READING FC under-fire striker Yann Kermorgant played down his goal in last night's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa, saying he would rather see his side win than find the back of the net.

Kermorgant looked to have earned Royals a point when he cancelled out Jonathan Kodjia's opener with an exquisite header after Villa keeper Pierluigi Gollini had saved Danny Williams' 54th-minute penalty.

But Jaap Stam's men ended up empty handed after Jordan Ayew converted a 90th-minute spot-kick following a Liam Moore trip.

The result ended Reading's unbeaten home record at Madejski Stadium this season as 4,000 travelling Villa fans celebrated their side's first away victory since August 2015 and first under new boss Steve Bruce.

And Kermorgant, a focal point of fans' criticisms in recent weeks, admitted: “If we win and I don’t score I don’t mind.

“Tonight I scored and we lost, I’m not happy at all with the result.

"We were the best team on the pitch and we can’t afford to lose against this kind of team."

Reading's struggles up front have not been helped by injuries to Joseph Mendes and Yakou Meite, both of whom are sidelined.

And Kermorgant, who has already spoken about his frustration with playing as the team's lone striker, accepts Royals lack a cutting edge in the final third.

“We had chances but our style of play is based on lots of possession," said the former Bournemouth hitman. "We make sure we don’t lose the ball but sometimes we need more of a cutting edge.

“Sometimes we lack a little bit of something but tonight was tough to take.

“It’s not about my goals, it’s about the team. Tonight the team lost and hopefully we will go to Rotherham on Saturday and get something from there.”

  • Should Kermorgant start against Rotherham? Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment below.