Arsenal v Reading - Player Ratings

Stuart Taylor: 5

This was probably Taylor's poorest game since coming into the side as he was a bit too easily beaten for the third and probably should have had a penalty awarded against him after cleaning out Giroud. His kicking was also a bit wayward and all in all it just wasn't a great performance from a man who could well have played his last game for the club now that McCarthy and Federici are returning to fitness.

Stephen Kelly: 6

A nice game from the Irish full-back who gave another fully committed and dogged performance in the right-back slot. He put in some key blocks and while some of his clearances were a little weak he generally had a solid game.

Adrian Mariappa: 6 (MOTM)

Probably would have been a 7 but for giving away the penalty late on and like Kelly he gave everything he had against an Arsenal team that were just streaming forward time after time. He's someone I really hope that Reading can hold onto next season because he's a class act. Just nicks the MOTM for me.

Alex Pearce: 6

You know what you're going to get from Pearce who was solid as ever at the back. He nearly scored his first Premier League goal but once or twice looked a little uncomfortable with his new brief of playing the ball out of the back. I'm sure a bit more composure will come in time.... sadly it just looks as if that won't be at Reading.

Nicky Shorey: 4

Poor game from the left-back who did little to suggest he warrants selection over Ian Harte. He was sloppy in possession, wasteful with set pieces and his dithering with Guthrie from a corner led to Arsenal's third and killer goal. Does he have the stomach for this relegation fight? If he plays like that again I'd suggest not.

Jobi McAnuff: 5

A frustrating game for our skipper who barely had a touch in the first half before coming a bit more into it in the second. He created Robson-Kanu's goal but beyond that had very little impact on the game.

Jem Karacan: 4

This looks like a copy and paste job from any game in the past three years but Jem ran around a lot without actually doing much. His brief is that of a spoiler but he just couldn't get near an Arsenal midfield that passed the ball around him with ease and he'll probably have been happy to be taken off for Akpan with the clock winding down. Perhaps a bit harsh to mark him so low given the quality he was up against but I can't justify a higher mark for man who literally did nothing with the ball and failed to stop those that did have it.

Mikele Leigertwood: 4

Leigertwood's first half was about as bad as any I've seen from a Premier League footballer and probably the only reason he stayed on the pitch for the second was that to sub him would have drained any lingering shred of confidence that the former Palace man has. While he rebounded a bit in a less intense second half, it's clear that Leigertwood is hopelessly outclassed against more mobile teams and isn't comfortable and skilled enough to help retain and distribute the ball going forward. He's still capable of getting a foot in from time to time but this is exactly the type of game that Ledge should not be a part of.

Danny Guthrie: 4

Maybe his head 'wasn't in the right place' for this one because Guthrie didn't exactly prove a point to the former Reading manager who'd exiled him off and on over the past few months. There were little glimpses of quality but Guthrie generally looked off the pace and struggled to do anything in his few moments on the ball. Again he did have top quality midfielders against him but Hope Akpan and Jobi McAnuff have offered just as much if not more in the 'attacking' midfielder slot this season.

Hal Robson-Kanu: 6

Not a great game for Kanu who was wasteful in possession but he still looked our biggest threat today. He once again grabbed a goal but I'd still fancy Jimmy Kebe over him on the right hand side.

Pavel Pogrebnyak: 5

Welcome back Pog, did you miss this? Again our 'Big F'ing Russian' was left to feed off scraps and he did what he could with little help or support. We'll need him on form for the run-in and the decision to sub him for Hunt on the hour was a sensible one.

Subs:

Noel Hunt : 5

Ran around, worked hard, did little.

Hope Akpan: 5

Not sure if he touched the ball....

Garath McCleary: 5

Again not sure if he actually touched the ball.

So that's how we've seen it but what do you think? Let us know below.