COVENTRY City went down to a second consecutive defeat after three first half goals at the Madejski Stadium.

Grzegorz Rasiak, Simon Church and Jimmy Kebe all got on the scoresheet for the hosts in the opening 45 minutes to give the Sky Blues a mammoth task in a much improved second half. 

The hosts went close after three minutes when Church shot on the turn but put it just wide of Keiren Westwood's near post from 15 yards out.

It was then the Sky Blues' turn to threaten on nine minutes with a bit of route one play, Westwood's long kick finding Clinton Morrison in the Reading area although the striker's hooked effort with his back to goal went over the bar.

Reading took the lead on 16 minutes though when Jobi McAnuff broke down the left flank and cut a ball back from the goal line for Jem Karacan whose shot took a deflection off Rasiak's heel to direct the ball past Westwood from 12 yards.

Former Sky Blue Jay Tabb went close three minutes after the opener, lofting a shot just inside the area over Westwood and marginally wide of his back post.

It was two for the hosts though after 23 minutes when McAnuff again broke down the left and cut into the area, Stephen Wright bringing him down for a penalty with Church calmly dispatched the spot kick to Westwood's left.

Church got in the way of a possible third three minutes later when Kebe broke down the right wing and cut back for Rasiak whose shot came off Church's heel and out for a goal kick.

Had Kebe's leg been a few inches longer he would have been odds on to bag a third for the Royals with 11 minutes of the first half to go but he could not stretch long enough to connect with Church's low cross inside the six yard box.

Andy Griffin then picked up the following clearance to send a 25 yard shot just past Westwood's far post.

Kebe got Reading's third though five minutes before the interval, Church breaking past James McPake down the left and swinging in a deep cross for Kebe who took a touch before firing past Westwood inside the foot of his far post. 

Aron Gunnarsson managed to register a shot on target for the Sky Blues five minutes after the restart, foring a good low save out of Royals 'keeper Adam Federici in what turned out to be a much improved display from City.

Federici made a fantastic stop five minutes later when a bouncing ball fell to Freddie Sears who hooked a half volley at goal from 12 yards, the Royals shotstopper doing well to push the ball wide for a corner.

Gunnarsson went close again on 58 minutes, Sammy Clingan floating a cross into the box with the Icelandic rising above everybody else but heading over the bar.

Rasiak did the same at the other end on 70 minutes when he got his head to Ryan Bertrand's floated in free kick delivery.

Sky Blues substitute Carl Baker tried his luck from range in second half injury time, his shot flying just past Federici's post to round off City's attempts at goal for the afternoon.

And Church headed over the bar deep into the added five minutes from replacement Hal Robson-Kanu's cross in what was to be the last attack of the game.

Attendance: 17,435 (898 away)

Teams

Coventry City: Westwood, Wright (c), McPake (Wood 89), Barnett, Hussey (Cranie 45), Clingan, Gunnarsson, Deegan, Bell (Baker 72), Sears, Morrison
Subs: Konstantopoulos (GK), Hall, Jeffers, Clarke

Reading: Federici, Mills (c), Tabb, McAnuff, Kebe (Robson-Kanu 83), Church, Karacan (Gunnarsson 68), Rasiak (Bignall 78), Bertrand, Griffin, Khizanishvili
Subs: Hamer (GK), Long, Sigurdsson, Pearce