Sunderland cruise past Reading FC to end winning home start

Paul Ince made one change, with Mamadou Loum returning to the starting side at the expense of Shane Long. A first match for 10 days after the passing of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the match was started with an impeccably held minute's silence before a rendition of God Save the King.

The sombre tone was matched by the start to the game, with neither side offering a threat in front of goal in the early exchanges. Sunderland took the match to the Royals early on, earning a succession of corners and causing the hosts more of a challenge than the other way round.

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It took 34 minutes for Reading to have their first meaningful effort on target, Tom Holmes lofting a header into the arms of Nathan Patterson in the visiting net. The game appeared to change on a substitution, as striker Ellis Simms was taken off injured for Tony Mowbray’s side, leaving them with no recognised forward. No striker? No problem for the Wearsides as within two minutes they had taken the lead. Lucas Joao lost the ball deep in the Sunderland half, but a swift counter found Roberts inside the Reading penalty box. Staying composed, the former Manchester City youngster cut in and curled a low shot past Joe Lumley.

Instead of re-grouping and holding out until half-time, Paul Ince’s men made it even more difficult for themselves by falling two behind less than a couple of minutes later. Roberts again cut in from the right and sat Tom Holmes on the floor before hitting the same piece of net as the first and giving the hosts a mountain to climb.

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Starting the second half in similar vein to the first, the period took a while to heat up as the onus was on the hosts to get back into the game. Roberts, looking for his hattrick, had the first effort on target of the half as he curled an effort into the arms of Lumley from the edge of the box. Neither time offered much as the half wore on, with the visitors comfortable dropping deeper and keeping possession.

It was signed, sealed, and delivered with 20 minutes to go as they worked the ball from back to front leaving Jack Clarke to finish it smartly inside the box past Andy Yiadom and Lumley. At 0-3 it was dead and buried, with the only positive being the return of Meite, his first start since the opening day defeat at Blackpool. Instead of looking to keep the game tight, it was the visitors who came closest to adding to the score line with Clarke lobbing over the keeper from close range for what would have been his brace.

Ince will be looking for a reaction on Saturday as Reading travel to Wigan Athletic.