Derby 0
The Royals recorded another comfortable home win, triumphing 3-0 over Derby as Kevin Doyle celebrated his new contract with his 50th and 51st goals for the Club.
Steve Coppell's men dominated throughout, and we could have had more goals - including two that were disallowed controversially during the first half.
An Emanuel Villa own goal had been chalked off, perhaps for a push, before Noel Hunt netted the opener, deftly glancing home his brother Stephen's right wing corner.
The remainder of the first half was a constant surge of Reading pressure and Stephen Bywater made a good save from James Harper while Jimmy Kebe and Noel Hunt went close with headers.
Just before the break we had another goal ruled out, this time when Stephen Hunt's corner was adjudged to have gone out, Doyle nodding across for Noel Hunt to turn home.
After a quiet start to the second half, the Royals made the game safe after some excellent approach play and a brilliant cross by Chris Armstrong from out on the left allowed Doyle to head home.
Doyle then rounded things off superbly with a brilliant 20-yard left footed shot on the turn, which flew into the bottom left corner - maybe his best ever in a Reading shirt.
It was yet another convincing display by Steve Coppell's men, and the perfect end to a Doyle-dominated week.
Reading: Hahnemann; Rosenior, Armstrong, Bikey, Ingimarsson; Cisse (Matejovsky 79), Harper (c) (Gunnarsson 79), Kebe, S Hunt; Doyle, N Hunt (Long 68)
Subs: Andersen, Henry
Derby: Bywater; Connolly (c), Stewart, Albrechtsen (Davis 54), Nyatanga; Addison, Green, Teale (Barazite 67), Commons; Hulse (Ellington 77), Villa
Subs: Carroll, Kazmierczak
Yellow: Addison (foul 40)
Ref: S Mathieson
Att: 18,724
Full report
After a scrappy start, the Royals controversially had a goal disallowed after 13 minutes when Stephen Hunt's left wing free kick was headed into his own net by Emanuel Villa, but referee Scott Mathieson harshly adjudged that Kevin Doyle had fouled the Derby man. Interestingly, the referee indicated a shirt pull when the only possible infringement was a push in the back.
After that incident the Royals seemed fired by a sense of injustice and upped the tempo in their play, with Jimmy Kebe's cross being turned wide by Noel Hunt shortly after, before Doyle picked out Kalifa Cisse for a tough headed chance that flew wide of the left post.
Cisse - urged to shoot every time he received possession after his wonder goal at Bristol City - then won a corner with a deflected long range effort, and Noel Hunt was at the near post to expertly nod home his brother Stephen's delivery for the opening goal with 20 on the clock.
The home side continued to dominate, and after 25 minutes Kebe came close with an angled volley from a deep cross by Chris Armstrong, before James Harper's low near post shot from a Noel Hunt cross was turned behind instinctively by keeper Stephen Bywater's save.
Kebe glanced a header over from Liam Rosenior's cross after 31 minutes and Cisse's angled shot from a corner was deflected behind - the right wing a frequently fruitful source of attacks for Steve Coppell's team.
We looked very unlucky not to make it 2-0 with 33 gone - another goal disallowed. Stephen Hunt took a corner, and it was adjudged to have gone out as Doyle headed it back in at the far post - Noel Hunt stabbing home. TV replays showed the decision was tight to say the least and Derby appeared to get another break of good fortune.
As the half neared, Harper made an excellent challenge to dispossess Paul Green on a rare Derby attack, and Noel Hunt headed over from a Kebe cutback in injury time.
Second half
Derby had offered little in attack, but they wasted a golden chance to equalise early in the second period when Gary Teale's deep cross found the unmarked Kris Commons who badly sliced his shot wide.
The Royals took a while to re-find their feet as Derby made life more difficult in the early stages of the second period.
But midway through the period a flowing move brought the second goal - Armstrong exchanged passes with Stephen Hunt and delivered a pinpoint cross onto the head of Doyle, who made no mistake with a firm header past Bywater to register his 50th goal for the Royals.
The Royals then thought they had a penalty when Claude Davis bundled over Ivar Ingimarsson from a corner, but referee Mathieson amazingly gave the Rams a free kick in the other direction; the home crowd dumbfounded.
It mattered little two minutes later though, when Doyle netted his second with a quite brilliant effort: receiving the ball on the left corner on the box, he turned onto his left foot and rifled an unstoppable low effort into the far left corner.
It flew in off the post with Bywater stranded, and it was arguably the Irishman's best ever in a Reading shirt - a moment of real quality.
Miles Addison then sent a free header from a free kick over the bar, but the Rams were already a well beaten team.
With time running out, sub Shane Long nearly created a fourth with a great run and cross down the right, but Stephen Hunt dragged his near post shot wide - and Hunt was then denied by a brilliant last-ditch Davis tackle after a surging run from the heart of midfield.
Marcus Hahnemann preserved his clean sheet with a neat save from Derby sub Nacer Barazite's angled drive, and the Royals easily played out the remaining time for a satisfying win - continuing their superb home form.
