Royals boss Steve Coppell was first asked whether the biggest positive to take from his side's 2-0 defeat to Arsenal was that Arsenal only managed two goals.

"I suppose you could say that. It was a difficult game, especially once we'd conceded the first.

"I thought for 20 minutes we'd done OK and it seemed to be one of those games that didn't appear to be going very far.

"Then they scored, they grew and we shrank for the rest of the first half to be honest.

"In the second half we battled and that's what I've got to look at at this stage. We can't have people who are folding and dying on the field of play, as it were.

"And they had a real go, and that's all I can ask for."

The first goal, from Emmanuel Adebayor, came on the half hour and have the Royals a mountain to climb.

"The way we played, each player had individual responsibilities. Adebayor is a big ask to mark. He's a big unit full stop.

"Ibu just got his feet tangled up a bit I think and didn't get a full contact on the ball. It broke to Adebayor and it was an accomplished finish.

"At 1-0 down we are asking a great deal of ourselves. It's never a foregone conclusion and we were more competitive in the second half.

"But at 2-0 up it's easy for them to play. They grow in confidence and they knock it around."

In the context of the relegation fight, Coppell reiterated that a defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates is not going to kill his players' confidence too much.

"This game was never going to break our season. It could have made it. But we've got three games left and we're going to go all the way - that's for sure.

"It's a 38-game season. Three games, nine points. Like the other teams at the bottom, we'll be looking to pick up at least six from nine points.

"The team that come out with that and who holds their nerve to play under pressure will survive.

"Those that relish the fight rather than expecting something bad to happen will do OK."