Reading FC were swept aside by QPR on Saturday afternoon as Lyndon Dykes struck twice in a supremely comfortable victory for the home side.

The Royals started out well enough but Dykes connected with two headers before Luke Amos grabbed a third to end the game by half-time. 

Jimmy Dunne nodded in from header in the second half to further the damage as Reading were simply crushed.

Manager Veljko Paunovic kept faith in the team that was beaten 4-3 by Huddersfield last weekend, choosing an unchanged XI for the trip to West London.

New signing Karl Hein started on the bench while Ovie Ejaria returned to the 18-man squad for the first time since November 23rd.

It was the visitors who started on the front foot, seeing a pair of half-chances test the QPR defence. Lucas Joao got to a free-kick first and saw his header pushed past the post before Josh Laurent had a volley from the edge of the box hacked away.

The Royals then felt they should have had a penalty when Laurent drove into the box and went down in between two QPR defenders. The referee gave a goal-kick and moments later the home side took the lead in the 13th minute.

Chris Willock drove down the line and floated a terrific cross towards the back post giving Lyndon Dykes the simplest of tasks to head past Southwood.

With QPR now firmly in the ascendancy they very eanrly made it 2-0 shortly after when Stefan Johansen hit one narrowly wide from just outside the box. 

Dykes had another chance as QPR piled on the pressure, but Southwood got a strong hand to his effort from the edge of the box to keep it out. Willock was next to try his luck, curling a shot just wide with Southwood beaten.

The attacking midfielder wnet even closer just past the half-hour mark, seeing his shot strike the inside of the post and come back out.

The home side’s pressure finally did pay off in the 35th minute when Dykes grabbed his second in almost the exact same fashion as his first. This time Albert Adomah supplied the cross and the striker headed home with a touch off Tom Holmes.

Just two minutes later QPR made it 3-0. From a Reading corner, QPR won the ball and countered at pace, evenutllay feeding Luke Amos streaking through on the left side and the midfielder cooly lifted the ball over Southwood and into the back of the net with a touch off the crossbar.

Mercifully, the first half came to an end without further damage to the Royals as QPR finished a dominant first half 3-0 up. 

Unfortunately for Paunovic’s side, the interval just delayed the pain and QPR made it 4-0 in the 51st minute, Jimmy Dunne totally free at the back post to head in from a corner.

Reading did the have a rare chance to get back into the game when Josh Laurent was played in but with a tight angle he chose to cross instead os hoot and it was deflected behind for a corner.

Tom Dele-Bashiru, on as a second half substitute for Laurent, had half a chance in the 65th minute but the midfielder could only drag his effort wide of the target.

Lucas Joao had Reading’s best chance of the afternoon shortly after but his powerful header from six yards out was tipped over the bar by Marshall.

Reading were enjoying a spell of possession but QPR hit back hard and had three great chance to extend their lead in quick succession. First, Dykes saw a fierce drive pushed over by Southwood before the goalkeeper was once again needed to deny substitute George Thomas. Dykes then got to the rebound but Holmes managed to block it clear.

Yiadom and Swift each tried their luck from distance as the game petered out but Reading never really got anything going as both sides seemed to accept the 4-0 scoreline.

READING FC XI: Southwood, Yiadom, Holmes, Morrison, Baba Rahman; Drinkwater, Laurent (59’), Rinomhota, Swift; Puscas (Ejaria 46’), Joao