Reading, Moses, Champions League

I was at the Mad Stad last night to see Reading lose 4-2 to Crystal Palace, and I'm afraid it's back to the drawing board for the Royals. Following their win over Blackpool to end the shocking home run, and the good win at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, last night was a real chance to grab some momentum and possibly turn their season around. This chance was thrown away on minutes 46 and 47 of the first half. It was 1-1 approaching half time which was probably a fair result, maybe Palace had edged it but I don't think Warnock could have complained going in at the break at 1 each. Then from not much of anything a sloppy pass turns up at Ambrose's toes and he shanks one from about the corner of the box and it goes straight through the keeper. Literally straight through him, I'm told there is a football shaped piece of Adam Federici somewhere in the north stand. If that wasn't bad enough (and it was for quite a few fans who fancied getting their Bovril in early before the rush), a minute later Victor Moses picked the ball up, and knowing that Federici was 'unconvincing' with the long strikes, he curls the ball in from 30 yards to score a really great goal. Reading rallied early second half and finally with 10 to go they got a deserved goal back from the spot, but a very impressive Moses capped his performance with another great goal. The Royals stay clear of the relegation zone for now but it's going to be a long tough season where you need to pick up a point in games like yesterdays'. Any hopes of a late playoff surge are almost certainly pie in the sky.

One man who did himself no harm at the game was one Victor Moses. He scored 2 really exceptional goals, he'll be giving Jay Tabb nightmares for a week with the way he turned him inside out all night, and now it's really a question of when not if he'll leave Selhurst Park. I've heard good things about him before but this was the first time I'd seen him in the flesh and there's no doubt that he will go to a Premiership team. Palace will be hoping to hold onto him until the summer and be able to really cash in then - Warnock has been quoted as saying that clubs play £17million for players of his quality. That might be a little more than I expect him to go for but if all the big boys get interested then that'll hike the price no end. I've heard that Arsenal for one are sniffing around, I'm not sure he's exactly what we need at the moment (I'd prefer the money spent of someone tall and strong up front) but if he's still available in the summer then why not? He's represented England at U16, 17, 18 and 19 levels and surely it's a matter of time before he gets the U21 call up, and then who knows? 2014 or even 2018 (which will hopefully be our very own World Cup) could be set alight by this kid. Watch this space.

Champions League then, and Juventus were hammered 4-1 at home by Bayern, thus sending the Germans through and the Itai's into the dreaded Europa League. Juve even took the lead in the game but threw it away, partly thanks to a penalty scored by the Bayern keeper! Not since (and excuse the spelling guesswork) Paraguay's Chilvaret have we seen a keeper so prolific from set pieces! In group B a rare Michael Owen goal turned into an even rarer Michael Owen hatrick to put Utd through as winners, and because CSKA won their game, the unlucky Wolfsburg are out. I have to say that Owen took his goals nicely, especially a really classy 3rd which will no doubt have caught the eye of Fabio Capello. If the lad has ANY chance of getting to the World Cup (and I just don't see that he does) then we're going to need to see performances like this on a regular basis. I'm not saying every time he plays he got to score a hatrick, but in a way he has to perform above and beyond any of the other strikers because he's already a fair way behind them. He also needs to try and destabilise the lazy Berbatov as a first choice, and try and start the big games - he may well get that chance against Villa this weekend, a game that Capello will surely be attending. Madrid win group C and are joined by a less than convincing Milan side who only won 2 of their 6 games. We already knew about group D but the story there is that Athletico's 3-0 home embarrassment by Porto means that they go out of Europe all together, in what is a shocking season for the talented side. A late equaliser for Nicosia against Chelsea have given the Cypriots Europa League football, somewhere where they'll feel a lot more at home.

Tonight's action then, and it must all be about group F with Barca, Inter, Rubin and Kyiv all still able to go through. This is what we want isn't it? As neutrals I think we'd all like to see the big boys go through, and the thought of Barca in particular not making it would be crazy, but as Arsenal/Chelsea/Utd fans we'd be delighted if one or both of them got it tonight. Kazan go to the San Siro knowing a win would put them through and a freezing Kyiv know they have to beat Barca and see what happens. In group E all we need to find out is whether Lyon or Fiorentina will finish top (Anfield should be ROCKING tonight!) and in group G Unirea and Stuttgart face a straight shootout to decide who joins Sevilla in the last 16. Finally group H, where Olympiakos are in pole position to come through with Arsenal, but Standard Liege still have a chance if they can win and the Greeks lose. Liege won't be too happy then to see the squadlist that Arsenal released yesterday which featured some real household names like Ayling, Sunu, Cruise, Bartley, Emmanuel-Thomas and Gilbert. This squad is actually weaker than the one who went to Man City last week, and although the likes of Walcott, Vela, Ramsey and Silvestre will all play, this is very much a squad built from reserve team players. It'll be a great experience for all of them, even the ones who don't get on, the plane, the hotel, the hostile atmosphere, these are things you don't get playing Fulham away in reserve league south. Take her easy.