Chelsea scraped a dramatic late draw at the Madejski Stadium thanks to a Salomon Kalou strike and an own goal in the closing stages.

Two goals down and with just minutes to play, it looked like being a first defeat for Carlo Ancelotti in what has been a successful pre-season, but we kept on pressing and Kalou made the breakthrough on 88 minutes after Reading had netted twice late in the first half.

The performance left plenty of room for improvement, but the spirit and determination shown by his men will have pleased Ancelotti, who was leading the team for the first time on English soil.

Despite their absence from the Premier League for a second year, Reading remain familiar opposition, not least due to the involvement of Brendan Rodgers, our former reserve team manager now in charge of the Royals, and Ryan Bertrand, the young Chelsea left-back now on loan to the Berkshire club.

For his first Blues game on English soil, Ancelotti fielded a strong side, and perhaps the one he has in mind for Manchester United next weekend.

Branislav Ivanovic was preferred to José Bosingwa at right-back, while Ricardo Carvalho joined John Terry in the centre. In midfield, John Mikel Obi sat at the foot of a diamond, Deco partnered Michael Essien in the centre and Frank Lampard played at the head. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka were the obvious pick up front.

Before kick-off there was a minute's applause to mark the passing of a true football legend, Sir Bobby Robson, who will be sorely missed by all within the game.

With the action underway, it was Chelsea who forged the first opportunities, Lampard threading through for Anelka to shoot, and then trying his own luck from 30 yards. Both shots were comfortably saved by Adam Federici in the Reading goal.

Seven minutes in Terry could have nodded us in front, but headed his vice-captain's corner over the bar when the back of the net looked a likely destination

It was almost all one-way traffic, with Lampard directing. Again it was his pass that supplied the next opportunity, Drogba setting himself with perfect technique to smash a volley at goal on the half-turn 15 yards out. It was straight at the keeper, but will have stung the Australian's palms.

When Reading did get forward, it was down the left that they had most luck, Bertrand sending in a dangerous cross that bounced just in front of Cech. On the ground where he received his terrible head injury nearly three years ago, the Chelsea man dealt well with what came to him.

As seems customary in non-competitive football, there followed a lull in the action that lasted some 15 minutes, until Anelka tried to drag the game back to life, shooting hard and low from just inside the area, only to see his effort deflected wide.

For all Chelsea's possession, we had been frustrated and throttled well by an organised Reading side, displaying features of a 4-3-3 that Rodgers will have picked up and developed during his Chelsea days.

Ancelotti's arrival has seen a switch in formation that had so far proved successful, but today was struggling to make the breakthrough.

Reading nearly did it for us when Federici miscontrolled allowing Anelka to dart in and pinch possession. Forced wide he did well to shoot on-target, only for home captain Alex Pearce to clear behind.

Moments later Essien forced another save from Federici with a shot from range, but it was Reading who took the lead with eight minutes remaining in the half.

Hal Robson-Kanu's speculative shot was half-blocked into the path of Jimme Kebe, who looked offside. The Frenchman played on, rounded Petr Cech and then coolly slotted home, still to the bemusement of Chelsea defenders.

The torment wasn't over. Just before half-time Shane Long assumed possession and ran directly towards goal, Carvalho and Terry both in attendance, before being bundled over by a combination of the pair right on the edge of the box.

Scott Davies stepped up for the dead ball, and stroked it low beyond Cech's outstretched left arm and into the net.

At the break, Ancelotti made three changes, perhaps where he still has doubts as to his starting line-up, so Bosingwa, Alex and Malouda came in for Ivanovic, Carvalho and Deco.

As the half progressed it still looked like Chelsea more likely to score, Bosingwa's cross turned goalwards by Lampard but saved from close range by Federici.

Next it was Drogba guilty of not converting after Mikel sent him away down the left channel, eventually toeing the ball wide with his right when a left-footed shot would have proved more dangerous.

That was to be his last chance, as just after the hour mark Ancelotti opted to change his strike force, Sturridge and Kalou given the chance to stake their claims, while Belletti replaced Essien.

Both new forwards looked lively and quickly demonstrated their capabilities, Kalou dancing past a couple of challenges and getting a shot in, Sturridge finding room to unleash an effort of his own.

The former Man City man came close again, while Belletti found his way into the area, but there seemed no way past a dogged and determined Reading backline, eager to prove it still had top flight credentials.

Having gone a little quiet in the second period, Lampard showed his class with a back-heeled through pass to Malouda, but he dragged his shot wide and it was beginning to look like a first defeat for Ancelotti.

There remained plenty of time for Kalou and Sturridge to almost equalise, sliding in towards but not reaching a Lampard squared-ball, and Belletti to shoot high and wide from distance, before Bosingwa brought the best save of the game from Federici, shooting hard and low from an angle inside the area, forcing the keeper to push it away.

Just to make things interesting, Kalou did pull a goal back with just over a minute of normal time remaining, breaking through the Reading defence and poking calmly home, despite being under heavy pressure.

Then, what would have been unthinkable for the home crowd happened, and we equalised.

Malouda swung in a free-kick and a bunch of bodies jumped for the ball, Alex at first looked like he had the final touch, but the goal was credited as a Pearce own goal, unfortunate after a strong performance from the defender.

So, rather than inflict a first defeat, Rodgers had to settle for being the first manager undefeated by Ancelotti.

It leaves plenty to work on, but the game brought important action on English soil, with some acclimatisation to the dismal drizzle the Italian can expect for the summer ahead.

By Andy Jones

Chelsea (4-4-2 diamond): Cech (Turnbull 76); Ivanovic (Bosingwa h-t), Carvalho (Alex h-t), Terry (c), A Cole; Mikel, Essien (Belletti 63), Deco (Malouda h-t), Lampard; Anelka (Sturridge 63), Drogba (Kalou 63).

Goal Kalou 88, Pearce (O.G) 90+1

Reading(4-3-3): Federici; Rosenior, Pearce (c), Cisse, Bertrand; Gunnarsson (Bikey h-t), Tabb (Harper 55), Davies (Mooney 63); Robson-Kanu (N Hunt h-t), Long (Church 55), Kebe (Henry 78).

Goals Kebe 38 Davies 45