The Grauniad
Having appeared to give themselves the rest of the night off with three goals in the first five minutes, this turned into a fixture that must have felt like unending torment before Manchester United at last staggered on to an FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough. The sight of their crossbar twanging in stoppage-time from the effects of a Brynjar Gunnarsson volley had to be endured as Reading nearly equalised in this replay.
The visitors must have been steeling themselves for extra-time after letting slip the opportunity to grant a few first-team players the gentlest of outings before Saturday's demanding venture to Anfield in the Premiership. In truth it is better to acclaim Reading than to blame United.
What could have been more natural than for Steve Coppell's team to slip into permanent dismay over a miserable start? There might have been recriminations mixed with rueful exasperation over letting the prestige of this occasion cloud their concentration. Even the diehards would never have anticipated the substitute Leroy Lita climbing to put a magnificent header from a Ulises de la Cruz cross past Edwin van der Sar in the 84th minute for his side's second goal.
After two minutes a John O'Shea cut-back eluded Kieran Richardson and the ball ran to Gabriel Heinze 25 yards from goal. He struck it firmly but cannot have envisaged his first goal since August 2005. The effort found the net because Adam Federici permitted it to squirm under his body. There was pathos in that for a goalkeeper who had been elected player of the round for his resistance at Old Trafford. The Australian, who is understudy to Marcus Hahnemann, speaks of the time when, looking for his chance, he was "knocking on doors and sleeping on floors". After eventually getting on to Reading's books, the 22-year-old had loan spells at Maidenhead United and Carshalton. His recent endeavours mean that he is close to agreeing a new deal with Reading but he got his reminder here that he is far from established yet.
Federici was not alone in looking bewildered. With four minutes gone it was far too simple for Saha to dart between De la Cruz and Bikey before finishing with an excellent shot. The Frenchman has been downgraded since Henrik Larsson arrived, but the latter will be going back to Sweden in a couple of weeks and the dynamism of Saha at the Madejski Stadium was encouraging for United as they contemplate the run-in to the Premiership.
Sir Alex Ferguson had another jolt of satisfaction here in the sixth minute. Richardson slung the ball to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the right and the craftsman finisher squeezed a shot just inside the far post. There was nearly a fourth, but a Saha effort missed the target by a fraction.
In the circumstances Reading's spirit was remarkable, despite the fact that United were lax to concede a goal after 22 minutes. Seol Ki-Hyeon's corner was nodded on by Ivar Ingimarsson and headed in by Dave Kitson. With Van der Sar needing to turn a drive by Seol behind at the close of the first half an air of competitiveness had been revived even if Reading's condition was still grave.
The Times
Manchester United and Reading restored much-needed sheen to the world's oldest knockout competition at the Madejski Stadium last night. Sir Alex Ferguson's side provided the dazzle by racing into a three-goal lead within six minutes before Reading applied the spit and polish, with only the width of the crossbar preventing Brynjar Gunnarsson from taking the match into extra time. As Steve Coppell noted, his players gained considerable honour in defeat.
It says everything about Reading's strength and spirit that Ferguson spent the last seconds of a pulsating encounter preparing for an additional 30 minutes, instructing Paul Scholes to warm up on the side-lines. As well as bemoaning Reading's aggressive treatment of Louis Saha, who limped off in the second half with a calf injury, the United manager should also be concerned at his side's fragility under pressure, although ultimately it was his opposite number who had the most to lament.
As well as accomplished finishing, United's goals resulted from Reading's inability to defend, both individually and collectively. The first was solely down to an error from Adam Federici, the reserve goalkeeper, who, to judge from his portly looking photograph on the cover of last night's programme, has yet to shrug off completely his past as an Australian beach bum in Jervis Bay, New South Wales.
When Federici first arrived at the club, he spent several weeks sleeping on Ibrahima Sonko's floor; he seemed still to be dozing when United doubled their lead less than two minutes later, although on this occasion he was not alone.
Rio Ferdinand's long cross-field ball caught the entire Reading back four napping, with Saha running between Ulises De La Cruz and André Bikey to collect the ball brilliantly on his chest before sliding it across the goalkeeper. The France striker's finish was superb, although Federici should have got down quicker, and on this evidence Bikey is short of the mark, too.
As Ivar Ingimarsson attempted to hold the line on his own, Solskjaer found himself in oceans of space when he collected Kieran Richardson's long ball from the left and made no mistake, taking his time before calmly beating Federici with the outside of his right foot.
With the visiting fans celebrating prematurely, Coppell was spotted on his mobile in the stands, perhaps calling a taxi or instructing his family to stop the video, and he later admitted his concern that they could get "absolutely hammered". As the manager of the Crystal Palace side who lost 9-0 away to Liverpool in 1989, he could have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
Reading are made of sterner stuff, however, and refused to throw in the towel, hauling themselves off the ropes. With their direct approach causing problems, Dave Kitson's 23rd-minute goal was richly deserved, but it also sprang from a defensive error.
Reading continued to battle manfully in the second half as a capacity crowd remained in their seats, but the reward for their labours came too late. Leroy Lita gave them an injection of pace after his introduction in the 71st minute, and in the last ten minutes United's defence seemed close to panic.
Reading continued to press and could have taken the tie into extra time, with Gunnarsson striking the crossbar in injury time. It was not to be, but the standing ovation Reading received on the final whistle was thoroughly merited.
The Telegraph
Manchester United seized a place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup last night, but it was Reading who claimed the admiration of a watching nation. Teams of lesser character would have surrendered after conceding three goals in the opening six minutes, but Steve Coppell's second-string rallied marvellously, if ultimately in vain. Talk about reserves of strength.
Reading could have gone through the motions, accepting their widely-predicted fate of defeat to vaunted opponents. They could have been swept away by the early hurricane that blew in to the Mad Stad, bringing what Coppell described as "three minutes, 20 seconds of madness'' as Gabriel Heinze, Louis Saha and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struck.
Echoing their manager, a quiet steel lurks within Reading and they fought back, first through Dave Kitson after 23 minutes. At times, as Reading poured forward only the brilliance of Edwin van der Sar denied them. Leroy Lita did manage a second to force a frantic final six minutes, during which Brynjar Gunnarsson even shook the bar.
Few could have predicted the closeness of the climax after the opening stages. Kick-off had been delayed to accommodate EastEnders, an indignity for the visitors from Coronation Street country, and they certainly tore into the Royal family, scoring an astonishing three goals within six minutes. Heinze was first to embarrass Adam Federici, voted player of the round for a series of fine saves at Old Trafford but caught out here.
Reading responded admirably, refusing to throw in the towel. When John Oster whipped in a corner, Ivar Ingimarsson flicked on and the unmarked Kitson headed home. Van der Sar then saved superbly from Steve Sidwell, Oster, Seol Ki-hyeon and Kitson but he had no chance when Lita, the substitute, met Ulises De La Cruz's cross with a neat header. Gunnarsson almost injected some real romance into the Cup, but United march on.
