Finally, Reading beat a Premier League team this season. Ok, it was the Third Round of the Capital One Cup but when you've had as trying a start to the season as we have had then you cling to any branch. Small acorns and that.

This was an excellent game of football and a very pleasing win against a club which can certainly claim to be no bigger or better than Reading but who themselves have a hefty playing budget. Players such as Cisse, Park, Onuoha and Cesar do not come cheap and they certainly won't play for peanuts. You have to question exactly how QPR manage to balance the books given the modest crowds they attract. Football has become such a self-important industry in the past 20 years that you wonder whether lessons are ever really learned from the example of financial basket case clubs such as Portsmouth who have spent what they cannot possibly afford.

That expensive class told in the early stages of this game. QPR dominated the early proceedings and with an unfamiliar centre-half partnership of Gorkss and Mariappa chosen for this tie, Reading were once more on the back foot as we have seen far too often of late. Their quick, intricate passing finally saw an opportunity open up for the impressive Hoilett, who skipped past a woeful attempt at a tackle from the recalled Cummings and twisted back across a bemused Mariappa before arrowing a fine effort into the far corner. 1,500 Reading supporters behind that goal sunk into their seats at that familiar sinking feeling. Once again we were looking some way second best but this time at least that feeling didn't last long.

Set pieces will be so important for Reading this season. We have little creativity in the middle of the park but with the height and power we have we should be making the most of freekick and corner opportunities. It has to be said that the quality of Ian Harte's delivery in the opening weeks of the season has been mediocre but the recall of Nicky Shorey is a promising alternative and it was from a left flank freekick barely two minutes after the opening goal which brought the equaliser. Shorey's delivery was delicious and Gorkss gobbled the chance up, heading past Brazilian international Cesar. This was a good moment for Gorkss, scoring against the club with whom he also won a Championship medal but who binned him off shortly after their arrival in the top flight. On the evidence of the early weeks of this season and again taking into account another uncertain showing last night, you begin to understand why they did.

Two early goals really set this tie off and the two sides exchanged counter attacks. It is fair to say that QPR had the more threatening opportunities but these mainly came about as a result of typically sloppy Reading possession. Karacan and the forgotten man Tabb were putting in their usual midfield mileage but QPR certainly looked more tidy on the ball with Hoilett looking particularly threatening. What we did have however was more urgency and strength up front. Noel Hunt may show more brawn than brain in a footballing sense, but he did seem to link up better with Pogrebnyak than Le Fondre has done thus far and the Pog grew into the game as it drew on, holding the ball up well and providing us at long last with a very real goalscoring threat during the second half of this game. A break from Robson Kanu and a measured ball into the box was met by a Pogrebnyak snap-shot which deflected wide off the thigh of Clint Hill before Noel Hunt did well under pressure to get the ball across to our number 7 to nudge home, only for referee East to inexplicably give a foul against us.

Reading were playing with real purpose now and it was a blow to concede with twenty minutes remaining. Gorkss made a desperately poor attempt at a clearance which was charged down and the rebound landed at the feet of Cisse. In acres of space, he had time to control the ball dribble in field and smash an outstanding effort past McCarthy. It was an awesome finish and a chilling reminder of what we are up against these days, even against clubs such as QPR. The backpedalling nature of our defending for the goal is worthy of note as it is a continued concern; if we are looking like we will concede 2 or 3 in every single game then we are simply going to struggle to take enough points to stay up.

But on the night, Reading had enough purpose and momentum to win this game. Again they were not behind for long, again it was a setpiece. Shorey's 25 yard effort was whipped and it dipped in via the underside of the crossbar. Then barely 5 minutes later and with Reading on the charge, Tabb got to the byline and his pull back missed HRK but was expertly rolled past Cesar by the heel of Pogrebnyak, an exquisite finish. Pogrebnyak really was QPR's achilles heel in these closing stages; he was pulled down by Mbia who was unable to muscle Pog off the ball legitimately and although he protested his innocence in an animated fashion he was truly done all ends up. Pog's spot kick was saved well by Cesar but enough time was wasted for Reading to see the game out, albeit with the help of a last-gasp block by substitute Morrison.

Last season Reading returned a similarly lowly points tally by the end of September and went on to do pretty nicely, thank you. Cup competitions have also provided a spark of form for McDermott's teams in the past. Let us hope that we can now kick on and do this in the Premier League.
Neil Maskell

Have to say I really enjoyed that... After West Brom, which was a good day out, but a bit depressing as a football game, that was really fun. Coming back from behind twice suggests we've still got the fight, as you'd hope. A lot of good goals in the game as well, which doesn't tend to happen with us much. Jimmy looked quick and hungry, so that's pretty exciting. Think that him and Jobi on the wings will give teams something to think about.

Shorey looks more solid than Harte, and obviously his set pieces were great last night, so that's also good. Pog was much more in the game than on Saturday - his control was generally very good, and seemed to be able to find passes more often. I do wonder whether ALF is just quite hard to partner with, even if he is possibly our best finisher.

Not sure Jay Tabb can quite compete at the top level, but he's never going to admit that himself. Wasn't sure about Mariappa personally - wonder whether the lack of game time was responsible for this. Also thought we played very narrow in defence which meant their wingers could find loads of space. Not sure if that was a tactic, but it made me a bit uneasy...
Mr Number

Thought our defence was very solid on the whole last night and also very composed when in possesion of the ball. Normally it would just be gifted back to the opposition centre mids for the next wave of attacks but that wasn't the case last night.

With Tabb I thought he had an excellent game. He's never going to be the most technically gifted player for us but he worked very hard and always does give 100% for us I think he should feature more than he currently is.
bracksroyal10

At first glance Pavel Pogrebnyak can appear a brute of a forward, all muscular presence and upper body strength to batter opponents into submission. Yet Queens Park Rangers, a club so craving a victory over top-flight opposition, have now become the latest to fall foul of his incongruously delicate touch.

The home side were still coming to terms with surrendering a lead late on here when Jay Tabb and Noel Hunt combined in the penalty area and the Russian back-healed the Irishman's pass across the six-yard box subtly, almost casually, beyond Júlio César. It was a goal to deflate the locals, their misery sustained even after Pogrebnyak's penalty was saved in stoppage time. Perhaps he should have clipped that nonchalantly, too. Regardless, Reading had a victory to savour.
The Guardian

A night of comebacks in west London saw Reading twice fight back to beat QPR and advance to the last 16. In the battle of the Premier League’s bottom two sides, it was the visitors who emerged with a valuable win. Brian McDermott’s men responded to falling behind in both halves, before Pavel Pogrebnyak’s late flick decided the tie. "It looked a terrific finish," said McDermott, who hopes victory can kick-start his side’s league campaign. "Tonight was what we’re about. I know if we perform at that level, with that tempo, and the way we pass the ball with pace, we’re going to be more than capable in this league."

It started so well for the home side, when Junior Hoilett danced through the Reading defence before finishing in the bottom corner. But the lead lasted less than two minutes, as former QPR defender Kaspars Gorkss headed the Royals level from Nicky Shorey’s in-swinging free-kick.

The hosts regained the lead after 71 minutes, as Djibril Cisse scored his first of the season, unleashing a ferocious 25-yard drive that beat an outstretched Alex McCarthy. But Reading again levelled quickly, as Shorey found the top corner with a free-kick, before Pogrebnyak’s delicious flick won it for the visitors.
The Telegraph