Gylfi Sigurdsson's 85th minute penalty proved to be the difference between battling ten-man QPR and Reading, as the R's left the Madejski Stadium with nothing to show for a determined second-half display.

It was harsh on Neil Warnock's charges, who spent the entire second period a man short following Damion Stewart's sending off just before the half-time whistle for a second-bookable offence.

Rangers had their chances to snatch victory after the break, namely when Jay Simpson blasted over from close-range following Hogan Ephraim's effort that was parried away by Adam Federici.

However, despite holding out for 40 minutes after the interval, Sigurdsson was on hand to blast home from the spot after Matt Hill was adjudged to have brought him down in the box.

R's gaffer Warnock named an unchanged starting XI at the Madejski Stadium.

Carl Ikeme was in goal for QPR, behind a back four of Matt Connolly, Stewart, Kaspars Gorkss and Hill.

In midfield, Adel Taarabt and Ephraim started on the flanks, with Mikele Leigertwood and Alejandro Faurlin in the centre.

Tamas Priskin and Simpson headed the Rangers attack.

In front of watching R's Chairman Ishan Saksena - who took his place amongst the QPR masses in the away end - it was the hosts who fashioned the first chance of the opening period.

After Gorkss gave away a foul around 25 yards from goal, Brian Howard stepped up to fire in at goal a curling free-kick that went inches wide of Ikeme's left-hand post.

Reading, in truth, started the brighter of the two sides - as you would expect from a team that had won six of their last seven league games in the Coca Cola Championship.

However, it was the R's who were next on the attack.

Lovely play from Taarabt and Faurlin allowed Simpson to find space down the right, though when he fired a cross in from the byline, the striker was unable to find a red-and-black-hooped shirt in the box.

It was an opening that gave the R's a bit more belief, and after Priskin touched the ball back to Taarabt on the edge of the area, the Spurs loanee blasted low into the hands of Federici.

Moments later, the same two nearly combined again when Taarabt played in a delightful centre from a free-kick on the left into the path of the Hungarian, before the ball was blocked out for a corner.

From the resultant kick, QPR missed a golden opportunity to open the scoring.

Taarabt once again played provider, and when Gorkss nodded back across the face of goal from the back post, Priskin could only blast high and wide of the target.

Soon after, Priskin found the ball around 25-yards out before firing in a shot on the half volley that was well caught by Federici.

R's midfielder Taarabt was seeing a lot of the ball, and his sublime assist soon after should have resulted in QPR taking the lead.

And after some more typically magnificent skills, the magical Moroccan executed a through ball to Simpson that few players in the Championship would be able to see, let alone execute.

However, through on goal with only Federici to beat, Simpson could only fire straight at the keeper 12 yards from the net.

Just before half time, Rangers were dealt a massive blow when they were reduced to ten men after Stewart was shown his marching orders.

After blocking the path of Federici when the keeper tried to clear his lines quickly after an R's corner, the referee was left with no choice but to produce a second booking and a red card.

Similarly to in the first period, Reading started the second half in positive mood.

Midfielder Sigurdsson played a lovely through pass to Jimmy Kebe on the edge of the penalty area, before he blasted low and straight at R's stopper Ikeme.

Soon after, Reading went even closer when Shane Long found possession out on the left, before he cut in on the edge of the penalty area to bend an effort just wide of the right-hand upright for the hosts.

The home side, by now, were now trying to make their one-man advantage count, and Ryan Bertrand's centre from the left somehow evaded a whole host of Reading players in the box.

QPR didn't sit back despite Stewart's first-half sending off, however, and moments later they almost snatched the lead.

After Taarabt's corner was cleared only as far as Ephraim on the edge of the penalty area, the midfielder unleashed a stinging shot that Federici could only parry into the path of Simpson, but the striker - albeit at an acute angle - blasted over from close range.

Though it was Reading who were seeing more of the ball, and only two superb goal-line clearances stopped them from taking the lead.

First, Sigurdsson cut in from the left before unleashing a thunderous drive at the top right-hand corner that looked to be heading for net before Hill stooped to clear the ball away from goal.

And, after the ball was cut back from the left, Bertrand's stinging effort also looked destined to find the goal before Gorkss put his head in the way to guide the ball to safety.

However, with just five minutes remaining Reading snatched all three points.

After Hill felled Sigurdsson in the penalty area, he dusted himself down before firing the ball into the top left-hand corner of the net.

Reading: Federici, Mills, Tabb, Long (Church 68), McAnuff, Kebe, Ingimarsson, Bertrand, Sigurdsson, Howard (Rasiak 62), Griffin.

Subs: Hamer, Gunnarsson, Matejovsky, Robson-Kanu, Khizanishvili.

Goals: Sigurdsson (Pen) 85

Bookings: Rasiak

QPR: Ikeme, Stewart, Leigertwood, Gorkss, Connolly, Faurlin, Hill, Simpson, Ephraim, Priskin (German 87), Taarabt (Ramage 81).

Subs: Cerny, Vine, Buzsaky, Cook, Borrowdale.

Bookings: Stewart (2), Faurlin, Leigertwood, Hill, Connolly

Red Cards: Stewart

Referee: Mr G Ward

Attendance: 16, 886