Kevin Doyle made one goal and scored another as Reading won at Sheffield United to strengthen their grip on third place in the Championship.
He showed quick feet after five minutes to race into the area to pull the ball back for Kalifa Cisse to score.
Reading made it two a minute before the interval when Stephen Hunt's free-kick was headed home by the in-form Doyle.
James Beattie deflected Billy Sharp's cross on to a post as the Blades pressed, but Reading held out.
Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell:
"We didn't start bright enough. We showed too much respect to Reading - why I don't know because we have been playing well.
"You can't give a club like Reading two goals like we did, but saying that we created some chances and have not taken them.
"We took the game to them in the second half and they only really threatened on the break.
"Hahnemann has made crucial saves and every time the ball went into their box it seemed the referee blew (his whistle)."
Reading boss Steve Coppell:
"I think at half-time we were in a good position but it's a position we have been in a number of times this season and managed on occasions to waste opportunities.
"There was a real determination in the dressing room at half-time to protect what we had and I thought we did a decent job of doing that.
"In the first half I thought we played particularly well. I thought we had a real pace to our game, a real edge.
"All in all I thought we played some really good football in first 45 minutes."
Sheff Utd: Kenny, Naughton, Morgan, Kilgallon, Jihai, Spring (Sharp 45), Howard, Speed, Quinn (Halford 45), Beattie, Stokes (Henderson 79).
Subs Not Used: Naysmith, Cotterill.
Booked: Stokes.
Reading: Hahnemann, Rosenior, Bikey, Ingimarsson, Armstrong, Cisse, Kebe (Gunnarsson 68), Harper, Stephen Hunt, Doyle, Noel Hunt (Long 76).
Subs Not Used: Andersen, Matejovsky, Henry.
Booked: Kebe, Bikey, Armstrong.
Goals: Cisse 5, Doyle 44.
Att: 25,065
Ref: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
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