Natasha Dowie and Emma Harries struck for Reading Women to gift them three points against high-flying Brighton.
Dowie scored the first goal of the game in the third minute when she latched onto a rebound from close range.
Reading held off the Brighton pressure in the second-half and sealed the points late on when Emma Harries raced away from the defence to score in consecutive matches.
The win sees the Royals climb up to eighth in the table as they made it four matches unbeaten in the Women’s Super League with three wins from their last four.
Reading came into the game with a three match unbeaten strike having salvaged a late point away at West Ham last weekend as Emma Harries’ goal saw them overturn a two-goal deficit.
Meanwhile, Brighton were in fantastic form with five wins from their opening seven matches putting them third in the WSL prior to kick-off.
There had been just three minutes on the clock when Reading took the lead to give themselves a perfect start.
Spotting the goalkeeper well off her line, Faye Bryson tried an audacious effort from long range, and after forcing a parried save from Megan Walsh, Natasha Dowie used her predatory striker’s instinct to follow up the rebound and tuck the ball in from close range.
Using the momentum from their early goal, the Royals showcased some positive attacking play in the opening stages as they enjoyed the majority of possession.
The visitors began to work some chances as they looked for a leveller but Tash Harding and Gemma Evans both managed to get their bodies in the way of separate efforts.
Reading were happy to keep the ball at the back and pick and choose their moments to break forward as they looked to use the pace of Deanne Rose to get in behind.
It almost worked when Rose burst into the box but was well ushered out by a strong piece of defending from Danique Kerkdijk.
Danielle Carter, who spent last season at Reading, then came close for Brighton when she hit a fierce strike at goal but Royals goalkeeper Grace Moloney made a smart stop.
Moloney came to the rescue again with another excellent piece of goalkeeping as she rushed out at the feet of Felicity Gibsons to smother the ball.
Kelly Chambers’ team kept themselves organised and resilient to deal with any pressure from the Seagulls as Evans headed away an inswinging free-kick from the rightwing.
The away side finished the half with a corner but Reading cleared to take their lead into the break.
Reading started the half positively and won an early corner. From the aftermath, Brooke Chaplen played a clever reverse ball to Tia Primmer who sent in an inviting cross, but Brighton managed to swipe the ball clear.
Brighton came close to an equaliser in the 54th minute when Carter picked out the run of her teammate who put the ball across the face of the goal mouth, but to Reading’s relief it whispered past the far post.
Chambers made her first change in the 56th minute as Primmer’s first WSL start was ended when she was replaced by Harries.
Brighton midfielder Emma Koivisto would have found herself one-on-one with Moloney had it not been for an expertly timed crunching tackle in the box from Harding to snuff out the danger.
The hosts struggled to find much attacking threat in the second-half and had plenty of defending to do to protect their lead, but they kept their shape to frustrate Hope Powell’s team.
With just four minutes to go, Reading wrapped up victory as Harries held her run brilliantly in her own half to stay onside and raced on goal, rounded the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into the empty net.
Reading host champions Chelsea at the SCL in their next WSL fixture on Saturday, December 11.
Reading: Moloney, Bryson, Evans, Vanheaevermaet, Woodham, Harding, Eikeland, Primmer, Chaplen, Rose, Dowie
Subs: Peplow, Harries, Woodcock, MacDonald, Roberts, Lister, Stewart
Brighton: Walsh, Koivisto, Le Tissier, Kerkdijk, Williams, Gibbons, Kaagman, Connolly, Whelan, Geum-Min, CarterSubs: Brazil, Simpkins, Nokuthula, Bance, Green, Robinson, Bowman, Cordier, Angel
Goals: Dowie 3’, Harries 86’
