As it happened: Reading 1-3 Crystal Palace

Just two minutes left for Palace to see out their most hard-fought victory of pre-season. For Reading, they will hope to salvage a result after pulling the strings of the right-side in the second half. 

Since his promotion to the first team towards the tail-end of last season, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi has done nothing but impress.

He's just turned a Reading defender inside out with his knack to intelligently read the movement of the opposition and waltz away with ease.

Certainly, a one to watch this season for those watching their football in SE25.

I forgot to mention Gallagher's imperious quality in that passage of play that led to the goal.

The new man won the ball in Palace's half and fed the ball to Ayew, an astounding way to introduce yourself to the club.

 

Revenge is served best through another deflected shot! The shot takes a nick from the defender, but what we should be looking at is the magnificent run from Ayew that started as far back as the halfway line.

Now there's something to defend for Palace, who deserve the lead. 

Rob Street has played brilliantly again today - he now makes way for last week's goalscorer, Scott Banks to get some valuable minutes. 

The numerical advantage is taking its toll on 10 man Palace, who are restricted to watching Reading zip the ball from left to right for now.

Rak-Sakyi and Clyne come on for Ward and Riedewald, bolstering the right-hand side that has worked so hard today.

It just seems as though Palace's ball-playing has been slow in the past few passages, giving the Royals the license to anticipate a mistake.

Faster and with more confidence are the cries from the touchline. 

Jairo Riedewald's wall fails to stand firm, and John Swift's free-kick is deflected into the back of the net to make it 1-1. 

Abysmal set-piece positioning and organisation from Palace - such a poor goal to concede. 

They haven't seen too much joy from set-pieces thus far, but now with Palace's tallest player coming off through Mateta, Reading will hope their profusion of corners will help them grab a goal.

Shame they don't have Michael Olise down the wing for delivery purposes...

 

That Mateta goal, which came moments after Joel Ward struck the base of the post, has incensed Palace fans with a reason to sing.

They've looked vibrant since the opener, being confident and relaxed in their buildup. 

Jean-Phillipe Mateta comes off for newbie Conor Gallagher, while Reading take off Joao and Ejaria for Trialist and Puscas. 

A free kick now for the Eagles from afar.

Jordan Ayew did well to get the ball up the pitch quickly and force the Royals to make a dodgy challenge.

The referee seems a bit fairer now.

Tomkins does well to knock the ball out of play for a corner at the back post, despite no number nine being there to attack the Reading cross.

Early signs of a complete shift in momentum in this game. It now looks like Reading are on the front foot, asking the questions of Guaita with a fourth successive corner of the half. 

Ethan Bristow comes on for the Royals, while Palace opt to keep the same squad. 

Mateta has been one positive component of Palace's first-half efforts, and he just fashioned a golden chance for him to get the Eagles a goal.

Out of nothing, the towering striker won the ball in the air and waltzed towards goal with verve. That so-called verve, however, was lost on the final touch, as the goalkeeper picked up on the final touch. 

Since last mentioning their possessive incompetence, McArthur and Riedewald have failed to pick up from their early mistakes.

They are still giving the ball away, with poor decision making and a lack of confidence it seems. 

In a couple of weeks, you give that chance to a Premier League striker, and it would be 1-0 to them.

James Tomkins gave the ball away too easily and Reading really should have made more of this opportunity. Instead,  the shot looped comfortably wide. 

The shape and enthusiasm from the Eagles have been in disarray in the last 10 minutes. While fluidity is something that the manager stands for, it seems that they are all hesitant to move too far from their assigned position.

Reading have grown in confidence, feeling they can get something out of this depleted Palace side. 

James Tomkins comes on for Kirby, which is a real shame for the youngster. Vieira opts to add an extra defender following the exodus of Kouyate. 

Highlighted by the video below, there isn't much happening in terms of chances in this game. While the Eagles have had the best chances, they haven't really tested the goalkeeper as of yet.

And on the other side of the pitch, well... Guaita has resorted to something else besides the football on the pitch. 

 

The referee has been very unbalanced at the Madjeski, but nevertheless, Palace deal with the long ball into the box unscathed.

In fact, Jordan Ayew gallivanted forward on the break, but he was unable to find the decisive pass at the end of his slalom run. 

At times, it will come to much dismay to Vieira that his players haven't always passed the ball as well as he'd hope.

That being said, they win the back superbly well after losing possession. Namely, Street and Mateta have looked very lively in the press.

Just a few misplaced passes from the likes of McArthur and Riedewald need to be ironed out. 

Good counterattacking football gave Palace an opening on the right for Jordan Ayew, but the shot is straightforward in the end.

Again, Mateta has looked infused with confidence in today's match, something which hasn't been on display in the entirety of pre-season until now.

Hardly seen much of Rob Street, sadly, with the game being concentrated on Ayew's flank. 

If anyone has impressed on the ball in the early stages of the game it's newcomer Marc Guehi. He received the ball from a misplaced Jairo Riedewald tap and fires a quarterback-like pass into Mateta.

But again, the following pass from Riedewald was poor, leading to a loss of possession in a great position. 

Reading are very happy to press every pass that the Eagles make, and this is something that has suited Vieira's new-look strategy so far.

Palace, however, don't always look too comfortable on the ball. Some of the touches have had the feel of a first game back in many ways.

Both teams just kind of feeling each other into the contest early on. 

Jean-Phillipe Mateta just had his first sight of the Reading box, after a well-worked ball out from the back found his diagonal run.

The out of confidence striker should have done more, but he bundles the ball into the goalkeeper. 

We're almost ready to guide you through the 90 minutes at Madejski Stadium as the two teams emerge from the dugout.

Don't forget to follow VAVEL UK for live updates and analysis throughout!

A lot of quick passages of play in the Palace warmups ahead of kick-off on the pitch below me.

We have become accustomed to liquid football under Vieira so far in pre-season, and we expect more of the same in cloudy Berkshire today.

 

It looks as though the trialist for Reading today is in fact Kadeem Harris, who played last season's football in white and blue for Sheffield Wednesday.

 

This is the first time that Michael Olise has been at the Madejski Stadium since his £8 million move to Selhurst Park a few weeks back.

Unfortunately, the midfield livewire is injured, so his impact on today's friendly will be limited to the sidelines.

 

Reading are lining up with a trialist on the bench today, and for Crystal Palace fans, it may be a familiar figure. No confirmation, so could all be false, but the rumours suggest that a certain Yannick Bolasie is in the building...

The Congolese winger played over 100 games for the Eagles, earning himself a special reputation at Selhurst Park. 

Just a day after completing his medical and ultimate loan switch to Crystal Palace, midfielder Conor Gallagher finds himself in the matchday squad. 

 

 

We will provide you with team news, analysis and much much more from here from 2 pm BST.

VAVEL is your best bet for updates and commentary as the goals go in!