Bill Edgar's tactical analysis

Graeme Murty, the Reading captain, was fuming. Not over losing at home to Manchester United on Saturday nor the cruel manner of the defeat, inflicted by late goals from Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. Murty’s Ronaldo shirt, a memento of the Portugal winger’s brilliance, had gone missing and the culprit faced a grisly fate. “Someone’s had it away and when I find out who it is, it’s going to be bloody,” Murty said. “There’s going to be legs broken.

“I had a shower, came out and it was gone. It’s a player, an apprentice or a member of staff. I know my list of suspects, but I’m not telling you because that might give them a warning. It’s not going to be pretty.”

Whodunnit? Kevin Doyle, the Reading striker, was unable to shed light on the Great Madejski Stadium Mystery. “I’d be annoyed, too,” he said. “It’s not nice to get the jersey and have it taken from you. Maybe one of the younger lads has it. They’re all putting away the gear now, so I’d check eBay in a day or two.”

Ronaldo, unaware of a thief in the Reading ranks, seemed bemused by the fuss. “I don’t understand,” he said. “Someone stole it? I gave the shirt to him. I don’t know what happened after that. For me, it’s not a problem.”

Nothing, it would appear, is a problem for Ronaldo. He plays, he weaves his spell, he scores. Even when not at his best, as against a gung-ho and hard-grafting Reading team, he raced from his own half in the final seconds to secure United’s victory. It drew a tart response from Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager, who gestured at Wally Downes, the Reading coach. “It would have been a catchweight contest,” Steve Coppell, the Reading manager, said on the potential showdown. “The fact that he was so animated at the end was a compliment to us, that we pushed them so hard.”

Reading did. Although depleted, with Kalifa Cissé, Stephen Hunt and Doyle playing out of position, they tested the Barclays Premier League leaders to the limit. Had Dave Kitson accepted a presentable chance in each half, or James Harper not shot narrowly wide towards the end, they might have gained an honourable draw.

Yet United always held the edge, able to conjure a magic moment at any time. “At one stage, me and Kevin Doyle were marking Rooney, Ronaldo, Nani and Ryan Giggs,” Murty said. “It was a bit daunting.”

It took a special moment from Rooney to break the deadlock, delicately guiding in a lofted pass from Carlos Tévez. “You have to give Reading a lot of credit,” Rooney said. “They attacked us, it was an end-to-end game and probably the most difficult I’ve played in this season.”

United also possess an inner belief that it will be all right on the night. “There is a determination in this team,” Rio Ferdinand said. “It shows our resilience and desire to win.” Rooney, again, will have impressed the watching Fabio Capello, the new England manager. Yet it is Ronaldo’s serene progress that captures the imagination like few others. His 23rd goal of the campaign equalled his tally of last season and drew him closer to the 32-goal club record of George Best and Dennis Viollet.

“I don’t want to break records,” Ronaldo said. “The most important thing is for the team to win the title. When people compare me with Best, it is a great compliment. He was one of the most important players ever. I have my style and it’s completely different, but it’s always good to be compared to great players.”

Another Footballer of the Year award for Ronaldo? Most punters would put their shirt on it, especially Murty. If only he could find it.

Reading (4-4-2) M Hahnemann 5 G Murty 5 I Ingimarsson 5 K Cissé 7 N Shorey 5 K Doyle 6 J Harper 7 S Hunt 4 R Convey Y 3 D Kitson 6 L Lita 6 Substitutes M Matejovsky (for Convey, 79min), S Long (for Lita, 82). Not used A Federici, L Rosenior, U de la Cruz. Next: Chelsea (a).

Manchester United (4-3-3) E van der Sar 5 W Brown 4 R Ferdinand Y 6 N Vidic 6 P Evra 5 Park Ji Sung 5 O Hargreaves 6 M Carrick 5 C Ronaldo 7 C Tévez 7 W Rooney 5 Substitutes R Giggs 5 (for Park, 46min), Nani 5 (for Hargreaves, 69), D Fletcher (for Tévez, 79). Not used T Kuszczak, J O’Shea. Next: Portsmouth (h).

Referee S Bennett
Attendance 24,135