Reading took on Brighton and Hove Albion at the Select Car Leasing Stadium on Sunday afternoon, with both teams in desperate need to pick up points in their race to stay in the Women's Super League.

But what can be learned following the tie?

  • Seagulls lack cutting edge

When Brighton soared into a 2-0 lead inside a quarter of an hour at Reading, you could've been forgiving for thinking that at that stage, the points were only going one way. 

Veatriki Sarri's double, just five minutes apart looked to have blown the Royals out of the water, with Sarri even having the chance to complete her hat trick inside half an hour, but not for the first time in the clash was thwarted by Reading stopper, Grace Moloney. 

On another day, Brighton could and should have had a hatful, but after they raced into their two goal lead, characteristics of a side scrapping for their WSL lives and before today who had only scored eight goals away from home all season started to show. 

I'm pretty sure as I am writing this, myself, every Brighton fan and Katie Robinson will be wondering how she didn't walk away with her name as the matchwinner. Insider the last 15 minutes, the golden chance that both sides craved came. The aforementioned Robinson, who raced onto a through ball and rounded Moloney in the Reading net, had a chance to slide the ball into an open net.

Even after taking a touch to set herself and get the ball back onto her right foot, she sent her effort crashing off the outside of the post, rather than into the gaping goal on the other side. She fell to the ground in despair as she, and probably all the Brighton coaching staff felt that was 'the chance', which for the Seagulls, Robinson couldn't take. 

  • Harries' instant impact

Photo by Mike Owen - The FA/The FA via Getty Images
Photo by Mike Owen - The FA/The FA via Getty Images

It was very clear for all to see, what Kelly Chambers intentions were when bringing on a forward in Emma Harries, for a defender in Gemma Evans at half-time. Harries, who has made over half a century of appearances for the club she's been at since the age of nine, got the hosts back into the game with her very first touch. A delightful curling ball through from Emma Mukandi in the left channel saw Harries speed away and make no mistake with the finish, slotting cooly past Lydia Williams in the Albion goal. 

Her second goal was as equally placed to perfection as the first. On the hour, Lily Woodham charged forward and got herself in down the left channel, after hard work to drive past her marker, she stood up a hanging cross to the far post, which the substitute met with a sublime, arrowing header past Williams to get her and her side's second and level the contest up. 

That brace would've been of huge significance for Harries, marking her first two league goals of the season having been reduced to a handful of appearances due to injury. Chambers told Reading's Official Website that she "is very proud of her" when asked about her super sub. 

  • Royals' tough test next


If you thought today's clash was big, Reading faces bottom-of-the-table Leicester next weekend (Sunday 2nd April), knowing that a win could see them move seven clear of the Foxes but should they lose, the gap between them and their next opponents will be cut to just one point, with six games remaining. 

One thing that doesn't bode in favour of Chambers' side, is their rotten away form. Played and lost all eight of the League encounters on the road this season, having scored just eight and conceded a whopping 24. The Royals will have to stop the rot next time out if they are to face a nerve-jangling end to a tough season.

  • Survival battle going to the wire


As mentioned before, only seven games remain in this season's WSL and down at the bottom, things are as tight as they ever have been. Separating bottom club Leicester and ninth-placed Tottenham are just five points, and with Reading and Leicester still, to lock horns, Spurs still have to host the Berkshire side and Brighton, and the Seagulls possibly have a crucial final day fixture away at Leicester, you can rest assured that there will be plenty of twists and turns in the relegation battle as the battle to avoid the drop intensifies in the home straight of the season.

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