Reading 4 (Harper 18, Doyle 65, 67, 89)
Crystal Palace 2 (Carle pen 38, Soares 64)

Kevin Doyle's late hat trick gave Reading a 4-2 victory over Crystal Palace on a thrilling afternoon of superb entertainment at Madejski Stadium that had distinct echoes of the encounter between the teams in September 2005..

Steve Coppell included three full league deubtants - Chris Armstrong, Jem Karacan and Alex Pearce, and Reading were vastly superior in the first half, deservedly going ahead when James Harper slotted home after Stephen Hunt's shot from a Liam Rosenior cross had been parried.

Ivar Ingimarsson hit the post with a glancing header and Palace keeper Julian Speroni saved well from Hunt and Alex Pearce as the Royals threatened to run away with the game.

But Palace equalised on the stroke of half-time with the kind of penalty that leads fans to wish for greater consistency - although Nick Carle's shot clearly hit the arm of James Harper, there was nothing the midfielder could do to get out of the way and those kind of incidents regularly result in no penalty award (Steven Gerrard's 'handball' in the last minute at Anfield last season for example).

But referee Mr Penton pointed immediately to the spot, and Carle stepped up to finish with aplomb, sending the previously under-employed Marcus Hahnemann the wrong way.

The Royals continued to dominate in the second half and Speroni had to make another excellent save to keep out Kevin Doyle's dipping volley.

Palace scored next against the run of play when Tom Soares bundled home an Alan Lee cross, but there was plenty of drama still to unfold as the Royals immediately responded with two goals in as many minutes.

Doyle was the scorer of both - firstly taking advantage of poor Palace marking to stab home a Hunt corner, and then reacting to Jem Karacan's low cross to turn home another close range effort.

And then the Irish strike star made sure of the points by glancing home his third from Alex Pearce'[s far post header.

Reading: Hahnemann; Rosenior, Armstrong, Ingimarsson, Pearce; Harper (c), Karacan, Kebe, S Hunt; Doyle, Long (N Hunt 68)
Subs: Federici, Kelly, Bikey, Convey
Booked: Karacan

Palace: Speroni; Hill, Butterfield, Lawrence, McCarthy (Lee ht); Derry (c) (Fletcher 77), Soares, Oster (Scannell 73), Carle; Andrew, Hills
Subs: Ertl, Moses
Booked: Carle

Ref: C Penton

Att: 20,441

Full report
Reading started brightly and went close inside the opening five minutes when Kevin Doyle twisted between a defender and the byline on the left and delivered a cross that was half cleared back to Stephen Hunt, whose instinctive first time effort flashed wide of the far post.

Palace then established themselves in the game and won three corners in quick succession; from the third of those Nick Carle flashed a dangerous cross-cum-shot across the face of goal.

Carle was then booked by referee Mr Penton for a crunching tackle on Alex Pearce, as the game showed the first signs of the explosive nature usually seen in fixtures against Neil Warnock teams.

The Royals had a scare when Marcus Hahnemann fumbled a Calvin Andrew cross and the ball landed on the roof of his net, but the US keeper redeemed himseld with a good catch from the resulting corner.

The opening goal then arrived after the latest in a series of promising moves down the right. Liam Rosenior did well to beat his man down the flank and delivered a tantalising cross that Stephen Hunt turned goalwards. Julian Speroni saved well, but the rebound fell straight to James Harper who gleefully tapped home left footed from close range.

A second nearly followed soon after as Hunt whipped in a vicious inswinging corner from the right, Ivar Ingimarsson got a feint touch at the near post and the ball flew across the face of goal and span to safety off the far upright.

Palace immediately had another reprieve from another Hunt right wing corner - Pearce was unmarked at the far post and sent a powerful header towards the roof of the net, only for Speroni to make a superb reflex save to tip over.

After half an hour a piece of Jimmy Kebe brilliance ignited the game - receiving a Jem Karacan pass in midfield, the Mali international delicately flicked the ball past his marker before speeding into the Palace half. A perfectly weighted ball released Hunt, who cut inside and shot right footed but Speroni got down well to save.

Palace were handed a lifeline towards the end of the first half when a looping cross by Andrew dropped to Carle, whose shot on the volley cannoned into Harper's arm. There was nothing the midfielder could do to get out of the way, but the penalty was given and Carle calmly stroked home.

It was harsh on the Royals, who had been much the better team, and although Oster sent a half volley flashing wide after nice build up play by the impressive Carle, Steve Coppell's men ended the half as the stronger team and feeling aggrieved to be held.

The second half started with the Royals still in the ascendancy as a lung-busting Hunt dribble troubled the visiting defence and Doyle nearly slid in Kebe.

Doyle went agonisingly close to his first of the season on 52 minutes, teeing himself up on the edge of the box and sending a fierce volley towards the top corner, only to be denied by another excellent Speroni save.

Hunt then went on another superb run from defence, breaking to the edge of the penalty area before trying to release Karacan with a backheel that Speroni was just able to gather.

Palace had their moments as well, and debutant Chris Armstrong made a terrific block after Eagles sub Alan Lee met Oster's cross at the far post.

It was a pulsating game played in front of a passionate crowd on a hot late summer's day, and with half an hour remaining it remained perfectly poised at 1-1.

Doyle and Long fired left footed efforts across the face of goal as the home side continued to dominate, but the visitors went ahead against the run of play when Lee received the ball on the left and crossed for Tom Soares, who bundled home from close range.

But Reading were back level almost immediately when Kebe won a corner and Hunt delivered another inswinger from the right. The Palace marking was woeful as the ball drifted across goal to give Doyle a simple tap-in from inside the six yard box.

Amazingly, Doyle scored again two minutes later, and this time the source was a left wing corner from Harper. After a near post flick on, the ball was scrambled away from Pearce on the line, but Karacan got to the loose ball first and drove it back across goal to present Doyle with another simple tap-in.

The game then went into a lull as both sets of players regrouped, but there was always a feeling that we were merely being prepared for another dramatic twist in a late climax.

Kebe's lightening pace created an opportunity for sub Noel Hunt, whose drive was parried by Speroni, but that late twist came from the resulting corner; Stephen Hunt delivered deep, Pearce nodded back across goal and Doyle nodded home from six yards out to complete his hat trick and secure the points.