Reading 3-0 Burton Albion

Reading comfortably beat Burton Albion to record their fourth consecutive win and climb to third in the Championship for the first time in over a year.

Dominic Samuel scored the opener midway through the first half, diverting a Roy Beerens shot home from close range.

The home side's lead was doubled a few minutes later when Danny Williams arrived at the far post to connect with a pinpoint cross from Jordan Obita.

A late own goal from John Brayford completed a poor afternoon for Burton.

But it was the visitors who started the brighter against in-form Reading, with Jackson Irvine heading over early on.

After a shaky start, the Royals began to assert themselves and Samuel wasted his first chance, hitting the side-netting with a right-footed shot from inside the penalty area.

But the young striker made no mistake with his second attempt to net his first goal of the season and Reading then turned on the style as Garath McCleary found Obita, whose fine cross was expertly dispatched by Williams arriving at the far post for a simple tap-in.

After the break, Irvine and Lee Williamson both wasted chances to hit back for Burton and Reading went 3-0 up when Yakou Meite's left-footed shot was palmed away by Jon McLaughlin and rebounded into the net off Brayford.

Reading manager Jaap Stam: "It's good to win games and it's good to get points because there are a lot of games to be played in this league this season.

"Hopefully we can stay up there, but we're not aiming for that third or fourth spot yet. We're not focused on getting into a certain position in the table. I keep repeating myself: there's a long way to go.

"We controlled and dominated the first half and scored two great goals. You want to do the same thing in the second half, but we knew that Burton would be trying to get back into it.

"I told the players that you need to be sharp and aggressive because you want to finish the game off as quick as you can."

Burton manager Nigel Clough: "It was very similar to our away form this season: missed chances and conceding soft goals. That's it.

"Our general play wasn't too bad and if one of our chances had gone in at any time, even at 2-0 down, it might have been a different game.

"But we can't keep missing chances and giving away soft goals - otherwise you lose, like we did today."