Mike Walters at Daily Mirror

Roy Beerens spared Reading’s blushes as the Royals rode their luck from the spot yet again.

Jaap Stam’s promotion chasers were worthy winners, but they had to rely on their 11th penalty of the season – and the fifth they converted from the rebound after it was saved.

Then Ali Al Habsi beat out Chris Martin’s last-minute penalty save as Fulham missed their seventh spot-kick out of nine.

Dutch winger Beerens devoured the ricochet expertly, his sixth goal of the season, four minutes after the break after England Under-21 international John Swift became the fifth Reading player to miss from the spot this term.

Fulham keeper David Button parried Swift’s spot-kick, but Beerens did the rest to send Stam’s men third in the Championship.

Garath McCleary rattled the bar before Al Habsi saved Martin’s penalty with 30 seconds of normal time remaining to deny Fulham a point after Moore had brought down Lucas Piazon.

It was Martin’s second miss in as many games after he was foiled by QPR’s Alex Smithies at the weekend.

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