Reading 4 Derby County 1

The Coca-Cola Championship game between Reading and Derby County at the Madejski Stadium on Wednesday, March 08 2010.

Every so often football throws up some incredible sights – Robbie Savage providing a goalkeeping masterclass for instance.

The Derby midfielder has been around the block but it was on new ground that the 35-year-old found himself when Stephen Bywater was removed with an injured back, and Saul Deeney was sent off 27 minutes later, with Derby already two down.

That Reading could only score twice more suggests he rather took to it.

His prodigies could not, however, prevent Reading from taking three points, Shane Long, Jimmy Kébé, Ryan Bertrand and Simon Church securing Reading a fourth successive home league win – their best run at the Madejski since the start of last season, lending yet more credibility to Brian McDermott’s regime.

One of the Reading manager’s major successes has been bringing the best out of Long and Kébé.

The pair have been on fire and sure enough Kébé found Long with a firm pass which the striker slid calmly past Stephen Bywater.

Kébé almost scored with an instinctive back-heel lob (as impressive as it sounds), but his goal, contrived by Jay Tabb, was more orthodox and an almost carbon-copy of Long’s, only this time against Deeney.

The night, however, belonged to Savage. Deeney was dismissed after fouling Tabb in the area and Savage – who had had a mediocre game in midfield – obligingly pulled on the green jersey, in time to see Long send his penalty well over the crossbar – presumably because he could not run the risk of Savage actually saving it.

Savage’s first touch in his new capacity was a shanked goal-kick, but he produced a fine save to deny Long and his acrobatics to prevent Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free kick from lancing into the top corner were frankly exceptional.

True, Bertrand and Church breeched his defences, but Savage might like to think about postponing his budding career as a media luvvy. He has a higher calling.