He told BBC Berkshire: "We didn't have that spark about us that we did on Saturday [in the 2-0 victory over Leicester] which was disappointing.
"It was tough. We didn't play well, particularly in the first half, and we didn't deserve anything," he added.
Former Reading striker Dave Kitson scored the only goal of the night after tapping in from a corner, something that particularly annoyed McAnuff.
"The one time that we didn't defend as well as we should have, Kitson gets in and has a tap in from a few yards out. It was a really disappointing goal to concede."
Reading now turn their attention towards Saturday's home match against Barnsley.
"It's a quick turnover, so we haven't got too long to dwell on this," McAnuff added.
"There are a lot of games at the start of the season, but that's just part and parcel of the league. We'll dust ourselves down and get ready for the next game."
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport