Queens Park Rangers 4-0 Reading: Lyndon Dykes double helps sink Royals
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Scotland international striker Lyndon Dykes made it nine goals for the season for QPR in all competitions
Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes' double helped QPR thump a struggling Reading side who lost their fifth Championship game in a row.
The forward scored with two first-half headers before team-mate Luke Amos fired the ball in off the bar.
Jimmy Dunne nodded home after the break to add further gloss to the win as the hosts kept up their promotion push and held on to fourth place in the table.
The scoreline means Reading have conceded more than 20 league goals in a calendar month for the first time since September 1930.
The Royals applied good pressure early on, with George Puscas shooting just over before team-mate Lucas Joao's header forced QPR goalkeeper David Marshall into a smart reaction save.
Rangers asserted their authority when Chris Willock drove forward on the counter-attack and drilled in a cross from the right, which Dykes met powerfully to score.
Wave after wave of QPR attacks followed as Stefan Johansen whistled a 20-yard strike just wide, while Dykes nearly grabbed his second from Lee Wallace's pull-back.
Amos then shot against the inside of the post, before Dykes finally found the back of the net again from Albert Adomah's cross.
Just two minutes later, Reading hearts sank further when Amos smashed the ball high into the net after he had launched a break following a corner at the other end.
Veljko Paunovic's Reading are winless in nine games since November
Any hope of the visitors getting a foothold in the game was ended when Rangers defender Dunne put another header past keeper Luke Southwood, who did prevent a Dykes hat-trick by tipping away a volley.
Reading remain one place and two points above the relegation zone, but have played more games than the sides below them.
QPR manager Mark Warburton told BBC Radio London:
"The boys deserve a lot of credit. We knew the attacking threat that Reading possessed, we knew they'd had a tough run of games.
"They had to be strong and solid. Then we got a really important goal at a good time.
"From there, I thought we controlled the game. We attacked the ball really well.
"Then it's about keeping a clean sheet. This was an all-round team performance."
Reading manager Veljko Paunovic:
"We gave away easy goals. In the first half, in between the goals, I think we played well.
"Before we conceded the first goal, we were on the front foot and had initiative.
"When we play with two strikers, we do have much more presence in attack, but on the other side we are more vulnerable in defence.
"I think they took advantage of that. We had a better performance in the second half, although overall not good enough."
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