James Earnshaw takes a look at how Reading performed.

Rafael – 6: Solid first-half, the Brazilian dealt with everything he could have done realistically. Tom McIntyre’s deflection and Lyle Taylor’s penalty meant he could do little about either of the goals. His distribution could have been better, but having said that he was under pressure to get the ball up the other end of the pitch once the first goal went in, making his clearances rushed and therefore less accurate.

Andy Yiadom – 6: The full-back defended well in a solid first half, and was a constant threat down the right-hand side going forward. Subbed off once Charlton broke the deadlock in a tactical change to try and get back in the game. Reading looked more vulnerable defensively when he went off.

Liam Moore – 5: Rarely troubled in the first half, but had a poor second half, culminating in giving away the penalty in the final 10 minutes. Once the first goal went in, the tactical move saw the captain move out to a full-back position which did not suit his game. Not a performance the Reading fans are used to seeing him put in, and he will be desperate to put that right.

Tom McIntyre – 7: Making his first Madejski start, the youngster was targeted by Taylor from minute one. The Academy graduate handled the task well, although a tad naïve at times to give away the occasional foul. A cruel deflection helped Leko open the scoring but on the whole he did not look out of place.

Michael Morrison – 6: Sat in the middle of the three centre-backs, the summer signing was strong throughout. He regularly brought the ball out from the back and tried to make things happen with balls over the top of the opposition defence.

Omar Richards – 6: Justified his addition to the England Under-21s squad by putting in a strong performance. Regularly contributed to the attacks and made some crucial interceptions in the first half. Subbed off with Yiadom after the first goal and the side looked weaker without him playing.

John Swift – 6: An average performance, he failed to live up to the expectations he set himself so far this season. Kept the game ticking over and had a decent attempt from a free-kick and was constantly probing around the edge of the opposition box, however a frustrating performance as he found himself in shooting positions, but elected to pass rather than take the shot.

Ove Ejaria – 6: Flashes of what he has shown so far this season, but just could not drag his team to a result. A notable driving run at the end of the first half to set George Puscas up for his one-on-one. Silky throughout and helped create numerous openings, but just did not quite live up to his previous performances this season.

Pele – 4: Poor performance from the summer signing. Looked slow in possession, wanting more time on the ball than you can get away with in the Championship. Indecisiveness in whether he wanted to just keep possession or try to create an opening led to a disjointed and overall disappointing performance.

George Puscas – 5: Poor performance by his standards, wasting chances and failing to hold the ball up convincingly. Had a one-on-one in first-half stoppage-time saved, and had also hit the bar in earlier in the half. Second-half performance more pedestrian, but equally frustrating as he would rarely close down the opposition whole-heartedly. Hopefully a one-off as he will be needed for a successful campaign.

Lucas Joao – 5: Frustrating figure throughout the match; showing flashes of brilliance followed by poor decision making or failure in application. A willing runner early on, the Portuguese lost heart early on and did not consistently regain his endeavour, especially in the press. No doubt a talent, just need to hope he can show it off on a more regular basis.

Subs:

Yakou Meite – 4: Came on following the first goal and played wing-back. Did not do a great deal and failed to have the desired impact Jose Gomes’ would have hoped for.

Lucas Boye – 4: Strong running and effort, however did not do much in his time on the pitch to impact the result in any way.

Josh Barrett – n/a: Played less than 10 minutes so difficult to judge, but he did not stop running and played some good long-distance passes. Who knows what he could have done if given longer?