YAKOU Meite ran the show as Paul Clement’s Reading FC got their first win of the season with an emphatic 2-0 victory against Birmingham City.

The fleet-footed forward looked bright from the off and made no mistake when he was played through on goal by a sensational Marc McNulty pass.

The Ivorian went from strength to strength and looked a constant threat on the flanks as the Birmingham defence struggled to deal with his speed and strength.

This is how we rated the players tonight.

Sam Walker: 7/10 - Stood up when it mattered most. Was quiet for most of the game with very little to do in the first half except once save to deny Mahoney.

That said, he stood firm to deny a flurry of Birmingham attacks late on, most notably a smart stop to deny Che Adams a gilt-edged opportunity. Given Vito Mannone’s disappointing start to the campaign, it will be interesting to see who gets the nod on Saturday.

Andy Yiadom: 7/10 - Another strong performance which will help to stake his claim as Paul Clement’s first-choice right-back. Yiadom showed energy going forward and made some smart tackles at the back.

Has to be said he looks like good business for Reading, a free transfer and he certainly looks like he will play a big part this season.

Liam Moore: 7/10 Lots of pressure on Moore tonight but it was great to see him walk out with the captain’s armband to a huge reception from the Reading FC faithful.

As always, he was a man mountain at the back for most of the game and nothing seemed to go beyond him. Very good first game of the season for the stand-in skipper.

Tiago Ilori: 6/10 - lori had one small blip in the first-half when he was turned by Mahoney inside the box but thankfully Walker came to his rescue.

Other than that, he built on a strong start to the season and showed a good partnership with Moore at the back. Will be interesting to see which two centre-backs start against Bolton now.

Tyler Blackett: 6/10 - Blackett looks like a different player under Paul Clement. He has stopped trying to play out from the back and is keeping things simple at all times.

That showed in his performance which can definitely be described as solid. He also showed a dangerous left-foot and whipped in some brilliant crosses whenever he overlapped.


Leandro Bacuna: 7/10 - Looked eager to show his worth to Clement having had to settle for a place on the bench in the opening two games.

His passing was brilliant, particularly in the first-half, and he made a couple of solid interceptions too. He definitely gave the manager something to think about when he picks his team for Saturday.

John Swift: 7/10 - Looked more like the John Swift we saw in his debut season tonight. He always looked forward and showed his wonderful range of passing.

Drove forward with energy at times and has to be given lots of credit for what was a sublime free-kick to double Reading’s lead in the second half.

Modou Barrow: N/A - Some typical lung-busting runs down the left early on and a dangerous ball towards Meite too.

Unfortunately he had to withdraw after 25 minutes due to injury so Barrow did not have the chance to stamp his authority on the game.

Depending on the extent of his knock it could be a huge loss for Reading in the coming weeks.

Yakou Meite: 8/10 - Birmingham just could not handle him for most of the game.

Meite has worked hard to force his way into Clement’s plans since returning from a season-long loan at Socheaux.

His movement for the opening goal was brilliant and he finished it with aplomb too.

The young winger has certainly given Clement a selection dilemma once Sone Aluko returns from injury.

Sam Baldock: 5/10 The former Brighton & Hove Albion striker has not quite got off to the start everyone was hoping for.

On a positive note, his runs and movement were a constant threat and he looks to be building a solid partnership with Marc McNulty.

However, he squandered a gilt-edged chance in the second half which would have put Royals two goals ahead.

Marc McNulty: 6/10 Linked up well with Baldock and served a chance on a platter in the second-half. Showed his class with a phenomenal ball over the top for Yakou Meite to open the scoring on the night.

His all around play was good but he didn’t have many chances himself. I look forward to seeing more of him in the coming weeks.

John O’Shea: N/A - Came on for the final few minutes and made a strong defensive header to clear away the danger. The Reading fans seemed keen to get behind him whenever he got his head on the ball.

Pelle Clement: 5/10 A big chance for Pelle after he came on early in the first-half to replace Modou Barrow.

He looked comfortable on the ball but didn’t really make any sort of impact on the game which I am sure he will be disappointed with considering his strong performances in pre-season.

Andy Rinomhota: N/A - Was on for a short while but didn’t really get into the game as much as he would have liked.