Joel Pereira: 6
Didn’t have much to do in the first half but did what needed to be done without fuss and was only slightly busier in the second half, again just dealing with what needed to be dealt with without fuss.
Pereira was forced into a save in the 54th minute after Wing was caught flat-footed and not defending the edge of the box. Pereira immediately pounced on the rebound but wasn’t able to fully claim it/deal with it while under pressure from the Mansfield attacker; he was somewhat fortunate that he won
a foul from this.
A good claim in the 70th minute from a high ball was his only other notable contribution, outside of making a couple of routine stops in both halves.
Udoka Godwin-Malife: 7
Dokes just did what Dokes does – for the most part he was defensively diligent and made a nuisance of himself further up the pitch on the overlap.
Provided only one standout moment, but it did feel like it changed the game for Reading. Reading were in a 20-minute period of struggling to contain the Mansfield threat, so Dokes took it into his own hands to make a good run forward in the 34th minute which led to an unfortunately poor cross.
However, a deflection won Reading a corner. Sometimes, you just get lucky when you try to be positive and this corner led to the first goal of the night for both Reading and Marriott, and the onslaught began.
Paudie O’Connor: 5
I was not convinced by O’Connor today, and truthfully, I think he was very fortunate to have Ward on high alert alongside him to step in and tidy up issues.
Examples of those issues were when O’Connor gave away the ball in Reading’s half carelessly in the eighth minute (though in fairness, he did well to track back and block the resulting cross).
Also when he made a bit of a mess of defending a Mansfield attack in the 30th minute, body-checking the running attacker to send them sprawling – which could have been given as a foul – and when picking up the loose ball, he only managed to boot it into the Mansfield attacker but was very fortunate it hit the Mansfield player’s hand to earn a free-kick.
O’Connor was very fortunate to get away with both of those.
I also felt like, in the one moment during the second half when Mansfield looked dangerous in the 57th minute, he went missing and was fortunate that Ward came across to cover when McGoldrick burst into the Reading area.
O’Connor also conceded a needless foul on the halfway line in the 65th minute by wrestling his man to the ground. While by this point of the game it made no difference, if I am a Blackpool coach then I am taking notes for their visit on Saturday.
On the positives, he attempted an effort in the 25th minute but was unable to do anything with the ball floated in by Wing, possibly because the Mansfield defender used a hand to gain the advantage.
He was subbed off in the 82nd minute for Conor Masterson.
Benn Ward: 8
I thought this was Ward’s best performance for Reading. He spent almost all game having to babysit O’Connor and also had to do similar in the first half when Dorsett was struggling, but came through this by stepping up and keeping the barn door locked.
And if that wasn’t enough, he topped it all off with a goal, which pushes him up to an 8/10.
Notable moments in the first half were when Ward did well to read a low cross into the box and clear it for a corner in the 17th minute, demonstrating a bit of “right place, right time” to capitalise on the Mansfield goalkeeper’s error from Wing’s cross in the 39th minute and score Reading’s second goal.
In the second half, when Mansfield started the first 10 or so minutes in the ascendancy, Ward made a crucial block in the 51st minute, and in the 57th minute, he was solid in guarding the six-yard box by getting across to the right-hand side of the box to both block out a dangerous McGoldrick foray and cover for a missing O’Connor.
Jeriel Dorsett: 6
Never has anyone embodied a game of two halves more than Dorsett.
For the first 40 minutes or so, he looked a real liability for the side. However, when Mansfield’s heads went down once Reading had gained a commanding lead, Dorsett grew visibly more confident and made some excellent attacking contributions.
He even demonstrated on a couple of occasions a new weapon in his arsenal: a long throw.
Dorsett started poorly by being beaten too easily by the Mansfield attacker to get the ball wide for a cross in the 16th minute, which Reading were fortunate didn’t find a Mansfield player. This is the bread of the Dorsett sandwich.
He provided a good long throw in the 25th minute which visibly caused Mansfield problems (the sandwich filling) and, like yin to yang, Dorsett followed this up in the 27th minute with a really poor clearance that allowed Mansfield their first shot on target. The last slice of bread to make the Dorsett sandwich.
However, he ended the first half with a brilliant driving run forward to near the edge of the box to play in Lisbie in the 42nd minute, and was unfortunate it didn’t lead to a goal.
In the second half, Dorsett repeated his long throw trick in the 58th minute to put the Mansfield defence under pressure, helping lead to Reading’s fourth goal. Dorsett also found himself hovering outside the Mansfield area in the 66th minute and showed a good touch to bring the ball under control from high up and win Reading a free-kick in a dangerous area after he was clattered by the Mansfield defender.
Dorsett found time in the 88th minute to make a marauding run down the left and play in Paddy Lane. Yep, that really happened and I loved seeing Dorsett play with such confidence.
Lewis Wing: 6
Difficult one to judge – he made some positive contributions with his passing and helping to set up goals today. However, all too often he just seemed to go missing in his defensive duties and, against a better side, this could have led to Reading being punished.
In the first half, Wing played a good ball across the ground from deep that almost found Marriott on the edge of the box in the 14th minute, and then followed this up with almost the same pass but this time mis-kicked to nobody.
He was then caught ball-watching and out of position on the edge of the area in the 28th minute when Mansfield had another shot on target from a dangerous cut-back from out wide.
Wing made up for this with a good free-kick from the half-way line that led to an opportunity in the 34th minute, with Reading getting a header at the goal but putting it wide. The corner provided Marriott with the goal to make it 1-0.
Accidentally contributed to the second goal with a cross from deep in the 39th minute to, somewhat fortunately, set up the second Reading goal after the Mansfield goalkeeper dropped the ball at the feet of Ward. Also did well to get forward and play in Lisbie from the edge of the box in the 46th minute, which nearly led to a goal.
In the second half, Wing was caught ball-watching in the 57th minute, which led to the ball from a Mansfield goal-kick just bouncing past him and putting the defence under pressure, but he was bailed out by Ward. Wing provided the assist for Reading’s fourth by winning the ball cleared by a Mansfield defensive header and heading it to Marriott.
Wing’s last notable action was a poor free-kick, just smashing it directly into the wall in the 67th minute after Dorsett did well to win it in a dangerous area just outside of the box.
Andy Rinomhota: 7
Rinomhota was the cog in the machine tonight, tirelessly running through midfield to keep the play ticking over and provide defensive cover to the back four.
There wasn’t much too write home about, but without him doing this type of work, Reading would have been a lot worse off.
He occasionally provided some forward runs and passes, and an example of this was when Rinomhota did well to find Lane on the left in the 74th minute, but seemed to pick up a knock in doing so, and was subbed off after treatment in the 77th minute for Charlie Savage – hopefully as a precaution.
Kyreece Lisbie: 7
Lisbie was a real danger man for Reading tonight and provided so much attacking impetus. Just needed a goal to earn an 8/10, but by my record, he got an assist and a pre-assist tonight.
What I also love about Lisbie – and I don’t think we take enough time to recognise this – is that he never fails to track back and do the ugly defensive work, and often comes out on top in those situations.
Lisbie was much more lively in the first half today, with a good cross into Marriott in the third minute that was well defended by Mansfield, and then cut inside from the right to get the ball into the box to find Lane in the 29th minute.
Lisbie was very unfortunate not to score after cutting over to the left side of the pitch in the 42nd minute to receive a good Dorsett pass, but his attempt was desperately blocked by the Mansfield defence and the angle too tight from the loose ball to score.
Not to be deterred, he provided the assist for George Earthy to finish a good passing move in the 44th minute.
Nearly scored a fourth (at the time) for Reading at the end of the half after receiving a good Wing pass. However, he somehow couldn’t get the ball past the Mansfield bodies and the shot was deflected out for the corner.
Lisbie had a quieter second half but delivered his defensive duties with diligence. He still found time to play a long ball forward to Brown which led to Reading’s fifth goal of the night. Subbed off in the 82nd minute for Daniel Kyerewaa.
George Earthy: 7
Earthy was not always heavily involved tonight, but that’s to be expected as he is still getting to know his team mates. However, he popped up in the right places at the right moments and help to knit play together, seeming to enjoy linking up with Lisbie and Marriott.
An example of this was his goal, when Earthy did well to read the passage of play and be available to receive Marriott’s pass around the edge of the box and then play the ball wide to Lisbie on the right, and make the run deeper into the box to receive the ball in space and use his weaker left foot to be rewarded with his first Reading goal and Reading’s third of the night.
It’s a fine line to tread between being available, being in the way or being behind the play, and this showed his ability to tread that fine line.
Subbed off in the 68th minute for Randell Williams.
Paddy Lane: 6
Perhaps a somewhat harsh grading, but it’s purely based on the fact that he wasn’t able to offer a huge amount from an attacking sense (like he did against Stevenage). Take nothing away from the fact he looks a different player from last season though, and that left-wing starting point is his to lose now.
Lane was full of energy, intent and fight during the game and did well to win an awkward header against the Mansfield defender on the left in the seventh minute to keep an attacking move alive, looking competitive both with and without the ball.
Lane also had a decent shot from a Lisbie pass in the 39th minute, which led to a corner which Lane took and, after the corner was cleared, the ball dropped deep to find Wing, who set up the second Reading goal.
In the second half, Lane was unable to capitalise on the space made for him by Rinomhota on the left in the 74th minute, bouncing his cross into the box off the first Mansfield defender.
Jack Marriott: 8
Five goals in two home league games this season and not even completing either of those games. Marriott just did what Marriott does and hovered around, being a constant threat, and used his brilliant in-game intelligence, ball control and ruthless finishing to both get the night up and running and add some gloss to it later on.
Marriott started quietly but was brilliant in winning a deft header from the corner in the 35th minute, despite being bear-hugged by the Mansfield defender to get Reading 1-0 up. He also displayed excellent feet after, winning a long ball in the 44th minute and starting a passing move with Earthy, which led to Earthy’s goal.
Not content with that, Marriott scored Reading’s fourth – FOURTH! – after winning the ball on the edge of the box in the 58th minute from a Wing header, showing great footwork, while under pressure, to get the ball under control and turn and get a shot away with his left foot. Phenomenal stuff.
Subbed off in the 68th minute for Jacob Brown so he could go and get wrapped in cotton wool until Saturday.
Subs
Jacob Brown: 7
Subbed on for Marriott in the 68th minute. Came on when Reading were comfortable and not really looking to extend the lead, so found most of his game time just looking to be busy and offer options.
Brown’s one notable moment arrived when he did well to win the header in the 81st minute from a Lisbie long ball on the edge of the Mansfield box and play the ball out to Williams, overlapping on the right, and then run into the area and lose the Mansfield defender to convert Reading’s FIFTH from inside the six-yard box. That bumps him up to a 7/10.
Hopefully this will give him the confident boost he needs, and he was warmly congratulated by the rest of the Reading players.
Randell Williams: 6
Subbed on for Earthy in the 68th minute to, confusingly, go into the number 10 role, because apparently Richardson is intent on not giving up that particular experiment.
Demonstrating that he does his best work out wide, he overlapped Brown in the 81st minute to provide an outlet and then play the ball back low across the six-yard box with his weaker right to set up Brown for Reading’s fifth.
Charlie Savage: 6
Subbed on for Andy Rinomhota in the 77th minute. No notes, but this feels more like a 5.5 than a 6.
Daniel Kyerewaa: N/A
Subbed on for Kyreece Lisbie in the 82nd minute and doesn’t qualify for a grading.
Conor Masterson: N/A
Subbed on for Paudie O’Connor in the 82nd minute and doesn’t qualify for a grading.
Average: 6.57/10
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