It was a week to forget for Reading FC Women as they suffered a third successive thumping defeat in the Women’s Championship.
The Royals conceded five times to Sheffield United which means they have conceded 14 goals in three matches in the last week which leaves them just above the relegation places.
With just four league matches left to play, Liam Gilbert’s side have a two point advantage over Lewes in 11th and are six points ahead of bottom side Watford.
There wasn’t much to separate the sides in the opening half as it was just Jassie Stapleton’s own goal that gave the hosts an advantage.
But the second-half proved to be a different story as the Blades ran away with the contest.
A second Sheffield goal came just seven minutes after the restart when a floated free-kick into the Reading area was nodded past Emily Orman by Tara Bourne.
The Royals gave themselves a lifeline 10 minutes later and temporarily had themselves back in contention when young forward Madison Perry halved the deficit with a smart first timed finish.
The Blades restored their two goal lead seven minutes later when Orman left her goal unguarded after failing to gather from a deep free-kick which allowed Isobel Goodwin to loop a header over the keeper and in.
Goodwin bagged her second of the game to put the home team in a commanding position when the Blades pounced on a fumble from Orman and bundled the ball home from close range.
United added a fifth to round off the scoring when a cross from Rebecca Rayner was hooked over the head of Orman and found the net.
Next up for Reading they host seventh placed Blackburn Rovers on Sunday knowing that a win would be crucial for survival.
Sheffield United: Stensno, Newsham, Barker, Graham, Bourne, Sigsworth, Rayner, Goodwin, Hodson, Kinzett, Brown
Subs: Haywood, Wilcock, Muir, Butler, Docherty, May, Brown, Connolly-Jackson, Davies
Reading: Orman, Dugdale, Stapleton, Houssein, Smith, Perry, Wade, Flannery, Estcourt, Woolley, Roberts
Subs: Mayi Kith, Wellings, Cooper, Hendrix, Burns, Hunt, Elwood, Jarvis, Longhurst
Goals: Stapleton 13’ (og), Bourne 51’, Perry 61’, Goodwin 68’, 72’, Rayner 81’
