Joel Pereira: 5
Failed to claim a cross in the fifth minute, which led to a goal ruled out for offside. Another instance in the 27th minute of coming out of the goal to claim the ball and failing, bailed out by Finley
Burns. Failed to claim a corner in the 35th minute also.
Good save in the 56th minute at the near post, getting down well to put the shot out for a corner.
Misjudged a shot in the 72nd minute, which led to him missing the block. Could have been due to a lot of bodies surrounding him. Overall, not a great day for Pereira, but still had some moments that demonstrated his class.
Andy Yiadom: 4
Picked up the first yellow of the game in the sixth minute for a professional foul outside the area to prevent an Orient attack.
Had a world of space to take a shot in the 29th minute but put the ball wide after some great play to set him up.
Failed to win the header from an Orient throw in the 85th minute which led to Jeriel Dorsett’s mistake and Orient’s third goal. Nowhere to be seen when Orient hit the post in the 97th minute.
Overall, he didn’t build on his recent form and resurgence back in the first-team picture and will be disappointed with his performance today.
Finley Burns: 5
Took a knock when bravely putting himself in between Pereira and the Orient attacker in the 27th minute.
Did well to stretch out a leg and block a dangerous low cross into the box in the 38th minute.
Too slow to block the shot that led to Orient’s first goal but not helped by the midfield in front of him.
Looked to pick up a calf injury in the 56th minute but continued.
Did well to clear a ball away from danger, temporarily, in the 65th minute, after the ball ping-ponged around the Reading box.
Good ball to Marriott down the right in the 83rd minute, which Marriott failed to control.
Subbed off in the 84th minute for Paddy Lane, allowing Reading to go to a back three. The better of Reading’s two centre-halves today, so it was likely that he was subbed off due to the possible earlier calf concern, or purely as a tactical change.
Paudie O’Connor: 4
He did a great interception to prevent an Orient attack while they were pressing the defence in the 33rd minute and took a brilliant quick free-kick to find Kamari Doyle in the middle to set up the Reading goal. This was as good as it got for O’Connor.
O’Connor failed to win the header to prevent Orient’s second goal. He needed to do better there and also picked up a yellow card for a foul outside of the box when, if he had read the play better, he could have intercepted the ball and cleared the danger.
He didn’t get back quick enough – he was just jogging – when Dorsett was getting skinned by Orient for their third goal and was nowhere to be seen when Orient hit the post in the 97th minute. He had flashes of quality but, overall, offered little defensively to us today.
Jeriel Dorsett: 4
Won some early fouls, fortunate as the fouls were won after he made some mistakes. Did well to stop an Orient shot in the box after a free-kick to clear the ball up and put it out for a corner.
Let the Orient attacker get away from him from a corner which led to a second offside call when the ball was in the net.
Did poorly to let Ballard get away from him on the right-hand edge of the box, and instead of chasing back, just fell over, and Orient got their third goal because of this.
Ballard got the better of him – again – in the 97th minute and was let off by Ballard hitting the post. Wasn’t helped by his midfield or defensive partners, and at least tried to make himself a nuisance, but needed to do more.
Lewis Wing: 4
Good interception in the 14th minute to get the first Reading attack going, and a good corner from him. I can’t really recall him doing anything else noteworthy in the game today.
Went missing for Orient’s first goal, and gave the midfielder the freedom of the pitch to run through the midfield and set up Orient’s goalscorer.
Failed to intercept an Orient player in midfield outside of the edge of the box, which led to O’Connor having to step in and concede a free-kick and collect a yellow.
A very subdued performance from Wing today. It’s not a disaster if his attacking output is lacking for a game, but when he offers nothing defensively in the same match, it’s a poor example to set those around him.
Charlie Savage: 4
Read an Orient free-kick play well to intercept the ball on the end of the box. Unfortunate to pick up a yellow in the 40th minute.
Went over to the right wing after Matt Ritchie was subbed off. Came off for Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan in the 73rd minute. Not his fault that he made no impact on the right wing but genuinely offered nothing to Reading today.
Kamari Doyle: 5
Energetic up top. Great ball to Kyerewaa in the 20th minute from a first touch in a difficult position.
Great pass to find Marriott to set up the goal, which caught the Orient defence by surprise, and played another great ball to Marriott in the 70th minute, which was unfortunate to not lead to another assist.
Came off for Will Keane in the 73rd minute – a strange decision, given he looked most likely to find the pass to break the Orient lines. Was often too quiet for periods of the game and needed to get himself on the ball more to feed Marriott. If he was busier, he would have earned a 6/10.
Matt Ritchie: 4
Went down ‘injured’ in the eighth minute to give Richardson a chance to talk to the team to adjust to Orient playing three at the back, instead of an expected back four. Good ball to set up Kyerewaa in the 42nd minute.
Did well to control a wayward Yiadom pass to get a ball into Marriott in the 44th minute.
Didn’t contribute much to the game but was weirdly subbed off for Fraser in the 60th minute. When this is the most noteworthy part of your performance, you know you’ve not had the best day at the office.
Daniel Kyerewaa: 5
Had a breakaway in the 20th minute but unable to find a Reading player with the cross.
Ball-watching when the corner arrived in the 35th minute, which led to an Orient goal being ruled out for offside.
Sliced a shot well wide in the 42nd minute and needed to do better.
Earned an Orient player a yellow card in the second half by making a break down the right and being pulled down before he could release a pass.
Great pass to Doyle in the 70th minute to release Doyle to play in Marriott.
Received a ball from Lane in the 90th minute in the box but controlled it poorly. Managed to receive the ball back to win and, as is his wont, sliced the ball wide of the goal.
Hard one to grade today – he was busy and offered a threat, but the end product was simply not there. Given he at least put himself about, he’s ranking higher than a lot of those around him today, but something will need to be done about his end product.
On days like this, when we need to break the trend, players like him could be the difference maker. Today, he wasn’t that.
Jack Marriott: 6
Unfortunate to not win a free-kick when felled in the 28th minute and looking to make a break. Otherwise, no notes for the first half. Even more starved of service than usual.
Brilliant run to find space in the 52nd minute to receive a clever Doyle pass in between two defenders, and with a deft first touch, he rifled in Reading’s goal.
Unfortunate not to get a touch on Doyle’s pass into the box after some great movement to make the space. Any touch would have led to a goal.
Poor touch when receiving Burns’ ball down the right, which could have led to a breakaway but led to an Orient throw.
Overall, his rating is boosted by the fact that the supply to him simply wasn’t there today and he did well to get the goal when he was found in space.
Subs
Liam Fraser: 4
I almost forgot Fraser was even on the pitch despite playing for essentially 40 minutes, what with the 11 minutes of added time.
I then remembered Fraser was on the pitch in the 97th minute when he was seen casually jogging back to support the defence after Ballard broke away from the Reading back line and hit the post. Poor today. Very poor.
Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan: 5
Came on for Savage in the 73rd minute.
Did well to win a ball in the centre of the pitch and play in Lane on the left in the 90th minute. Busted a gut to get into the box but it led to nothing.
Did nothing else but this one action gives him the rating he earned today, rather than a 4/10. Trust me when I say that I am being quite generous here.
Will Keane: 4
Poor first touch when set free on the left of the box, letting the ball run out of play.
Offered literally nothing else. Much like Fraser, I would have forgotten he was on the pitch had I not written his name down as part of the ratings.
Paddy Lane: N/A
Returned from injury by coming on for Burns in the 84th minute, as Reading went to a back three. Doesn’t earn a rating due to not being on the pitch before the 80th minute, as per the TTE rules.
Had a great chance to put a ball in from a cross on the left but found nobody with the ball.
Average: 4.5/10
Who was your man of the match against Leyton Orient? Vote through this link.
