Reading Women narrowly avoided back-to-back defeats thanks to a composed performance from ‘keeper Grace Moloney but the stalemate is their eighth in seventeen games in this WSL campaign, leaving the Royals with plenty of what ifs for the season.
Reading welcomed Tottenham to the Madejski Stadium eager to bounce back from a disappointing yet enthralling loss to a struggling Bristol City side in their previous outing.
This game against Tottenham would be a great opportunity on paper as the visitors came into this game on the back of four straight losses but still sat within striking distance of the Royals thanks to boasting two games in hand; a victory over an out of form rival in the league standings would have been an ideal way for the hosts to rebound.
Reading coach Kelly Chambers would bring Jess Fishlock back into the starting eleven after being restricted to only making a late substitute appearance last time out. The hosts were also without in-form Rachel Rowe due to suspension after her red card in added time against Bristol.
The first half was somewhat short on clear-cut chances but was nonetheless entertaining. The visitors would have likely been grateful for the performance of Shelina Zadorsky, who was able to win multiple aerial battles and deal with many threatening passes by the Berkshire-based side.
Conversely, the hosts would have been bolstered by their ever-reliable goalkeeper Grace Moloney, who was constantly denying the Londoners’ attempts at passing the ball in behind their back line with charging runs out of her goal to collect the loose passes with composure.
Reading would end the first half on top with waves of pressure being put on Tottenham, leaving the visitors often resorting to clearing the ball rather than building up their play from the back, the best chance of the first forty-five undoubtedly came with two minutes left in the half as a piercing through ball found Fishlock.
The Welsh midfielder would shrug off one defender before firing towards goal; her effort would beat Aurora Mikalsen in the Tottenham goal but would rattle the woodwork, denying her of her third goal of the season.
The second half was much more of a cagey affair between the two sides as Reading began the second half much like they ended the first but Eikeland and Fishlock could not find the target from respective efforts.
As the game wore on, it became apparent that Reading’s formation choice was not one to last the full ninety minutes as the 3-5-2 formation that the Royals lined up in provided plentiful attacking options but often left them short-handed at the back, with Lily Woodham and the versatile captain Tash Harding forced to provide defensive cover from the wings.
With the two sides still deadlocked going into the final ten minutes, Reading’s defence began to show weakness as the lack of support and the growing fatigue setting in among the players led to Tottenham heavily threatening through the counterattack and the Royals struggling to clear their lines.
Moloney would put in another spirited performance under immense pressure, with the pick of Tottenham’s chances coming with eight minutes to play, substitute Kit Graham putting in a dangerous cross to Allana Kennedy, who met it with a powerful header that Moloney was able to parry away at the near post.
The game would end with neither side able to find the breakthrough, a result that the visitors would likely be much more pleased with than the hosts as Tottenham now sit five points above the leagues bottom side West Ham, albeit having played a game more. Conversely, Reading are now five points behind fifth-placed Everton with the Merseyside outfit also having a game in hand.
The Inbound Observer 