Reading FC dropped down a place in the League One table, but stay six points above the drop zone after they lost out against promotion hopefuls Bolton Wanderers.
A Lewis Wing thunderbolt brought Reading level, but Aaron Collins netted his second to restore Bolton’s lead just before the break.
/former Royal Jon Dadi Bodvarsson made it 3-1 early in the second-half and Collins rounded off the scoring late in the day with his hat-trick.
The Royals’ gap to the relegation zone remains at six points after five of the six teams below suffered defeats.
Ruben Selles made just one change from his team’s win over Northampton on Friday as match winner Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan was rewarded with a start ahead of Ben Elliott.
Club captain Andy Yiadom returned to the bench after his two match suspension to replace Tom Holmes who missed out through illness.
There was a place up front for Wanderers for former Royal Jon Dadi Bodvarsson who scored 17 goals in 56 matches during a two year stint in Berkshire.
With the two teams fighting at opposite ends of the table, Bolton came into the match with their hopes of automatic promotion starting to slip away following a run of just one win in five matches.
The home side drew first blood with just 11 minutes on the clock. With Jeriel Dorsett down injured in the box, Ehibhatiomhan was caught in possession before Aaron Collins was allowed room to shape a shot and took advantage with a thumping effort that flew into the top right hand corner from 25 yards out.
Reading could have been punished further when a Tyler Bindon header back to Pereira fell short and was intercepted by Collins, but the New Zealand international made amends for his error by getting a vital touch on the line to help the ball wide.
Bolton went in search of a second but were left frustrated at not being able to double their advantage.
Having had to soak up pressure throughout the half, Reading grabbed their chance to get level through Lewis Wing.
Wing dropped his shoulder to breeze past his opponent before he unleashed a rocket from 25 yards that took a slight deflection on its way to hitting the net past a helpless Joel Coleman.
Reading weren’t able to manage their way to half-time as a lapse in judgement from Amadou Mbegue, who had a superb half until that moment, saw him bring down Collins in the box, leaving the referee no choice but to award a penalty.
Collins stepped up and rolled the ball into the bottom right corner, sending Pereira the wrong way to restore Bolton’s lead just before the break.
Wanderers started the second-half strongly to take a 3-1 lead just three minutes after the restart as Bodvarsson haunted his former club when he ghosted in the box unmarked and tucked the ball past Pereira.
Selles opted to make a double switch which saw Yiadom and Jayden Wareham replace Dorsett and Ehibhatiomhan.
Reading did have the ball in the back of the net only to be denied by the offside flag.
After a strike from Wing was spilled by the keeper and a Sam Smith shot was stopped, Wareham latched onto the rebound and nodded the ball in but was quickly denied.
Reading started to throw everything they could at Bolton with Mola and Azeez both having efforts at goal saved.
But Bolton managed to put the game to bed as Collins sealed his hat-trick when he capitalised on Reading failing to clear their lines and dispatched past Pereira.
There were goals for both teams in stoppage time as Paul Mukairu reduced the deficit temporarily before Bodvarsson grabbed his second of the game.
Reading are back in action on Saturday when they host the league’s in-form side Lincoln City, who are chasing a play-off place.
Bolton Wanderers: Coleman, Toal, Santos, Iredale, Sheehan, Dacres-Cooley, Thomason, Maghoma, Ogbeta, Collins, Bodvarsson
Subs: Forrester, Morley, Ramsay, Dempsey, Ashworth, Williams, Jerome
Reading: Pereira, Mola, Mbengue, Bindon, Dorsett, Savage, Wing, Knibbs, Azeez, Ehibhatiomhan, Smith
Subs: Button, Elliott, Mukairu, Yiadom, Wareham, Abrefa, Craig
Goals: Collins 11’, 45+4’ (pen), 77’, Wing 40’, Bodvarsson 49’, 90+2′, Mukairu 90+2′
