Keane goal sinks sorry Reading

Robbie Keane's goal for Spurs put Reading into the Premier League's bottom three with one game to go.

Coppell's men in relegation zone after home loss

Reading dropped into the relegation zone after Robbie Keane's goal gave Spurs victory at The Madejski Stadium. Tottenham dominated the first half and deservedly took the lead through Keane on 16 minutes. Steed Malbranque then had a goal wrongly adjudged offside as the visitors should have put the game beyond doubt. Reading were much better after the break and created a number of half-chances, but Darren Bent could have put the issue beyond doubt but saw his effort hit the right post.

One-way traffic

Reading can take heart from the fact they are playing Derby on the final of the season, although a win at Pride Park cannot be guaranteed given this performance. It was one-way traffic from kick-off, with Bent getting a couple of early chances to get on the scoresheet, firstly when he headed over from Malbranque's cross from the left flank. Malbranque had an effort himself from the edge of the penalty area after Howard Webb had played an intelligent advantage when Jermaine Jenas' powerful run was halted. Bent was played in on goal in the 10th minute by Malbranque, getting behind Ivar Ingimarsson but seeing his finish saved by Marcus Hahnemann's legs. Malbranque made a mess of a backheel from close range as Spurs applied pressure, but they were not made to wait long for their opener. Webb played his part again, instructing advantage when Keane was tripped by Michael Duberry. The Irishman got to his feet and ran towards goal, picking up the ball on the edge of the area and leaving Kevin Doyle and Liam Rosenior on the floor with a dummy. With Hahnemann to beat, he flicked his finish into the far corner. Leroy Lita fired wide from a tight angle just after the opener, then Keane took centre-stage again. Hahnemann was forced to save a 25-yard free-kick from him, then he weaved his way through the Reading defence before setting up Malbranque to finish, a neat strike incorrectly ruled offside by the assistant referee. Better awareness from Bent when he was sent through would have also presented Keane with a straightforward finish to add to his opener. Just before the break Keane played a sharp one-two on the edge of the area and was beyond the Reading defence again, only for Rosenior to get back just in time to block the finish. Malbranque should have wrapped up the points two minutes into the second half as Keane's cross to the far post presented his team-mate with an open goal but the Frenchman poked into the side-netting.

Threaten

Three minutes later Malbranque scooped the ball over the Reading defence but Bent looked short on confidence when he was on the end of the move. Lita kept working the flanks and Reading started to threaten just before the hour mark. Andre Bikey was found free on the edge of the area but his shot was deflected over by Didier Zokora. Marek Matejovsky was brought on by Coppell and went narrowly wide from the edge of the penalty area. Bent also struck a post for the visitors, while Webb turned down a penalty appeal when the ball struck Alan Hutton. In the end only Keane's goal was needed. He was taken off with 13 minutes remaining to a standing ovation. Reading could have snatched a point but Radek Cerny saved from Dave Kitson and Rosenior.

Reading	Team Statistics	Tottenham Hotspur
0	Goals	1
0	1st Half Goals	1
4	Shots on Target	4
8	Shots off Target	8
5	Blocked Shots	5
10	Corners	1
10	Fouls	7
1	Offsides	4
1	Yellow Cards	0
0	Red Cards	0
73.1	Passing Success	84.4
18	Tackles	32
72.2	Tackles Success	68.8
44.1	Possession	55.9
47.6	Territorial Advantage	52.4