'No urgency and no cutting edge' -- that's the verdict from one Royals fan after a third home loss in a row tightened the gap at the top of the table.
And many Reading fans reacted the same way following the final whistle of the 2-0 defeat to Middlesbrough.
READ MORE: Player ratings from Reading's loss to Middlesbrough
Here's what Loyal Royals had to say online after a frustrating afternoon.
Felt like when we were chasing the game, Rino and Laurent pushed too high and then it left the back 4 with little option apart from the long ball. I would have preferred us to keep our shape and composure #ReadingFC
— Mark Fidgett (@MarkFidgett) February 20, 2021
Majorly missing Meite at the moment. Aside from his quality he adds a different dimension to our forward line. Looking very predictable at the moment especially at home. Meite gives us more variety #readingfc
— Colin White (@_col__83) February 20, 2021
Disappointing to lose today but still 5th. Having a cracking season so far in a tough league. On to the next one. #readingfc
— Rob Molloy (@Dobchecks) February 20, 2021
It's a shame we couldn't take advantage of other results going our way but at the same time we haven't lost much ground either. We're still in a good position, but if we want to make sure of the top 6 we can't afford many more games like that between now & May! #readingfc
— Tom Maynard (@ttmaynard) February 20, 2021
Rubbish today. Joao bullied by Fry who won every 50/50. A very reactive midfield who were poor and hopeful in the pass today #readingfc
— Scott Graham (@ScottGraham_10) February 20, 2021
As soon as that second goal went in, our heads completely dropped and we never looked like scoring. No urgency and no real cutting edge. Yet again, Paunos game management has to be questioned, why wait until near the end to bring Puscas and Aluko on? #readingfc
— Harrison Mitchell (@harrison1871rfc) February 20, 2021
We also need to focus on addressing our own performances and getting a level of consistency. Poor Sat, solid Tues, abject today.
— Sean (@sean_rich96) February 20, 2021
If we don't it's irrelevant speculating where we'll finish/how many of the next x games we will or won't win. #readingfc
The most frustrating thing is that if our starting 11 don’t click we literally have no chance because we’ve got no game changers on the bench, even boros bench had decent depth. We’ve exceeded ourselves so much this season with the squad we have #ReadingFC
— Harry Voice (@Harryvoicey) February 20, 2021
Not our day, but now we’ve got a run of games against bottom half clubs. Massive opportunity to take #readingfc
— Zac Colón (@ZacLONDON_31) February 20, 2021
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