Reading 0-3 Sunderland: Patrick Roberts double sees Black Cats ease past Royals
- Published
Patrick Roberts had scored just two goals in his Sunderland career before his double at Reading
Tony Mowbray saw Sunderland win for the second time in his three-games in charge thanks to three excellent team goals at Reading.
A poor first half came to life when Patrick Roberts scored twice in just under two minutes shortly before the break after two impressive counter-attacks.
The Black Cats sealed the win with another superb passing move which saw Jack Clarke finish with a confident strike midway through the second half.
Clarke should have made it 4-0 but he lifted an effort wide of the far post after being put through by Amad Diallo with nine minutes left.
The win moves Sunderland back into the play-off places after Bristol City lost at Norwich, while Reading remain in fourth position.
Sunderland dominated the early possession but neither side created any sort of meaningful chance until Ellis Simms had an effort deflected high over the bar after some great build-up play while Reading's Mamadou Loum had the game's first effort on target after 34 minutes with a tame header from a corner.
The visitors' task was seemingly made harder when Simms was forced off with a foot problem - adding to new boss Tony Mowbray's injury issues in attack with Ross Stewart already out for six weeks with a thigh injury.
But Mowbray's men responded superbly as Roberts calmly curled a low left-footed effort into the bottom corner after being set free down the right wing by Elliot Embleton following an attack that began on the edge of their own 18-yard box.
Just 114 seconds later Roberts applied a similar finish having beaten a defender as he capped off another flowing attack from inside their own half.
Sunderland's third goal was even better as a seven-pass move which began inside their own area, and included two deft flicks, ended with Dan Neil's' perfectly weighted low cross finding Clarke who swept home right-footed.
Reading rarely troubled the visitors - a tame Tom Ince effort just before the break and off-target shots from Tyrese Fornah and Yakou Meite shortly after the third goal were all they could muster.
Reading manager Paul Ince told BBC Radio Berkshire:
"It was tough because you're watching a team that's normally strong at home, normally competitive and on the front foot, and they weren't, they were completely the opposite.
"They looked tired, they looked like they could never get to the Sunderland players and when they got there it was too late.
"We lost possession, we looked nervous, and never really looked like winning the game. Credit to Sunderland, they came and played some good stuff, looked confident, but we were the opposite of what we've been for the last four home games, which is disappointing.
"In a perverse way I'm glad we've got beaten, because maybe it puts everyone's feet on the ground and understand that we've started off well, but all this talk about play-offs and promotion and all that after nine games, this brings us back down to earth."
Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Newcastle:
"I think we controlled the game tonight with the ball rather than with physicality.
"I've talked this week about people having to step up and we have to score goals from different places, and Patrick grasped that nettle and did just that for us.
"The third goal, wow what a goal that was, a brilliant one-touch pass across the face and and intelligent, clever play from Jack.
"It was a good performance, and even despite their home record, which was unblemished this season, we believed that if everybody did the basics well we could win tonight."