Plymouth Argyle 1-4 Reading FC: FLW reports as Royals run riot after Ralls sees red | OneFootball

Boxing Day action from Home Park as Plymouth Argyle hosted Reading FC.

Ralls was dismissed within 10 minutes for a cynical foul on Derek Williams to deny the defender a tap-in in the box. Lewis Wing stepped up and slammed home the penalty, which began a Reading onslaught.

Just eight minutes after the red card, Plymouth found themselves 3-0 down, as Wing pounced on a poor clearance to add his second, before Kamari Doyle latched onto Jack Marriott's knock down, and grabbed the third with another low finish.

Argyle fought back in the second period, and were handed a lifeline when substitute Xavier Amaechi finished off a neat move with 20 minutes to go, before Lorent Tolaj had a penalty saved by Joel Pereira just minutes later.

Reading sealed the deal in the last five minutes though, with Marriott finishing off an excellent pass from Wing to make it 4-1, and the perfect Boxing Day for Leam Richardson's Royals.

Plymouth Argyle 1-4 Reading FC

After 10 minutes of the two teams trying to suss each other out, Reading struck the first blow when a corner was floated in and not dealt with properly by Argyle, which fell to Derek Williams, who was taken out at the back post by Ralls.

Referee James Durkin pointed to the spot, and reached for his pocket to show the midfielder a straight red card. Wing stepped up to take the penalty, and dispatched it calmly into the top left corner to give the Royals an early lead.

Four minutes later, Wing doubled his tally for the afternoon. He shrugged off Mumba at the edge of the box and brought the ball down, before slotting low past Hazard with an accomplished finish.

It took the visitors less than two minutes to find a third. Mathias Ross was beaten in the air by Marriott and the ball fell to Doyle, who darted past his man and once again beat the Plymouth keeper with another low finish to his left.

Tom Cleverley's side managed to stop the Reading rout at three, and actually managed to fashion a few chances before the conclusion of the first half, with Mumba coming close in stoppage time.

The teams went in at the break with the visitors three goals to the good and, with an extra man, the red card had really been Plymouth's undoing.

The Pilgrims introduced Amaechi at half-time, and the winger made an instant impact on the game, playing a lovely diagonal ball over to Mumba, who cut inside and saw his shot turned behind for a corner.

The ever-present Lorent Tolaj then had his first say in the game, picking up the ball and weaving through three Reading players before his shot was eventually charged down by Derek Williams.

With 20 minutes left, the Greens finally had a reward for their efforts. Mumba picked up a loose ball from a Royals corner, and played forward to Boateng. His cross-field pass was perfect for Amaechi, who finished off the move with a powerful strike past Pereira.

The game then burst into life, as the hosts were awarded a penalty when Kelvin Abrefa tripped Mumba. Tolaj stepped up, but his effort was poor, and Pereira comfortably saved the effort.

At the other end, Daniel Kyerewaa produced what was arguably the miss of the season. The ball bounced kindly to him after Ross blocked Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan's shot, leaving the winger with pretty much an open net, but somehow he fluffed his strike wide of the post.

Any chance of Argyle salvaging something from the game was completely dashed when Reading restored their three-goal advantage. Wing's stunning ball over the top was superbly tucked home by Marriott to send the travelling Royals home delighted.

Plymouth Argyle player ratings

C. Hazard - 4

J. Edwards - 5 (K. Szucs 77'(5))

M. Ross - 4

A. Mitchell - 5

M. Sorinola - 4

A. Benarous - 4 (X. Amaechi 46'(7))

M. Boateng - 6

J. Ralls - 3 (Sent off 12')

B. Mumba - 6

O. Oseni - 5 (B. Wiredu 13'(6))

L. Tolaj - 5

Unused substitutes: L. Ashby-Hammond, L. McCabe, B. Pepple, T. Finn

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Reading FC player ratings

J. Pereira - 7

A. Yiadom - 6 (K. Abrefa 69'(4))

D. Williams - 7 (F. Burns 71'(5))

P. O'Connor - 7

J. Dorsett - 6

L. Wing - 9

C. Savage - 7 (L. Fraser 87'(5))

R. Williams - 6 (K. Ehibhatiohman 46'(6))

K. Doyle - 7

D. Kyerewaa - 6

J. Marriott - 7 (M. O'Mahoney 88'(5))

Unused substitutes: J. Stevens, A. Garcia

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Match attendance

There were 16,434 fans present at Home Park on Boxing Day, including 909 travelling from Reading.

Tom Cleverley reacts as early red card undoes Plymouth Argyle

Speaking to PlymouthLive post match, a disappointed Argyle boss Cleverley said: "We knew we were playing a very good team. I think they are in a bit of a false league position, and Reading proved that today.

"I'm gutted we didn't see 11 v 11 because I thought it would have been an excellent game. The moment we were in, winning our last three league games, scoring five last week, we were in for a really good game of football on Boxing Day, which our supporters haven't seen for nine years.

"I think the first penalty is a yellow card and not one of their players is asking for a red. You can hear the shock and the gasps from the whole stadium, and their bench as well.

"Disappointed the game got taken away from everyone there really. If we scored our penalty, you never know what might have happened, and I'm really proud of how much the players gave it a go."

Leam Richardson reacts as Reading secure big back-to-back victories

Speaking to the Wandsworth Times post match, a jubilant Reading boss Richardson said: “It was a great start from the players. All the credit goes to them for taking the information in and executing what we wanted.

“We have got a group that are learning, young, not been together that long, so we have spoken many times about how consistent we can be and it’s something we will keep striving for because that’s what good, successful teams do.

“It was a competitive and challenging game. Plymouth have come off the back of a really good run of form and a 5-1 win at Doncaster. Top goal scorer in the league and relegated from the Championship, they have got a good manager, good players, so it was everything I expected.

“Obviously we prepare through the week for different challenges. You have got to be adaptable in this league and so we had to make sure we started the game right here because the fans are excellent at Home Park, they get behind the team."