Reading 3-0 Rotherham United: Player Ratings

Rafael: 6

A very quiet afternoon for the Brazilian aside from a good save to tip Ladapo’s effort over the bar. Nonetheless, six clean sheets from seven league games is a remarkable achievement.

Tomas Esteves: 6

Not quite as impressive as in his midweek substitute appearance, but Esteves still showed a lot of promise going forwards, highlighted by a rocket of a strike from 30 yards out that hit the crossbar. Looked a little bit vulnerable defensively, but should improve with game time.

Michael Morrison: 6

As solid as ever and got a bandaged head for his troubles, epitomising his aerial dominance. Will be a long time before we see Lewis Gibson if Morrison carries on in this vein.

Liam Moore: 7

His excellent form at the back continues. The highlight of this week was a goal line clearance when Reading were only leading 1-0 - one of seven clearances in total, three more than anyone else on the pitch.

Omar Richards: 7

Almost the opposite to Esteves, Richards didn’t have the best game going forwards but was a vital reason why Reading recorded yet another clean sheet. He read the game extremely well, making several key interceptions.

Josh Laurent: 6

Ranked top for blocks and second for interceptions in Reading’s team, providing the perfect shield for the back four. An understated contributor to the excellent defensive record.

Andy Rinomhota: 6

Had to take on a bit more attacking responsibility with no Olise in the starting lineup and that slightly limited Reading’s capability going forward, but a generally solid and comfortable performance.

Yakou Meite: 8

I’ll be honest, I thought Meite had a relatively poor match aside from his two goals, but ultimately he won Reading the game and proved once again what a reliable goalscorer he is. His second strike, an overhead kick teed up by a nice bit of control on his chest, was absolutely sensational.

Alfa Semedo: 5

Clearly wasn’t suited to a more advanced role in midfield and could have no complaints about being substituted in the second half. May have to settle for more of a back-up role to Laurent and Rinomhota.

Ovie Ejaria: 6

A frustrating afternoon for Ejaria where nothing really came off for him aside from the assist for Meite’s first. That bumps him up a mark, as he showed some typically excellent footwork to create space and clip the ball to the forward waiting in the box.

George Puscas: 5

It’s not always necessarily his fault, but too often Puscas struggles to assert himself on games and becomes isolated upfront. This was another one of those games, and he was substituted in the second half.

Substitutes

Lucas Joao: 6

Struggled to really make an impact on the game when he came on, but won the penalty late on before expertly putting it in the bottom corner.

Michael Olise: 6

No surprise that Reading became more of a danger from set-pieces when he came on. His corner led to Meite’s acrobatic goal and he nearly caught Blackman out with a cheeky free-kick from 35 yards out.

Tom McIntyre: N/A

Becoming Paunovic’s go-to defensive option as the manager looks to see out a game late on. Had a penalty shout waved away by the referee.

Average: 6.15/10

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