Slick City turn on the style to thrash Royals

Pictures: Hull City

Hull City 3 - 0 Reading

Sky Bet Championship

By Sam Hawcroft, Hull City correspondent

The Tigers scored three at home for the first time this season as they rolled over a Reading side who only had to match Peterborough’s result to ensure their safety in the Championship for another season.

City, of course, had already achieved this a week ago with their fine 2-1 victory over Cardiff on Good Friday, and the Royals had seemingly expended all their energy in their epic 4-4 fightback against Swansea on Easter Monday, as for much of the first half here at the MKM Stadium there was little of note worth committing to posterity.

It was a fairly cagey opening 15 minutes or so, with neither side making much of a break for it, though a pass from Jacob Greaves caught Brandon Fleming in possession in the 11th minute, resulting in a very brief attacking period for the Royals.

In the 24th minute, a foul on Lewie Coyle resulted in a George Honeyman free kick about 30 yards out. He lofted it into the area, and Richie Smallwood managed to connect with it, but the captain could only head well over. It was a rare moment of half-excitement in a largely event-free half thus far. Shortly after, there was some nice link-up play between Coyle and Honeyman, but the former’s ball into the box was easily cleared by Reading.

In the 29th minute, Honeyman whipped in a corner that Greaves met with a glancing header, but it went well wide.

Then about five minutes later there was, at last, a big chance – and it came for Reading, when Junior Hoilett, racing down the left, crossed to Josh Laurent, but Nathan Baxter was well placed to stop his header. Shortly after, Lucas Joao shot wide, before Tom Ince fired a dangerous ball across the face of goal.

But just as the Royals were beginning to enjoy a decent spell of pressure, they were rocked when City finally broke the deadlock in the 39th minute.

Honeyman did well to wrestle back possession just beyond the halfway line and put in a great pass to Keane Lewis-Potter, who surged down the left and somehow found the top-right corner of the net from the left edge of the six-yard box. It was a moment of great vision and skill that changed the course of the match.

Early in the second half, Allahyar Sayyadmanesh raised a cheer from the fans in the Chris Chilton Stand right in front of him when he acrobatically leapt up after being tripped by a Reading player. A few minutes later, Sayyadmanesh fed in Coyle, who was racing towards the byline, but after a bit of a tussle a goal kick was given.

In the 51st minute, Honeyman was hauled down and the referee waved play on – but then gave a free kick about 35 yards out for a similar bodycheck on Sayyadmanesh.

Honeyman sent another perfectly weighted ball into the danger zone and, after a goalmouth scramble, with a few bodies from both sides going down in the box, it was Alfie Jones who emerged victorious, having popped it in from the edge of the six-yard area for his first City goal.

2-0 up in the 53rd minute and City were coasting. Reading, by now, were aware that Peterborough were losing at home to Nottingham Forest.

A few minutes later the Tigers were nearly 3-0 up when Sayyadmanesh found Coyle in space on the right; he nodded down into the path of Lewis-Potter, but Royals keeper Ørjan Nyland was there to intercept.

Reading then had their best chance yet to get one back, when Baxter denied Ince with a brilliant diving save to his left. Baba Rahman nodded goalwards in the 65th minute, but Fleming intercepted. Former Tiger Ince, taking the resulting corner, received a crescendo of boos as he approached the bearpit that is E3, and Baxter then snuffed out the danger from his kick.

In the 69th minute, Sayyadmanesh, surging forward on the right after a defensive error by Reading, only just failed to find Lewis-Potter in the six-yard area. A couple of minutes later, Sayyadmanesh stepped over the ball brilliantly to leave it for Honeyman, who was tripped by Tom McIntyre, resulting in a booking for the Royals defender. Honeyman flung in yet another dangerous free kick, from which Jones headed just wide of the left post.

In the 75th minute, Sayyadmanesh raised the tempo again with another powerful run into the area. A couple of minutes later he was brought off for Tom Eaves, and the 20-year-old Iranian left the field to another rapturous reception. It was only his third home start, and with each appearance he looks faster and hungrier. A hugely exciting prospect for the 2022-23 season, for sure.

With 10 minutes to go, Reading substitute Ovie Ejaria shot straight at Baxter from about 20 yards out, just before Greg Docherty and Ryan Longman came on for Honeyman and Coyle, both of whom were similarly acclaimed by the home fans and received warm embraces from Shota Arveladze. Sean McLoughlin then shot wide from a central position.

Eaves tussled his way to the byline a couple of times as the four minutes of injury time ticked away, and was then instrumental in the third goal that capped a brilliant afternoon for City. Under challenge, Eaves held up the ball in the centre circle and lofted it into the path of Lewis-Potter, who left the defence for dead and calmly slotted it past the advancing Nyland.

But there were celebrations in the away end, too, as the news came through of the full-time result at Peterborough. Trailing 0-1 to Nottingham Forest since the 45th minute, they had failed to turn around the scoreline – and former City manager Grant McCann was left feeling the pain of relegation to League One once again.