Toothless Reading suffered another heavy defeat on the road, losing 4-0 to struggling Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Trailing by just the one at the break, the floodgates opened in the closing stages as the Potters picked up just their second win in eight matches and move further clear of relegation trouble.

Regular slow starters, it was no different in Staffordshire. The opening five minutes were fast and furious, with the hosts creating plenty of half chances, before settling down into the pattern of Reading defending. It took just 11 minutes for the hosts to take the lead, a gift from the Royals. Andy Yiadom was dispossessed on the edge of the penalty area and after neat passing the ball fell for Will Smallbone, who powered an effort past Joe Lumley. Reading created the odd half chance, with the first falling for Yakou Meite when Tyrese Fornah whipped a cross into the box.

On the half hour mark, it could have been two for Stoke after a corner was not dealt with and Jacob Brown’s effort was deflected onto the roof of the net. Fornah skewed an effort well wide, and Meite forced Jack Bonham into his first save of the match shortly before the whistle when he bumped Phil Jagielka off of the ball and fired a shot at the keeper’s near post. It was palmed away and came to nothing, but was the first effort on target for the visitors. The Potters had the final say of the half, almost doubling their lead through a clever free-kick routine and the strike was cleared by Lumley’s legs before Mamadou Loum threw his body in front of the rebound, only for the referee to spot a foul and blow the whistle.

Unfortunately it was more of the same in the second half, with the hosts creating a glut of half-chances within three minutes of the restart. It was a sign of what was to come and 10 minutes later the lead had been doubled after Lumley’s poor goal kick was intercepted and Tyrese Campbell fired home at the near post, with the help of a Tom Holmes deflection. In an attempt to change the flow of the game, Paul Ince made a quadruple change on the hour mark.

The Royals had a spell with the ball, passing and moving, but the Stoke backline remained untroubled as a toothless Reading skirted around the box before losing possession. Looking to be heading toward a respectable defeat, the floodgates opened in the closing stages as Stoke punished mistakes. Jacob Brown bundled the ball home at the back post from a deep cross to make it three, while Dwight Gayle deflected Josh Laurent’s long-distance strike past the wrong-footed Lumley to compound the misery.

Now taking a break from Championship action, a trip to in-form Manchester United awaits in the fourth round of the FA Cup.