9:55pm, Wednesday 6th December 2006



Newcastle 3 (Sibierski 23, Martins 57 (pen), Emre 84)
Reading 2 (Harper 37, 42)

The Royals narrowly missed the chance to go third in the Premiership following Emre's late winner for Newcastle at St James Park' tonight.

Steve Coppell's men were 2-1 up at the break, but a penalty decision changed the game and Reading couldn't hold the lead in the face of United pressure.

Seol had two very good chances with the score at 1-1, and he looked destined to head home from three yards but somehow nodded into the ground with the goal gaping.

Antoine Sibierski had given United the lead on 23, but two James Harper strikes just before the break put Reading in the ascendancy.

Harps' first goal took a fortunate deflection, but his second was an excellent finish into the far corner from 20 yards. Reading were soon very, very close to making it 3-1, but desperate defending kept them at bay as Kevin Doyle looked ready to nod home.

Obafemi Martins won and converted a controversial penalty just before the hour. Ibrahima Sonko did not get much, if anything, on the ball, but at the same time Martins seemed to fall into the outstretched leg.

Emre nicked possession off Harper with six minutes to go, and went on an excellent individual run before firing home from 25 yards.

Reading will point to their missed chances and controversial game-changing as they come away from the north east with nothing, but at the same time United had lots of possession as they won to take themselves out of the relegation zone.

To add insult to injury, Reading lost Stephen Hunt and Graeme Murty to knocks, while Doyle also came off limping.

Newcastle (4-4-2): Given (c); Solano, Babayaro, Ramage, Taylor; Butt, Emre, Milner, N'Zogbia; Sibierski, Martins (Rossi 87)
Subs: Srnicek, Huntington, Pattison, Luque
Booked: Solano

Reading (4-4-2): Hahnemann; Murty (c) (Bikey 88), Shorey, Sonko, Ingimarsson; Harper, Sidwell, Oster, Hunt (Little 34); Doyle (80 Lita), Seol
Subs: Federici, Bikey, Gunnarsson, Little
Booked: Murty

Ref: R Styles (Hampshire)

Attendance: 48,182


Full report
James Milner broke for the home side early on, but with no support he was forced to shoot off target from a tight angle. Obafemi Martins then had a header saved by Marcus Hahnemann, before play was bizarrely held up as an injured bird needed to be removed from the pitch.

Antoine Sibierski had a great chance from Milner's deep cross, but the Frenchman nodded straight at Hahnemann when a header either side would surely have been a goal.

Emre created a chance for himself when he went on a brilliant solo run and bore down a goal, but a superb challenge from Ibrahima Sonko prevented him from getting a shot off.

Newcastle were turning the screw, and on 23 minutes a superb cross from Nolberto Solano was headed home by Sibierski, giving Hahnemann no chance.

An excellent move from Glenn Roeder's men then gave Martins a shooting chance, but he smashed over from Sibierski's backheel.

Martins almost had a second goal but saw his header crash off the bar from another good right-wing cross.

Reading then got back into the game on 36 minutes, and there was plenty of luck involved. John Oster had switched to the left wing following the withdrawal of the injured Stephen Hunt, and the former Sunderland man played a ball into James Harper on the edge of the box. The midfielder shot for goal, and it took a deflection off Solano and spun in.

After being on the back foot, Reading could and should have added a second immediately, with two big chances for Seol. First he was given a chance from Kevin Doyle's persistence, but the Korean allowed Solano to nip back in as he looked set to sidefoot for goal.

Then sub Glen Little put in a great cross, and Seol looked destined to nod home from three yards. Incredibly, he headed down into the ground and as Shay Given saved the glorious chance had gone.

The lively Milner then tried to make Seol pay as he broke well, but Hahnemann got down expertly to save his well-hit drive.

Moments later Reading's turnaround was complete and it was 2-1. Little won the ball back from a dawdling Celestine Babayaro, and played in a low ball that Harper battled for with Emre. It broke to the Reading midfielder, who turned home with a lovely finish from 20 yards past the diving Given.

Little had made an immediate impact, and his cross just before the break looked destined for Doyle's head, and the Irishman was inches away from making it 3-1 but a defender got in to clear.

Sidwell then had a header wide of the mark seconds before the break, and Reading had ended the half strongly.

The Royals continued to impress straight after the break, but couldn't make their possession turn into a clear chance. At this stage the visitors were completely on top, dominanting all over the pitch.

Newcastle got themselves back into the game on 57 minutes when Martins was awarded a penalty. The Nigerian got to the ball ahead of Sonko, who got little if anything on it, but the frontman appeared to fall into the challenge for a controversial spot kick.

Martins took it himself, and Hahnemann got a finger to it but it went in for 2-2.

If Reading in any way felt they could question the penalty decision, they were certainly given a huge break by the officials when Sibierski had a goal incorrectly disallowed for offside.

The feel of the game had completely changed, and Newcastle were the main attacking force. Martins shot wide from the edge of the area, and although Reading had a lot of defending to do, they were still making inroads at the other end in an open game.

With 10 minutes to go an almighty scramble inside the Reading area gave Hahnemann and Ivar Ingimarsson problems, but it was hacked clear from the boot of Sibierski.

Four minutes later Emre nicked the ball off Harper in midfield, and advanced toward goal dangeously. With defenders backing off hi, the Turk fired home a dipping drive over Hahnemann for a 3-2 lead that sent the home side into raptures.

In the last few minutes both teams pushed for another goal, but there wasn't a clear chance of note.

Reading played a full part in the game, and can perhaps point to the penalty as a turning point, although at the same time their profligacy in front of goal was made to pay as they just missed out on a place in the top three.