Reading 0 - 2 Crystal Palace: Late Palace show defeats Al Habsi to earn Wembley date

Crystal Palace have not won a league game in 2016

Benik Afobe (second left) scores for Bournemouth during their win at Crystal Palace last month (Getty Images)

Crystal Palace’s Premier League form this year has been dreadful but the FA Cup has kept their season alive as it proved again in their quarter-final last night, when they finally saw off their Championship opponents with two late goals.

A helter-skelter tie appeared to be heading for a replay when Reading defender Jake Cooper unnecessarily tugged at Yannick Bolasie in the home area. Cooper was sent off, for a second yellow card, and Yohan Cabaye scored the penalty. In injury time, substitute Fraizer Campbell tucked in Palace’s second from close range.

It is the first time Palace have reached the semi-finals since 1995, when they lost to Manchester United after a replay.

Palace have not won in 12 league matches, losing eight and drawing four and they are the only team in the four divisions not to win in 2016.

At the end of last year, they sat in fifth place in the league and harboured top-four and European ambitions. Then the slump arrived and they have since slipped to 15th. Yet the Cup has provided contrasting fortunes.

Reading, Cup semi-finalists last season, have also found comfort this season away from the Championship, where they lie 14th. They did lose 3-1 at Huddersfield on Tuesday but, in preparation for the visit of Palace, manager Brian McDermott fielded a weakened side.

It was Alan Pardew’s Palace that started the better, his full-strength steam pulling rank with a series of swift breaks. But Emmanuel Adebayor lacked any precise service as he attempted to stretch the home defence.

Reading’s best moves came on the flanks, through Hal Robson-Kanu and Ola John, but Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey was rarely worked. When he was, he made a comfortable save from Michael Hector’s header.

Palace swiftly resumed superiority and, approaching the interval, could have gone in front from several well-worked openings. Cabaye saw his 30-yard free kick superbly tipped over by Ali al Habsi, a Bolasie shot struck the side netting and Al Habsi denied Adebayor.

John had two openings for Reading. First, a well-struck effort at the far post from Chris Gunter’s centre was deflected wide and then he found only the side netting, albeit from an almost impossible angle near the byline, after Hennessey had fumbled a Robson-Kanu cross.

Al Habsi was soon back in action and, after he had saved spectacularly from Bolasie’s angled drive, Joe Ledley somehow managed to poke the rebound over the crossbar. Palace continued to impress after the break, wave after wave of red and blue bearing down on Reading.

But Al Habsi once more kept them at bay, producing another stunning save to block Mile Jedinak’s powerful header from a Cabaye free-kick. The Oman international was at it again when brilliantly saving an expertly placed 20-yard free-kick from Cabaye.

Hard-pressed Reading could have snatched it near the end, when Hennessey saved John’s point-blank header, but Cooper’s foolishness ended the brave home resistance and extended the interest in Palace’s season.