Mills Above The Rest: Leicester 1-2 Reading

Matt Mills was the hero for Reading as he scored the winner and blocked off the line to secure three points for Reading in a tight and exciting contest.

Leicester were certainly hoping that their 2-1 Carling cup victory over Leeds in the week would kick-start their season. Still aiming for their first league win and even first home goal of the season, Leicester faced a Reading side who were also looking to pick up their first three points.

Leicester had an opportunity within 2 minutes. Lloyd Dyer centered the ball for Steve Howard, but his close range header went wide of the left post.  Then in the 13^th minute there was then some drama in the Leicester penalty area, even if it wasn’t a scoring opportunity. The ball was floated high into the box from a Reading corner, Reading’s Jem Karacan came storming into the area but instead of making contact with the ball he ran straight into the elbow of Dany N’Guessan elbow. After some long treatment he was able to continue, with a lump the size of a golf ball below his right eye (below).

Lloyd Dyer looked the likeliest to create something for Leicester and the lively winger’s best chance of the half came in the 18^th minute. He cut inside from the right, danced past fours defenders, but ended up firing his low drive straight at Reading goalie Adam Federici. Minutes later Dany N’Guessan copied Dyer’s initiative, this time cutting inside from the left wing. However, like Dyer, his shot was straight at Federici.

Soon after, at the other end, Leicester defender Joao Moreno was beaten in the air by Reading captain Matt Mills, who headed narrowly wide. Minutes later Moreno was beaten again, but this time he was to be punished by Gylfi Sigurdsson. In fairness to Moreno, he is usually a midfield player, but this should still be no excuse for the ease in which he lost possession on the edge of the penalty area. Sigurdsson began the move with a pass. Trying to intercept, Moreno’s bad control instead gifted the ball to Jimmy Kebe, who was behind the Leicester backline. Moreno managed to regain possession, but again failed to defend convincingly, this time losing the ball to Shane Long on the edge of the box. Moreno’s answer was then to try and tug Jimmy Kebe to the ground (which he also failed to do).  Kebe squared the ball to Sigurdsson, who came storming into the box. Despite having 5 city defenders in the box, no one picked him up, or were even anywhere near him. With one touch to control, Sigurdsson lifted a delicate chip over Conrad Logan, putting Reading into a 1-0 lead in the 22^nd minute.

Leicester had a good chance to equalise in the 33^rd minute. Steve Howard flicked the ball on to Paul Gallagher, who showed real skill to spin his leg round at 90 degrees to provide an exquisite flick and separate the two Reading centre backs. Lloyd Dyer found himself through on goal, but a heavy first touch just put the ball out of reach, and a strong shoulder challenge by Shaun Cummings was enough to let the ball roll back to Adam Federici. Lloyd Dyer was sent flying and felt he should have had a penalty, an opinion that was not shared by referee Colin Webster.

There was then a flurry of half-chances before the break. In the 40^th minute Steve showed a great change of pace to cut inside, but he delivered a weak left foot shot straight at Federici. Reading then had a chance from a free kick in the 42 minute. Brian Howard’s delivery was headed goalwards by Long, but his header was straight down the centre of the goal and a sprawling Logan managed to collect, despite spilling at the first attempt.

Jimmy Kebe then found space to strike a shot, but a kind looping deflection meant Logan could easily gather to his left. Then, in the four minutes of first half injury time, a great cross by Sigurdsson was met by the head of Long inside the six yard box. Thankfully for Leicester, his header just hit the wrong part of his head which caused the ball to loop up in the air. Had it been on target, it was unlikely that Logan could have done much to prevent it going in.

Five minutes into the second half Kebe and Long performed a good one-two, which created space for Kebe shoot. However, it was at a hard angle and would have taken something special to beat Logan at his near post.

Only a minute later, it was Lloyd Dyer who was finally rewarded for his efforts. Once again Dyer cut inside from the right, and from outside the box he struck a powerful left footed shot across Federici’s goal and into the bottom left hand corner.  1-1. The City fans finally came to life after 52 minutes.

Reading looked to strike back, and after striking a volley almost out of the stadium five minutes earlier, Reading’s Brian Howard delivered a precise cross to Sigurdsson in the 59th minute. A kneeling Sigurdsson tried to loop a glancing headed over Logan, who was off his line. His header ended up just wide. Then, in the 62^nd minute, a long throw was helped into the path of Michail Antonio. He struck a thunderous volley from 20 yards out, but it bulleted over the bar.

 Leicester were presented with a good opportunity to finally take the lead in the 77^th minute. A long kick downfield by Logan was met by a heavy touch by Reading’s Jobi McAnuff, and Steve Howard took advantage. McAnuff managed to tackle Howard, but only succeeded in pushing the ball into the path of Matty Fryatt. The ball then found its way to Howard again; who tried to curl a right footed shot into the top corner, but he put it just past the far post.

In the 82^nd minute, Steve Howard once again won the ball in the air from a  goal kick, and laid it off to substitute Franck Moussa on the right wing. His cross was glanced on by Andy King towards Lloyd Dyer. Dyer brought the ball down with one touch , and then hit a powerful left footed half volley heading straight towards the bottom right hand corner, had it not been down to a world class save by Federici, who tipped the ball round the post.

Then came Matt Mills’ time to shine. Brian Howard delivered a cross from the right, and a charging Mills came running in from the penalty spot. Towering above everyone, he produced a powerful header which flew into the net between Logan’s outstretched left hand and the crossbar.

Facing defeat, Leicester still refused to give up. Almost straight from the kick off Moussa delivered a delicate chip to the feet of Howard on the edge of the box, who then turned the ball into the path of an advancing Fryatt. Fryatt was well tackled, but the ball trickled across the box. Federici just palmed it out of Lloyd Dyer’s way, but it went straight into the path of Howard. Howard struck the ball powerfully at the goal and was only denied by the stretching Mills, whose head was in the right place at exactly the right time to deny Leicester the equaliser they craved.

Leicester continued to press well into stoppage time. In the 92^nd minute Moussa’s cross was met with a header from Leicester’s Michael Lamey, which was blocked but not cleared by Reading. It was pumped back in to the six yard box by Leicester, but the ball was beaten down by Federici and after a frantic scramble the ball was hooked away to safety by Reading.

Right at the death Richie Wellens fired the ball forwards, and it was flicked on yet again by Steve Howard. Fryatt attempted a bicycle kick but was adjudged to have raised his foot in the process, and Andy King’s volley into to back of the net was harshly ruled out, condemning Leicester to their 3^rd league defeat in 4 games. King described the decision as ‘ridiculous’.

Despite slumping to the foot of the table, Paulo Sousa is still remaining positive, saying he was ‘proud of the commitment’ of the players. He has promised to ‘work on certain things’ during the international break but remains sure that if Leicester can be more ‘clinical in front of goal’, a change of fortunes will come.