Fulham 2-1 Reading FC: Player Ratings

Adam Federici - 6

A quiet afternoon for the Aussie 'keeper, who only had three shots on target to deal with all afternoon. Of course, two of those ended up in the back of the net, but the other was a close range header that Federici expertly denied at the end of the first half. Perhaps could have done better with Kacaniklic's opening goal.

Chris Gunter - 7

Carried on his recent run of form and looked back to his 2013/14 best. Fulham didn't threaten him as much as we may have feared, but for the most part he dealt well with what came his way. It's also clear that he's much more confident going forwards. He overlapped McCleary on various occasions, making the Jamaican's job much easier.

Michael Hector - 6

Mostly solid, and had a quiet game. Truth be told, his performance doesn't stick out in the memory, but for a centre back that's a good thing. Didn't get tight enough to Kacaniklic for Fulham's first, meaning that the winger had space in the Reading back line to attack.

Alex Pearce - 7

Pearce looked confident and composed against Fulham on Saturday, marshaling the Reading back line expertly throughout the match. It's clear that Clarke has told him to keep things simple when he has the ball, rather than trying to over-complicate things, and Pearce looked comfortable in possession as a result. Caught out by a clever pull-back header from Woodrow for the winner.

Jordan Obita - 6

Like Gunter, he supported Robson-Kanu very well in the second half, overlapping at will. Although the defensive side of his play was good, he let McCormack go for the winner, meaning that the initial cross went in too easily.

Garath McCleary - 8 (My Man of the Match)

I doubt there's anyone who'll disagree with my choice for man of the match. Garath McCleary was, for much of the game, Reading's best outlet from defence and biggest threat going forwards. He looked full of confidence and got at his full back time and time again, constantly putting in crosses. What stops him getting higher than an 8/10 is that, for me, his deliveries could have used some work. Sure, they led to a lot of corners, one of which was scored from, but McCleary didn't create much directly. Still a fantastic performance, undeniably.

Danny Williams - 6

Aggressive and terrier-like, Danny Williams knows how to break up the play. His willingness to get stuck into a tackle before having the composure to pick out a sensible pass is a great asset to this team. On the other hand, I think the American could have offered more going forwards. Besides a well lined-up but pretty tame effort from range, he wasn't as influential as Steve Clarke might like him to be.

Oliver Norwood - 6

My biggest fear for Oliver Norwood was that he wouldn't be as highly favoured under Steve Clarke as he was under Nigel Adkins. The former Huddersfield man has a great range of passing (shown against Fulham), but could have been accused of being a little lightweight. However, his performance against Fulham showed that he compliments his technical skill with great energy and work-rate. His biggest attacking contribution on Saturday was the seemingly endless stream of corners - a dozen in total. Although he found Pogrebnyak with one of them for the goal, he mostly failed to find a man in blue and white hoops.

Hal Robson-Kanu - 6

This was such a frustrating display from Robson-Kanu because it could so easily have been a 7/10 or 8/10 performance. We all know the physical threat that the Welsh international has, being both strong and having a good deal of pace about him too. When he uses those attributes, he can be a nightmare for the opposition in the same way that Garath McCleary can be. Against Fulham, it looked like he was trying to play it safe, and largely neglected to try to beat his man. That said, he's gradually getting better, and just one good performance could let him explode into life.

Simon Cox - 5

This mark is less a reflection on effort as it is effect. Simon Cox can never be accused of not working hard, but his attacking influence is often lacking. On Saturday, he gave a typically industrious performance, but failed to carve out opportunities, bar an effort from range and a disallowed goal. I'm a big Simon Cox fan, but I'm unconvinced at the moment by his attacking threat which, after all, is what he's supposed to provide.

Pavel Pogrebnyak - 6

The goal will do his confidence a world of good. Until that point in the game, Pogrebnyak had been heading for the same 5/10 that Simon Cox had, but he looked much better after the equaliser. The first hour had seen an industrious performance from the Russian, leading the line adequately if not excitingly. However, the goal sparked him into life, and his link-up play was noticeably better from there on in, showing some good touches.

Subs

Jamie Mackie (Pogrebnyak) - 5

Playing in the central role vacated by Simon Cox, Mackie didn't have much time to make an impact on the game. Squandered a great chance with a shot inside the area that went straight at the Fulham 'keeper.

Nick Blackman (Cox) - 5

Like Mackie, Blackman couldn't make much of an influence in his ten or so minutes on the pitch. Nonetheless, Blackman found time to squander one of the best chances of the game. McCleary danced inside before finding him unmarked in a central position, but Blackman couldn't even connect with the ball.