Reading showed plenty of courage in defeat at the Den following early dismissal

Sky Bet Championship
Millwall 1 Reading 0
Wallace 8

The story of the match
Reading made the worst possible start under new boss Jose Gomes, conceding to an excellent Jed Wallace free kick on eight minutes and 60 seconds later centre-back Tyler Blackett was sent off for a reckless lunge on the goalscorer after over-running the ball.

Even before that Reading had nearly conceded when Millwall's Tom Elliott just failed to convert from Shaun Hutchinson's downward header and the Royals were rocking in the first quarter.

Ryan Tunnicliffe had a shot blocked and Hutchinson's header was saved but it was a really comfortable last hour for Reading, who finished the game with 58 per cent possession and lost the shots on target count only 3-2.

A Ryan Leonard long-range strike and Jake Cooper effort from a corner were as close as Millwall came to extending their advantage and Reading so nearly equalised when John Swift's sensational dipping free kick smashed the underside of the crossbar.

Millwall were deserving winners but it was far from convincing and the game was up for the Royals when Leandro Bacuna joined Blackett in heading for an early bath as the visitors played out the final moments with nine men.

Tactics
Gomes opened up with a 4-2-3-1 but had to quickly adapt to a 4-4-1 after Blackett's dismissal that saw midfielder Andy Rinomhota drop to right-back with Andy Yiadom shuffling across to replace Blackett alongside skipper Liam Moore.

The most interesting aspect was that Reading still controlled possession and they are going to become pass masters under their new Portuguese boss, who demanded his team played out from the back, even when Millwall put a full press on from goal kicks.

Strengths
Given the early red card it would have been easy for Reading to fold, particularly as some supporters have labelled them as gutless during this poor campaign, but their spirit was impressive at The Den.

Gomes on numerous occasions raised two clenched fists in the air, urging his team to fight, followed by a round of applause as the players responded in stoic fashion.

Central midfielders Swift and Bacuna were the two who were most comfortable in adapting to Gomes's style and the makeshift pairing of Yiadom and Moore impressed once the duo adjusted to Blackett's red card.

Weaknesses
This way of playing will take time - a commodity Reading do not have as they are stuck down in 23rd spot in the Sky Bet Championship.

There were some early teething problems as they tried to play out from the back and it was Blackett's eagerness to rectify a wayward dribble that led to his sending-off. After about 20 minutes goalkeeper Anssi Jaakkola went longer, a move which was the subject of ironic cheers from the disgruntled away supporters.

However, it must be said that Reading continued to play out, either through Yiadom or Bacuna, and as the game went on they got better at being able to begin attacks from positions deep in their own territory.

Goalscorer notebook
Reading did not have enough sustained attacks to form a strong opinion, but there is a little bit of 16-1 about for Yakou Meite to score first at QPR. Meite played up front at Millwall, swapping positions with Danny Loader late in the first half.

View from the camp
Gomes said: "It was a difficult mission but even with ten players for a long period of time we controlled the game. My players were really brave and showed very strong attitude.

"For a long period we controlled the game. And we lost it because we tried to do something because of a pass or a dribble. Otherwise we controlled the ball all the time."

Prospects
Reading are short of confidence and also of numbers with Blackett and Bacuna now suspended. However, with Bolton, Ipswich, Rotherham and Millwall also in the drop-zone dogfight there is no desire to back Reading to be relegated at odds of 1-2.

Opposition
"It was not a great performance," admitted Millwall manager Neil Harris and he was correct in that assessment having previously bemoaned a lack of luck at various stages of this campaign.

The Lions are a hard-working team in a 4-4-2 system but there was little creativity and it was easy to see how they had gone eight without a win prior to this victory.

Harris pinpointed the performance of central midfielder Leonard as key, although as a team they made little use of the man advantage, particularly from open play, and at times it was difficult to notice Millwall were facing fewer opposition players.

Set-pieces were Millwall's best avenue to creating chances and centre-backs Cooper and Hutchinson could oblige at decent prices before the season ends.

Teams
Millwall 4-4-2: Archer; Romeo, Hutchinson, Cooper, Meredith; Wallace (O'Brien 76), Tunnicliffe, Leonard, Ferguson (Skalak 89); Elliott (Morison 57), Gregory.
Reading 4-2-3-1: Jaakkola; Yiadom, Moore, Blackett, Richards; Rinomhota, Bacuna; Barrow, Swift (Osho 82), Meite (McCleary 73); Loader (Baldock 63).

Next three fixtures
Millwall: Nottingham Forest (h), Ipswich (a), Hull (h).
Reading: QPR (a), Swansea (h), Man Utd (a).

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