Palace restrain Royals' rush

Jason Roberts became the first Reading player to be sent off this season as the Royals were held to a 2-2 draw by Crystal Palace.

Roberts, a revelation since his arrival from Blackburn in January, was shown a straight red card moments before the half-time whistle after catching Jonathan Parr with an elbow. It looked a harsh decision by referee Andy D'Urso. It looked like Reading might be suffering a promotion hangover as Wilfried Zaha gave Palace a 14th minute lead. But Kaspars Gorkss equalised six minutes later. Adam Le Fondre, a half-time substitute for Hal Robson-Kanu following Roberts' dismissal, put the Royals in front eight minutes after the resumption but Glenn Murray dented their title aspirations with 14 minutes remaining. The draw placed Reading four points clear of second-placed Southampton ahead of the Saints' evening kick-off against play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.