Reading squandered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 against Swansea City, making it three defeats on the bounce for Paul Ince's men.

Taking a 2-0 advantage, albeit against the run of play, Harry Darling pulled one back before half time and a totally dominant Swans completed the turnaround in the second half through Ollie Cooper and Jay Fulton.

The stage was set. The teams were out, and the ball was rolling- for less than 60 seconds. Half of the stadium was plunged into darkness as one every few floodlights went out. For six minutes, the players passed among themselves as the stadium team worked on bringing back the lights, with the help of 14,000+ phone flashlights from those in attendance. Once the game resumed, it panned out exactly how many had expected, with Swansea dominating possession.

The hosts fashioned the first opening as Amadou Mbengue, on his first start, lost his man and Matty Sorinola cut the ball back into a dangerous space. The second phase was more dangerous as Matt Grimes played it into the box and Michael Obafemi spun and hit a shot straight at Joe Lumley. The returning keeper was called back into action shortly after as Ben Cabango hit a powerful effort from 30 yards which required tipping over the bar.

However, against the run of play, it was the visitors who took the lead as Junior Hoilett’s cross was bundled home by Meite at the second time of asking. After more shouts of feeling hard done by from the hosts, it was to get worse as Meite picked the pocket of defender Darling and teed the ball up nicely for Ince to clip over an onrushing Steven Benda to increase the lead to two.

The Swansea.com Stadium, perhaps better known as the Liberty Stadium, was in stunned silence- but not for long. As it looked as though the side would hold out until the break, Darling rose highest to flick a Grimes corner past Lumley to half the deficit before half-time.

It was rinse and repeat after the break, with the hosts dominant and pressing hard, despite the best efforts of Reading to keep them out. Niggly injury breaks to Andy Yiadom and Mbengue did nothing to stem the flow of Swan attacks, and on the hour mark the scores were levelled up when Cooper reacted quickest in the box to a Lumley save to prod home.

Lucas Joao and Ovie Ejaria added some creativity on the occasions they received the ball, but it was very much attack versus defence, and it could have been three shortly after were it not for Lumley’s legs and the offside flag preventing Obefemi from rounding off a sweeping counterattack from back to front. Russell Martin need not worry, as the third came less than 10 minutes later. One-time rumoured Royal target Fulton powered home an effort from distance, the ball kissing the post as it crashed into the back of the net to complete the turnaround.

Reading pushed for an equaliser, with Joao, Ince and Ejaria all looking dangerous, but in truth very little clear cut was created and the Swans managed the game until the end.

It drops the Royals out of the top six, but more concerningly makes it four matches without a win as they enter a busy period before the World Cup.

Bristol City visit the SCL Stadium on Saturday.