There was a disturbing inevitability about the outcome of this match which anchors the Royals firmly to the foot of the table. The Gunners even outshone the home side in the warm-up. The contest was over from the point when the defensive vulnerability of Kebe and Cummings was exposed in the fourteenth minute when a cross from their flank was brilliantly controlled and tucked away by Podolski. Two more goals from Cazorla before half time left Reading looking demoralised with nothing to play for but pride. Credit should be given to the team and the manger for not capitulating and thus avoid utter humiliation. Reading did their best but it was never going to be good enough.

As early as the first minute Federici was tested by a swift Arsenal attack and made an excellent save low to his right from Oxelade-Chamberlain. Reading started brightly and briefly threatened the Arsenal goal. A sharp exchange of passes with Cummings sent Pogrebnyak clear on the right and the Russian striker run closed in on goal. Confronted with a clear sight of goal, admittedly from a tight angle, lacked the confidence to go for goal choosing the safer but less effective option of squaring the ball in to a crowded goal mouth. Arsenal were clearly wary of Reading’s threat at set pieces leaving nine players in the six yard box for corners. Arsenal dominated the play with Cazorla and Wilshere passing and moving with such mesmerising fluidity it was only a matter of how many Arsenal would score. Given they were supplying world class forwards in the form of Walcott, Oxlade-Chmaberlain and Podolski Reading were lucky to only concede three by the interval.

Reading re-grouped at half time and played five across the middle with Pogrebnyak left up as a lone striker. Reading looked less vulnerable – for a while. The fourth goal was a celebration of passing football at its best culminating in Cazorla completing his hat trick sliding a ball in to the net with ease and not a Reading player even close to him. The Royals defensive set up was disciplined but ill-equipped to match the pace and movement of a truly outstanding passing side. Hunt and Pogrebnyak were immediately replaced by Le Fondre and Robson-Kanu both making an immediate impact leaving me wondering why neither had started the game. Le Fondre is clearly Reading’s best striker and, as Robson-Kanu demonstrated against United recently, he is our most potent wide player. (Yes I know Kebe took his goal well but he continues to frustrate with poor decision-making and defensive weakness.) Le Fondre released by Tabb waltzed round Szczesny to reduce the deficit to three again on sixty-six minutes. Robson-Kanu went on a run and found Kebe on the edge of the box who finished well and amazingly took the Royals to within touching distance of a recovery. Not really. Arsenal toyed with Reading for a few minutes and then Walcott wrong-footed Gorkss (who actually played quite well) before driving past an unsighted Federici. Reading were lucky to only concede five in the end.

Losing at home to United and Arsenal was expected but losing away to Villa, Wigan, Southampton and Sunderland was disastrous. Avoiding relegation looks beyond the current squad, but with the possibility of new signings in January anything is possible. There just might be three clubs in the cluster just above Reading who also might find it hard to stay up. The manner and margin of the last two defeats is cause for concern, but with over half the season to go and only six points adrift of safety it is too early to throw in the towel.
John Wells

Impossible to find any positives from that. Arsenal could and should have had more. We shaped our championship side on counter attacking football, well that's how you do it in the premier league. We knew before kick off that the likes of Gorkss, Mariappa and Cummings would not fair well with Walcott, Podolski and Oxade Chamberlain running at them but this was quite painful to watch. Cazorla, Arteta and Wiltshire completely ran the show in the middle of the park, Tabb continuously put himself about to no great effect and Leigertwood continuously put the ball out.

What can McDermott do with that bunch of players? The answer is quite clearly nothing. He did try to switch the formation about but all we learned from that was that Jobi is just as ineffective whichever position he plays in. It's hard to swallow but this season is now just about enjoying watching what the opposition has to offer. The one highlight of the night was hearing the 5 Parkinson's in full voice.
leicsRoyal

Arsenal, predictably, absolutely dominated throughout, should have scored double what they did (so should we to be fair), and despite my pre-match instinct I still walked away annoyed. We simply do not do the basics well enough. Tabb, centre circle, dropping ball, no Arsenal player anywhere near him, crying out to be told to bring it under control, clearly no shout, panic header expecting pressure, gives possession away. Cummings, right back position, two men coming towards him in a pincer movement, Leigertwood between and advanced from them, easy shout to Cummings to lay it simple, clearly nothing, hoof out of play, pressure on. Just two mind-numbingly Sunday Leagueish episodes where you're hoping that players would at least attempt to look the part.

First two goals, nobody tracking Podolski or Cazorla. We have been caught out by this too many times in recent weeks - Wigan away second and third, Saimts away, United first and third. It's a simple task, one of football's most basic tasks - track your man. And we fail time and time again to even do that, no wonder we've conceded 19 goals at home now (28 if you include the cup games). Up front we actually had some quality on show finally from Pogrebnyak, Hunt won his headers again but failed to show much else, predictably, McAnuff looked lost after we went 1-0 down, flat on his heels at one point when he had a ball played in front of him to run on to. Head down stuff from him. Kebe looked lively if a little bereft of quality. Best player for us though? Federici. And that says it all. He saved us from a complete obliteration, by a long long way his best game of the season.

One to take on the chin and move on to the next game. 7 in a row, Swansea and West Ham look increasingly more important week by creeping week.
handbags_harris

Anyone who saw Gary Neville's in-depth analysis on Sky TV of Reading's performance last night must be doubting Brian McDermott's ability to rescue us from finishing the season exactly where we are now - bottom of the Premier League. Tactical naivety was the message for me; any amount of new, quality, experienced buy-ins during the transfer window will not save us if our tactics are wrong. We already have players in the team with Premier League experience and there was an expectation that they will lead and support the younger, less experienced players. There is no clear sign of this happening with the schoolboy defensive errors that lead to Arsenal's first three goals last night; and too often it is the experienced players that are making the worst mistakes. Neville also highlighted the folly of committing, early on in this game, seven players in one attack (one of whom was left standing behind the opposition goal).

I am tired of the same old statements the like of "Matches against teams such as Chelsea, Manchesters U and C and, of course, Arsenal, will not define our season". This is undermining the potential of the team and completely overlooks, not the result, but the manner of our performances against the top teams. The same tactical naivety seen against Arsenal will be shown against Manchester City in our next match and coupled with that will be a further erosion of the player's confidence. Even if the results continue to go against Reading the players have to believe that they have the potential to perform better, as a team. Other cliches like "We are punching above our weight" are similarly unhelpful; Reading have put in good performances in the recent past in the Championship against the likes of Swansea, West Ham, Norwich, and Southampton.

I am really concerned about the messages coming out about spending on new players. The squad clearly needs strengthening and there will be a very strong expectation from the supporters that investment will be made at such a critical time. Yes we admire the fact that the club is so committed to managing its spending but wake up - Reading are on the brink of a rapid and very embarrassing departure from the top league in the world. If spending whatever it takes is not on the agenda right now then our club is doomed to a future of utter mediocrity. Brian, you have done an incredible job with the club but, regardless of who is playing for us, what is the team going to do differently in the remaining twenty-one matches. Come the end of the season I can deal with a courageous exit, all guns blazing, but just at the moment I see a white flag waving along with the message "This is Reading FC, this is the way we do it". Maybe it is time for a change?
Oxford Royal

This was like old times for Arsenal. The opposition were inferior but they swatted them aside with a ruthless attacking swagger to drink in a much needed tonic. The trauma of the Capital One Cup exit at League Two Bradford City demanded a response and it was forthcoming...

Last season's Championship winners will return whence they came if they continue to defend like this. Arsenal endured nervous moments at the back but, compared with their opponents, they resembled Italian catenaccio specialists. It was excruciating to watch Reading in the first half, when Arsenal found such space that it felt like a training-ground exercise. The visitors could conceivably have led by five or six at the interval...

Reading were the most accommodating of hosts, allowing Arsenal to settle and take charge and, for an hour, the contest between Cazorla & co and the Reading backline was, frankly, a grotesque mismatch.

McDermott's men showed why they have kept only one clean sheet this season as they stood back and watched Podolski dart in to take Kieran Gibbs's left-wing cross, steady himself and dispatch the opening goal from close range. It was far from their only festive gift. Arsenal strolled through Reading seemingly at will.
The Guardian

Wenger, then, will be acutely aware that this emphatic dousing of Reading does not amount to evidence that his team will survive the season without further scars...

With Walcott also lurking in the penalty area, Lukas Podolski delivered a perfectly-timed run into Reading’s penalty area to control Kieran Gibbs’ cross and then direct a finish past Federici. The goal lifted a weight off Arsenal’s shoulders and they produced their most sustained period of fluid attacking football this season. Cazorla, in particular, was superb. He shot narrowly wide with his first sight of goal before finding his range twice in the space of three minutes.

With Shaun Cummings struggling badly at right-back, Podolski broke into space down the left to dissect Reading’s defence with quite shocking ease. Cazorla had anticipated the cross, evading Adrian Mariappa with his darting run before sending a low header past Federici. Arsenal were aided by more woeful defending as they added their third. Gibbs drifted into the penalty area and headed back across goal, allowing Cazorla to control the ball before spinning to volley past Federici. Only 34 minutes had elapsed but some Reading fans were already heading for the exit...

For Reading, there was some consolation to be taken from a spirited second-half performance if not a sixth consecutive defeat. The Impossible Dream had been played over the Tannoy before the match and that sums up Reading’s survival hopes.
The Telegraph