Chances were at a premium in the first half with only one save of note made be either goalkeeper, John Ruddy parrying a fierce drive from Garath McCleary, and despite a fairly frantic final 30 minutes, neither side could find a winner.
After a slow start by the hosts their greatest threat came from set pieces but despite a string of corners and free-kicks they could not find a way through a determined Norwich defence.
McCleary went closest when he pounced on a loose ball and stung Ruddy's palms from 25 yards while Michael Turner almost helped out the visitors when he turned a low Jason Roberts cross narrowly past his own post.
Robert Snodgrass and Wes Hoolahan provided the impetus for much of Norwich's attacking play but neither managed to call Adam Federici into action in the Reading goal and their best chance fell to Bradley Johnson but he blazed wildly over.
It was a similar pattern after the restart as Reading won a series of set pieces which came to nothing and Norwich showing some craft and guile in the middle of the park with no end product but the game sprang to life on the hour.
Grant Holt just failed to get on the end of a decent cross from Hoolahan before steering a shot wide from another delivery from the same source while Sean Morrison headed narrowly wide from Nicky Shorey's dangerous free-kick.
Jobi McAnuff then cut in from the left flank and curled inches over the crossbar to spark a good spell for the hosts which saw Jimmy Kebe's cross bounce to safety off the bar with Pavel Pogrebnyak poised to head in.
Kaspars Gorkss just got enough on a cross from Javier Garrido to put Holt off his header while Kebe forced Ruddy to save at his near post after a lightning break from the hosts.
Snodgrass and Holt wasted headed chances from Anthony Pilkington crosses either side of a 25-yard effort from the midfielder which was rising over from the moment it left his boot.
A stoppage-time break from Alexander Tettey was the last real chance but he was forced out to the flank and Federici watched calmly as his wild shot flew well wide.
| Reading | Team Statistics | Norwich City |
| 0 | Goals | 0 |
| 0 | 1st Half Goals | 0 |
| 2 | Shots on Target | 1 |
| 5 | Shots off Target | 8 |
| 2 | Blocked Shots | 2 |
| 10 | Corners | 3 |
| 9 | Fouls | 17 |
| 4 | Offsides | 3 |
| 0 | Yellow Cards | 1 |
| 0 | Red Cards | 0 |
| 67.5 | Passing Success | 68.5 |
| 11 | Tackles | 20 |
| 100 | Tackles Success | 85 |
| 49.5 | Possession | 50.5 |
| 51 | Territorial Advantage | 49 |
| 314 | Total Passes | 343 |
| 41 | Total Crosses | 23 |
| 204 | Lost Balls | 185 |
| 44 | Recoveries | 47 |
| 49.3 | 1st Half Poss. | 50.7 |
| 46.5 | 2nd Half Poss. | 53.5 |
Post Comment
