Reading 2 - 2 Chelsea: Pressure on Benitez

By PAUL HIRST
Published on 31/01/2013 00:55

Chelsea squandered a two-goal lead with three minutes remaining to draw at Reading last night, virtually ending their Barclays Premier League title hopes and piling more misery on under-fire manager Rafa Benitez.

SCORERS:

Reading - Le Fondre (87, 90)

Chelsea - Mata (45), Lampard (66)

The European champions were seemingly cruising to a comfortable win after goals by Frank Lampard and Juan Mata either side of half-time.

Mata took a delicate chip from Fernando Torress and fired past Adam Federici from five yards, and then Lampard peeled away from his marker on 66 minutes to head Mata’s corner into the far corner and, it would seem, put the game beyond doubt.

But Reading substitute Adam Le Fondre had other ideas. In the 87th minute he latched on to Hope Akpan’s pass at the back post before beating Ross Turnbull. Reading then threw every­thing forward and got their reward when Akpan nodded the ball to the back post in the fifth minute of injury time. There Le Fondre, one of three unmarked Reading players, calmly converted, to delight the home fans.