Fulham rampaged to a 7-0 win against Reading in the Championship, emphatically ending a run of two H2H defeats against the ‘Royals’.
The game got off to a frustrating start for Reading, as Scott Dann went off injured in the seventh minute, forcing Josh Laurent to drop in at centre-back. Just six minutes later, Laurent gifted Harry Wilson the ball in the box with a stray pass, giving the Welshman the simplest of finishes. In a period littered with defensive lapses, one from Antonee Robinson presented the ball to Mamadi Camará, but the ‘Royals’ substitute’s flick was brilliantly saved by Marek Rodák.
Andy Carroll thought he had equalised with a wonderful bicycle kick just after the half-hour mark, but he had strayed offside. Mere moments later, the striker chested the ball down and hit a wonder strike, only to be left exasperated by hearing the referee’s whistle again. Things got even worse for the hosts just before HT, as Tom Holmes slid in on Wilson in the box, conceding a penalty that Aleksandar Mitrović confidently converted despite Luke Southwood diving the right way.
Pressure from the ‘Cottagers’ continued into the second half, and a third goal eventually came on the hour mark, as a sweeping move resulted in Robinson teeing up Wilson for his eighth Championship goal of the season. Then, Mitrović’s header from a corner was nodded in by Kenny Tete for his first Fulham goal. Having been denied twice shortly before, Neeskens Kebano slid in at the back post to convert Wilson’s pass and get on the scoresheet. As Reading’s capitulation continued, Tosin Adarabioyo headed the visitors’ fourth goal in 15 minutes.
There was time for Mitrović to add a seventh after Rodrigo Muniz’s initial shot was saved, as Fulham followed up their FA Cup victory against Bristol City by going above Blackburn Rovers and one point behind league leaders Bournemouth with a game in hand. While the result ends Fulham’s five-game winless run in the league, it adds to Reading’s embarrassment after losing to Kidderminster Harriers. Veljko Paunović’s side remains just three points above the relegation zone and without a win from their last five in all competitions.