Joel Pereira: 5
Got a hand onto Lincoln City’s early opener, but couldn’t quite push it around the post. The dive was a little odd, and Pereira may have wanted to go early but got held up by the late redirection.
Made a decent block on a cross/shot into the box at one stage, keeping it away from onrushing attackers looking for a rebound.
Couldn’t do much about the winner, with Moylan having the freedom of Berkshire to wind up his late shot.
Paudie O’Connor: 5
Penny for the thoughts of last season’s Lincoln captain as he welcomed the champions-in-waiting
to his new home. Seemed a bit off today, not commanding the air in his box as well as he can.
Tripped a Lincoln player into Pereira late in the game, and then screamed at the referee for not booking the player he had just used as a homing missile for his keeper’s knees.
Finley Burns: 6
Timed a sliding challenge in the box incredibly well early on, stopping Lincoln from having an easy chance to go two ahead.
Recovered fantastically well when emergency defending a Lincoln counter-attack, getting a foot on the ball as the Lincoln forward tried to cut back inside.
Booked late in the day when O’Connor missed his header, clattering into a Lincoln attacker’s leg to stop him from going through.
Jeriel Dorsett: 5
The EFL lineup graphic showed Reading in a back three, but Dorsett’s positioning was very fluid throughout. Oftentimes he’d sit out in a traditional left-back spot in buildup, with Wing and Fraser taking up the central channels.
Found a nice header back across the net from a late set play, giving Ehibhatiomhan a chance to attack the near post.
Ryan Nyambe: 5
Allowed two shots on Pereira shortly before the half-hour mark, just switching off at the wrong moment when a Lincoln player was creeping into his blind spot. Competed well physically and didn’t lose the ball too often, but was very happy to turn and go back to his central defenders.
Lewis Wing: 6
Solid in the early stages, drifting very deep in between the centre-backs during buildup play. Made some glorious passes over the top in the first half, particularly looking to connect with Kyerewaa across the field.
Lost the ball a few times to Lincoln’s press, occasionally dallying on the ball too long.
Gave Reading a chance in the final minutes by dispatching a perfectly placed free-kick into the corner, bending it delicately beyond the despairing ‘keeper.
Liam Fraser: 4
Caught on the ball in the middle of his half in the opening quarter hour, allowing Lincoln a chance to slip it behind.
Lost it again to Lincoln’s press around the half-hour mark, conceding possession in his half. Made an excellent step of his own shortly after, snapping in to win the ball as Lincoln tried to switch play, and setting Savage free for a shot.
That really was Fraser’s only super positive contribution on the day, with the midfielder being steady but not much else.
Daniel Kyerewaa: 5
Made an exciting streak into the Lincoln half right after the early Imps goal, finding Doyle on the edge of the box. Followed that by finding himself space to cross after a period of Reading possession. As we’ve said before on the pod, Kyerewaa scares defenders.
Out of possession, Kyerewaa struggled a little more, occasionally letting his man drift in behind. Moved over to the high right side after the second-half substitutes and continued to look for opportunities to dribble, but was drawing a lot of attention from Lincoln at that stage.
Kamari Doyle: 5
Received a bouncing pass from Kyerewaa just outside the box early on but a loose touch stopped him from being able to shoot. Had to be withdrawn after 27 minutes with a knock, and Reading really missed his creativity in the second half.
Charlie Savage: 6
Had a chance to shoot just after the half-hour mark when put free in the middle of the pitch, but dragged his effort wide of the post.
Moved into the base of midfield for the final quarter of the game, and defended well when he was the last man back in the 75th minute, stopping a cross from reaching a tap-in at the back post. Scrapped hard in the final stages, seeing a powerful shot blocked and winning the free-kick that Wing dispatched in stoppage time.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan: 4
Made some good strong plays as Reading saw a lot of the ball in the opening half. Strongly shouldered a man off the ball in the 27th minute, taking it deep into the Lincoln box. Couldn’t keep that going through the period in the first half when he was up front alone though, and wasn’t able to find a connection with Will Keane.
Subs
Paddy Lane: 4
Struggled to shield the ball in the same way that Doyle had after he came on, often losing it just a bit too easily. Forced to play much of the game in the half space or central channel today, which doesn’t appear to be where he excels, partly due to his body type.
Whipped in a nice cross when flexing his position with Kyerewaa out wide on the right, earning Reading a corner in the 77th minute.
Hayden Roberts: 5
Moved out to the left side when he came on. Stepped in well to stop a late Lincoln burst into the box when Wing lost the ball. Caught down the field when Lincoln found the space behind him for the opener.
Will Keane: 3
Went on to join Ehibhatiomhan in the attack. Couldn’t corral the ball or win a challenge. Made his most significant play in the game when he lost the ball in midfield in the buildup for Lincoln’s winner. Won’t be back next season.
Kadan Young: N/A
Played deep on the left side, serving as the left-sided winger or wing-back depending on the needs.
Average: 4.85/10
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