Media Reaction: Middlesbrough (A)

Reading Official:

The Reading site this week praises the Royals' 'disciplined away display', focusing on the defensive effort against a good Middlesbrough side.  As a whole the article describes the game well, highlighting many nervy moments for the travelling side, as Middlesbrough pushed for an equaliser. Despite the rather one sided shot count, Adkins finds a positive saying: "Late on, how many saves did Feds have to make?". It's hard to deny this is true, however you wonder if Middlesbrough had been as clinical as Forest were last week, Reading could have suffered another heavy defeat.

Middlesbrough Official:

The home team's website aptly describes the result as a 'smash and grab win', highlighting the fact that Reading only managed one shot on target. The frustration in this piece can be felt as it describes chance after chance for Middlesbrough, only mentioning the Reading attack which lead to the goal.

Sky Sports:

This match report is quite negative about the Royals describing their win as an 'undeserved three points', as well as mentioning 'blatant Reading time wasting' and their 'lacking any really desire to press forward'. The writer seems almost in disbelief that Middlesbrough did not score with the chances they had, highlighting the home fans frustration at a the performance which lacked a clinical finish.

WhoScored:

The stats just confirm what has already been said, with the shot count ending 24 to 5. This unsurprisingly left Federici as Reading's highest rated player, as he made some good saves to keep his clean sheet. In the match summary, Middlesbrough are credited with having a large amount of possession in Reading's half, while having a high shot frequency while on the ball.

All in all, it's fair to say Reading rode their luck at times in the game. However a positive reaction was needed after last week's disappointment, and this result will give Reading confidence going into the international break. Do you agree with the Sky Sports description of the game, or do you think Reading deserved their victory? Answer below in our poll.