On Wednesday, Stephen Hunt, the Reading winger, warmly embraced Petr Cech, the Chelsea goalkeeper. It was closure, finally, after the incident last October in which the pair collided and Cech suffered a fractured skull.

On Saturday, Hunt scored the winning goal against Everton. He later left the pitch, the victim of a thigh strain, to a standing ovation and, afterwards, casually revealed that he was wearing tights.

Little is as it seems in the weird and wacky world of Stephen Hunt, the busy-bee, straggly-haired Irishman, who is living the Barclays Premier League dream like few others. Highs and lows and controversy and triumph are met with similar equanimity.

However, even for a player who veers from the norm and is never afraid to say it as it is, cross-dressing really is a step too far. “The recovery tights keep the legs warm,” Hunt said, unashamedly lifting his trouser leg. “All the boys have them and we wear them for four hours after every game.

“At the end, I had cramp in every muscle in my body. I have ice baths every night for half an hour. The missus is getting sick of it because I’ve a TV in the bathroom, so I don’t get bored. I sit and watch EastEnders.”

It was at Brentford that Steve Coppell, the Reading manager, first noticed Hunt’s talents. “I’ve a lot of faith in him, I always have done,” Coppell said. “He’s matured and developed as a player and his progress is a compliment to his dedication. He really looks after himself.

“When he sees the ball, he wants to win it. It’s controlled fury more than anything, a never-say-die attitude. But he can play as well.”

Hunt’s vigorous display, capped by his close-range volley shortly before half-time, typified that of Reading. Although hampered by a series of injuries, they hassled and harried Everton into submission and held on in a frantic finale, when James McFadden and Andrew Johnson hit the woodwork.

To collect four points from a three-match stretch that included games against Manchester United and Chelsea suggests Reading may not join the ranks of one-season wonders. In the corresponding fixtures in the 2006-07 campaign, they gained no points.

For Everton, the promise garnered from their victories against Wigan Athletic and Tottenham Hotspur quickly evaporated. A stirring finish illustrated their capabilities and at least Johnson flitted impressively up front. He might warrant a run-out for England against Germany at Wembley on Wednesday.

“We’ve still got six points out of nine,” Alan Stubbs, the Everton central defender, said. “If you’d offered us that last Saturday, we’d have snapped your hands off. We’re playing well enough, it’s just a blip.”

Reading 1 Hunt 44
Everton 0

Reading (442): M Hahnemann 6 – G Murty 5 (sub: U De La Cruz, 35min 6), A Bikey 8, I Ingimarsson 7, N Shorey 4 – Seol Ki Hyeon 3 (sub: J Oster, 72), J Harper 7, B Gunnarsson 6, S Hunt 7 (sub: R Convey, 79) – K Doyle 4, S Long 4. Substitutes not used: E Fae, A Federici. Booked: Ingimarsson, Long. Next: Bolton Wanderers (a).

Everton(442): T Howard 5 – A Hibbert 4 (sub: J McFadden, 66 5), A Stubbs 5, J Lescott 5, Nuno Valente 4 – L Osman 4 (sub: P Jagielka, 88), P Neville 4, L Carsley 4, M Arteta 5 – A Johnson 6, V Anichebe 4 (sub: S Pienaar, 56 4). Substitutes not used: L Baines, J Ruddy. Booked: Lescott, McFadden. Next: Blackburn Rovers (h).

Referee S Bennett Attendance 22,813