DESPITE suffering horrific facial injuries after an alleged ‘stamp’ just 12 days ago, Nelson Oliveria capped off a man of a match display by blasting Reading FC out of the relegation zone at Madejski Stadium.

The Portuguese forward, on loan from Norwich City FC, bagged the winner as he cut onto his right foot and fired beyond Blackburn Rovers’ David Raya in a 2-1 victory.

Royals had been below-par in the opening 45 minutes, but a rejuvenated second-half display saw Jose Gomes’ side earn all three points on the night.

Here’s how we thought the Royals got on in their must-win Championship clash.

Emi Martinez: 7/10 - Another strong performance from the Arsenal FC loanee. The game could have been different had the big shot-stopper not denied Adam Armstrong a golden opportunity after 11 minutes with a strong save.

Andy Yiadom: 7/10 - Proved once again to be a magnificent capture for Reading FC as he shrugged off his man on the wing before delivering a pin-point cross for Swift to fire Jose Gomes’ side into the lead.

Liam Moore: 6/10 - Reading’s defending looked shaky at time but Moore looks to be striking up a good partnership with Miazga at the heart of the defence. He was as composed on the ball as ever and made solid tackles to help guide Royals across the line.

Matt Miazga: 7/10 - Didn’t stand out as much as he has in recent weeks but another solid performance at the back. Miazga looks to have cemented his place as Liam Moore’s defensive partner and refused to be beaten in the air throughout the 90 minutes.

Reading Chronicle:

Matt Miazga hugs Nelson Oliveira.

Tyler Blackett: 6/10 - Was caught on the ball at times but looks different player to the confidence-bereft Blackett we saw under Jaap Stam and Jose Gomes. He appears to have made the left-back position his own in Jordan Obita’s absence.

Omar Richards: 6/10 - Jose Gomes clearly prefers to deploy Richards in a more attacking role as Richards played 90 minutes on the left wing. He struggled in the first half but grew into the game as it went on and was desperately unlucky not to cap off what would have been goal of the season in the second half.

Liam Kelly: 5/10 - Similarly to Richards, he grew into the game after a poor first half. Confidence may have been an issue but he found himself robbed of the ball on several occasions and nearly gifted Blackburn an opener after 11 minutes.

John Swift: 8/10 - Fantastic footwork and strike to give Reading the lead on the stroke of half time. Swift had plenty to do when Yiadom picked him out but he created the space brilliantly before firing across David Raya. He also turned provider with a magnificent pass to Nelson Oliveria for the late winner.

Reading Chronicle:

John Swift fired Reading in front.

Ovie Ejaria: 5/10 - Didn’t put in his best performance, particularly in the first-half. Ejaria was caught on the ball several times and was perhaps lucky not to be withdrawn at the break. That said, he showed his class with a wonderful pass in the second half which Yakou Meite should have converted.

Sone Aluko: 4/10 - Deployed in a number 10 role where he has showed promising signs in recent weeks but struggled to get to grips with the game in the first half before being dragged off at half-time.

Nelson Oliveria: 9/10 - It’s been two years in the making but after numerous transfer rumours over the last two seasons Nelson Oliveria finally scored the winner for Reading with a sensational strike. Swift deserves credit for the ball over the top but it was a wonderful piece of skill from the Portuguese to cut inside and curl the ball beyond Raya.

Yakou Meite: 6/10 - Made an impact when stepping off the bench at half time but was guilty of squandering several chances. Royals could have been made to rue one particular effort where Meite appeared to have all the time in the world before dragging his shot wide of the post.

Lewis Baker: N/A

Jon Dadi Bodvarsson: N/A