Sheffield United 4-0 Reading: Anel Ahmedhodzic scores twice as Sheffield United go top
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Bosnia international Ahmedhodzic scored his second goal of the campaign for Sheffield United
Sheffield United leapfrogged Reading to return to the top of the Championship, with a clinical win over the Royals at Bramall Lane.
Oli McBurnie scored for the second time in two matches to give the Blades an early lead, before Anel Ahmedhodzic doubled the tally immediately after the break, volleying into the net from a corner.
Iliman Ndiaye added a third with half an hour still to play as Sheffield United racked up the chances on goal, and Ahmedhodzic got his second of the night late on to complete the rout.
The Blades have now won their first four home matches of the campaign for the first time since the 2005-06 season, when they were promoted to the Premier League.
It was an early top of the table game in first versus second, with Sheffield United having been nudged off top spot on Saturday by Paul Ince's side.
Reading have been one of the surprise packages this season and were in Yorkshire looking for their fourth win on the trot, having not conceded in any of their three previous outings.
But Sheffield United are enjoying some of their best home form in years and opened the scoring early through Scotland striker McBurnie, who headed in a cross from Max Lowe for his first goal at Bramall Lane since December 2020.
Ndiaye had a close-range shot blocked for the hosts and also got through in a one-on-one with Reading keeper Joe Lumley but sent his shot wide, as Sheffield United had all the possession and chances.
Then it took fewer than 60 seconds after the second half restarted for the hosts to score a second. Bosnia international Ahmedhodzic fired in from a Tommy Doyle corner with both players brought into the starting line-up for the match and Doyle making his full debut.
The confidence was flowing and when Reading sloppily gave the ball away inside their half, Sheffield United pounced quickly. Sander Berge found Ndiaye on the edge of the box, this time he did not miss as he cut inside and slotted the ball into the corner.
Reading, whose only other defeat so far was a similar 4-0 thrashing at Yorkshire neighbours Rotherham, looked truly defeated and had only five shots to United's 18, failing to register one on target all match.
Ahmedhodzic capped the performance with nine minutes to spare, heading home from an Oli Norwood cross as Sheffield United sent an early statement of intent with a rousing, dominant victory.
Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Sheffield:
"It was a good performance, probably as dominant as you can get.
"I just said to the players in there - and this is a personal thing - I like the games with an edge and it was that dominant that it didn't have that. That's a credit to probably every player who went on the pitch, whether that's the starters, the boys who came off the bench. From that aspect, everyone at the club, the analysts, sports scientists in preparation, everyone did their part and got it right.
"I'm pleased for Oli [McBurnie], he's worked hard and bought into everything as he did last year. But he had some real bad luck last year. When he got caught today, I felt for it but it's just a kick so he's fine.
"But it's not us, it's Oli, he's bought into it, he's working hard. Just as the rest of the boys, you see Rhian (Brewster) and Reda (Khadra) when they came on they probably added even more energy at that moment in time once Iliman and Oli were flagging so it'll be a group, it will be all of them. As long as they're all working hard we're happy."
Reading manager Paul Ince told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"They put out a good side, we knew that anyway. They're taking off a £20m striker and bringing another one on. Says it all, doesn't it?
"We weren't really at the races. Looked like we had run out of energy, we looked tired and our levels weren't great today. Not how we like them to be.
"They had a day extra and we had a tough day at Millwall and we know we've come to a team who are a very, very good side and a very good manager and when you do that your levels have got to be right. I can accept that.
"We put in such a big shift these 14, 15 players, so to come here was always going to be difficult. We never dropped our heads, we still tried to play and as I said before this team [Sheffield United] will be up there."