After a first-half hailstorm had lashed the Madejski Stadium on Saturday, a rainbow appeared to hover above the drenched players. Optical illusion or omen, Fulham found their crock of gold at the end of it – a first away league victory in 19 months and 34 attempts – and their great escape from relegation took on a semblance of reality.

Fulham will need further assistance. The trapdoor is still open. Yet, apparently, fate is conspiring in their favour, with the visit of Liverpool to Craven Cottage on Saturday, three days before they take on Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final at Anfield.

Rafael BenÍtez, the Liverpool manager, will rest his star players. Bet on it. He did so for the trip to West London last season, with an upcoming Champions League final against AC Milan occupying his mind. Fulham beat the skeleton team 1-0 and went on to avoid the drop by one point.

Danny Murphy, the Fulham and former Liverpool midfield player, is on the case. “I will speak to their boys this week and, hopefully, Stevie [Gerrard], Fernando Torres and a few of the others will stay at home,” Murphy said. “You don’t really want to be playing Liverpool, but if they rest a few it could be a good opportunity for us.” Victory over an abject Reading team, who have been sucked into the relegation fray, not only ended their awayday horrors but also gave them a shot of momentum. It was deserved, too. Brian McBride gave them an early lead and three times they struck the bar in the second half. If the woodwork had left McBride, Brede Hangeland and Jimmy Bullard frustrated, Erik Nevland’s first goal for the club in the final minute eased their angst.

Roy Hodgson, the Fulham manager, expressed hope for the future. “It’s difficult to quantify, but, yes, it is a psychological breakthrough,” he said. “We not only won the game, we controlled it.” He did, though, warn of the Liverpool threat. “We could come down to earth with a bump. Even their reserve team doesn’t look bad to me.”

Reading were dismal. After Kevin Doyle had missed with a simple header in the first half, they barely produced a chance. “The dressing-room is angry, subdued, confused,” Graeme Murty, the captain, said. “There’s a bit of everything in there.”

Liam Rosenior, the right back, smelt the fear with Fulham last season. “I’ve been there,” he said. “It’s time for cool heads. Stay cool, make the right decisions, win matches. We’ve still got a three-point cushion. If we win two games, we’ll be fine.”

For Reading, the omens are not so good. Next up are Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. And Arsenal are no longer involved in the Champions League.

Reading (4-4-2): M Hahnemann 7 – L Rosenior 5, A Bikey 4, I Ingimarsson 6, N Shorey 3 – J Oster 3 (sub: G Little, 60min 5), J Harper 4, M Matejovksy 6 (sub: K Cissé, 77), S Hunt 3 – S Long 3 (sub: D Kitson, 60 4), K Doyle 3. Substitutes not used: I Sonko, A Federici. Next: Arsenal (a).

Fulham (4-4-2): K Keller 5 – P Stalteri 5, A Hughes 4, B Hangeland 4, P Konchesky 4 – S Davies 5, D Murphy 5 (sub: L Andreasen, 90), J Bullard 5, C Dempsey 4 (sub: C Bocanegra, 84) – B McBride 5, D Healy 5 (sub: E Nevland, 82). Substitutes not used: A Warner, D Kamara. Booked: Stalteri. Next: Liverpool (h).

Referee: C Foy
Attendance: 24,112