Natasha Dowie netted the only goal of the game to help Reading Women maintain their excellent form in the Women’s Super League.
The Royals enjoyed a magnificent end to 2021 and continued their form into the new calendar year thanks to Dowie’s splendid finish in the 11th minute that proved to be the winner.
Dowie had the chance to add to her and her team’s tally before the break but was denied from the penalty spot.
But Reading held out to see off their relegation threatened opponents and climbed up to sixth in the table.
New signing Sanne Troeslgaard was brought straight into the starting line-up by Kelly Chambers to play in midfield alongside Justine Vanhaevermaet
The first chance of the game came inside the opening two minutes with Natasha Dowie bearing down on goal, but Leicester goalkeeper Demi Lambourne did just about enough to race off her line and clear the danger.
Reading’s tactics to get in behind the Foxes were apparent which saw forward Deanne Rose make several darting runs behind the Leicester backline.
The visitors won a couple of free-kicks within a promising range in quick succession but the Royals stayed compact and organised to clear their lines after Molly Pike’s inswinging delivery.
With 11 minutes on the clock, Reading got off the mark with their first goal of 2022.
Justine Vanhaevermaet picked out the run of Dowie who spotted the keeper slightly off her line and she delicately lifted the ball over the head of Lambourne with a delightful lob that dropped into the net.
The Foxes tried to reply when Esmee de Graaf made a surging run into the box and cut the ball back, but there was no teammate in the middle to profit from what would have been a tap in.
The Royals had the chance to go further in front, this time from the penalty spot when Dowie was tripped in the box by Abbie McManus after Emma Harries had led the charge for Reading and found her fellow attacker in the box.
Dowie stepped up to the spot hoping to bag her second goal of the game, but Lambourne guessed the correct way to make a fine stop.
The hosts came within a whisker of doubling their advantage when Harries burst down the right, into the box, dinked the ball over Lambourne but was denied by the frame of the goal before Amalie Eikeland fired just wide with the follow up.
Chambers made a change going into the second-half as Bethan Roberts replaced Deanna Cooper.
Dowie latched onto a through ball and slotted the ball into the bottom corner with a tidy finish only for her goal to be chalked off by the offside flag, but with promising signs with the Royals looking to add more goals to their tally.
Leicester started to enjoy more of the ball and threaten in attack. Freya Gregory had a golden chance to level the game but opted to go for goal herself instead of picking out a teammate in the middle and struck the side netting.
Five minutes after the hour mark, Dowie had another opportunity to add to the score when Harries set her through on goal, but she elected to hit the shot first time that was held comfortably by Lambourne.
Sam Tierney could count herself fortunate to escape with just a yellow card when she upended Dowie who looked to have been racing through on Leicester’s goal.
Despite having more of the ball than they did in the first-half, the Foxes lacked any cutting edge to pose a real threat to Reading who stayed resilient.
Tia Primmer entered the match for the final 10 minutes in place of Rose.
The hosts limited Leicester’s chances by holding onto possession smartly in the final minutes and remained compact at the back which was enough to see them extend their unbeaten run to six matches in the league.
Reading face an away trip to top of the table Arsenal next weekend.
Reading: Moloney, Harding (c), Evans, Cooper, Woodham, Vanhaevermaet, Troelsgaard, Harries, Eikeland, Rose, Dowie
Subs: Poulter, MacDonald, Primmer, Roberts, Lister, Stewart
Leicester: Lambourne, Howard, McManus, Tierney, Plumptre, de Graaf, Pike, Barker (c), O’Brien, Purfield, Grant
Subs: Gregory, Robinson, Harris, Brougham, Goodwin
Goals: Dowie 11′
