READING FC’s Championship safety was confirmed despite an away defeat to Hull City.
The Royals will be playing Championship football once again next campaign after Peterborough United’s home loss to Nottingham Forest condemned them to relegation.
Reading went down late in the first-half after Hull stole possession from Tom Dele-Bashiru and were disciplined by Keane Lewis-Potter’s strike.
Alfie Jones poked in from close range to double the Tigers’ advantage, but with results going Reading’s way, their Championship status was confirmed for another season.
Paul Ince named an unchanged starting eleven from Monday’s incredible comeback against Swansea City as the Royals recovered from 4-1 down to take a draw.
Reading were provided a boost the evening before their trip to Hull after relegation rivals Barnsley fell to the drop after their defeat away at Huddersfield Town.
The game got off to a slow start with no chances created by either side in the opening 25 minutes in a lacklustre contest.
Orjan Nyland reacted quickly to rush off his line and beat Keane Lewis-Potter to the ball as he tried to race onto a diagonal.
The first opportunity for the hosts came when George Honeyman and Lewis Coyle linked up on the right-hand side only for no one to latch on to the end of the cross.
Honeyman’s free-kick into the are then found the head of Jacob Greaves, but the striker glanced his effort wide of the target to let Reading off the hook.
The Royals finally created a good opening and had two big chances within a few minutes.
First when Junior Hoilett burst down the right-wing and clipped in a superb cross for Josh Laurent, but with the goal gaping, he headed it straight down the throat of Nathan Baxter.
Hoilett again threatened when he got the ball into the box to find Lucas Joao who spun to get a shot away that soared over the top.
With half-time approaching, the home side took the lead after they pounced on a Reading mistake.
Tom Dele-Bashiru lost the ball after trying to play the ball out from Reading’s half and his team were made to pay when the dangerous Lewis-Potter got down the right and smacked a shot into the roof of the net to beat Nyland at his near post.
The half came to a close with Reading a goal down, but with news that Peterborough United had conceded on the stroke of the break to Nottingham Forest, that would be enough to keep the Royals up if results stayed the same.
The restart ensued but the Royals started poorly and found themselves two goals down just seven minutes into the half.
A free-kick that was swung into the box left the Royals in a scramble to get the ball away and when they failed to do so, Alfie Jones prodded the ball in from close range.
A disappointing first 10 minutes to the second-half prompted Ince to make a quick change wich saw Dele-Bashiru replaced by Ovie Ejaria.
Looking to get back in the contest, the visitors should have pulled a goal back but were stopped by a superb stop from Baxter.
The Hull keeper flew across his goal to keep out Joao after the striker was set up brilliantly by Tom Ince before Hoilett’s follow up was blocked.
Another chance came and went for Reading to get back into the game when Baba Rahman fired in a dangerous cross that Brandon Fleming just managed to divert behind for a corner with both Ince and Hoilett lurking for a tap in.
Michael Morrison picked up the first card of the game when he booked for a late tackle on Honeyman.
The Royals skipper came close when he attacked Hoilett’s corner but on the stretch, he missed the target at the back post.
A late switch saw Yakou Meite come on for Tom Ince with the Royals needing two goals to salvage a result.
But Reading were unable to replicate the miracle they produced on Monday and were beaten.
Hull added a third to seal their points as Lewis-Potter netted a third deep in stoppage time.
However, they managed to avoid the Championship drop after Peterborough’s home loss confirmed their relegation just a day after Barnsley and Derby County had already been relegated.
Hull City: Baxter, Coyle, Greaves, Jones, Smallwood (c), Honeyman, Lewis-Potter, McLoughlin, Allahyar, Fleming, Slater
Subs: Ingram, Elder, Docherty, Eaves, Longman, Bernard, Forss
Reading: Nyland, Yiadom, Morrison (c), McIntyre, Rahman, Laurent, Drinkwater, Dele-Bashiru, Hoilett, Ince, Joao
Subs: Southwood, Thomas, Abrefa, Barker, Ejaria, Meite, Ehibiationmhan
Goals: Lewis-Potter 40’, 90+4′ Jones 52’
