

Unfortunately for the Potters, while Matthew Etherington's delivery was good, Crouch reacted too slowly to get on the end of the first and, though he got on the end of the second, badly mis-timed his header.

Reading, who started with new forward signing Nick Blackman on the left of a five-man midfield, looked comfortably solid, without ever threatening to create an opportunity themselves. Mikele Leigertwood pulled a shot hopelessly wide from around 22 yards after 20 minutes, and that was about it as far as the Royals were concerned as an attacking force in the first half was concerned.

Stoke, with by far the greater share of possession, did little better.

Michael Kightly cut in from the left, found himself in acres of space in the Reading penalty area, and scuffed his attempted shot gently to Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici, and while Federici did have to exert himself to tip a far from powerful Ryan Shawcross effort over the bar, it would have been a poor goal to concede.

Only in the final few minutes of the half, when Stoke finally began to put them under concerted pressure, did Reading start to wobble. Crouch, with one of his trademark sideways scissor-kick volleys, brought a good save from Federici, and a Huth shot was blocked by Stephen Kelly to keep the game goalless at the break.

Brian McDermott pushed Blackman up front alongside Pavel Pogrebnyak for the second half, to no discernible effect, and shortly before the hour he was replaced by Adam le Fondre. Pulis too made changes up front, bringing on both Jerome and Kenwyne Jones, and in his case it did seem to give his side a little more energy. Not that either had anything to do with Huth's goal, which came when the German defender rose above Kelly at the far post to head in from a corner won by Walters.

Jerome was certainly involved with Stoke's second though, controlling a long ball, turning and in one movement smashing a glorious volley beyond Federici.

That looked like that, but Mariappa, at the near post, headed in Ian Harte's corner to make it a splendidly tense final few minutes for Stoke.