READING FC’s grim record on the road continued after they lost out at Ewood Park to Blackburn Rovers.
Ben Brereton Diaz opened the scoring with just two minutes on the clock, hurting the Royals from their own corner with a well executed counter attack.
Reading responded with a spectacular Cesare Casadei strike, but Rovers took the points with an 82nd minute winner from Ryan Hedges.
Midfielder Mamadou Loum saw red late on as the Royals’ winless away run stretched to eight matches.
Reading remain in 16th, but will be just three points above the relegation zone if they are deducted six points from the EFL.
Paul Ince opted to make four switches following Reading’s loss at home to Millwall on the weekend.
There were starts for Chelsea loanee Cesare Casadei and Mamadou Loum in midfield who returned from injury.
Amadou Mbnegue was chosen to start at right-back in place of injured captain Andy Yiadom, while Lucas Joao replaced Andy Carroll up top.
Reading won the first corner of the game inside the opening minute when Tom McIntyre connected with a shot on the half volley that was blocked behind.
But from their own corner, Reading were punished for overcommitting which saw them get off to the worst possible start.
Rovers burst forward on the counter attack and with an overload of numbers going forward, leaving Mbengue isolated at the back.
The hosts were able to work the ball to Ben Brereton Diaz after Mbengue couldn’t intercept and the Chilean international stroked the ball into the bottom right corner to give his team the lead after two minutes.
Reading tried to respond quickly when Jeff Hendrick threaded a ball into Shane Long who was betrayed by his heavy touch which allowed a Blackburn defender to make a simple clearance.
After a quiet period in the game, Casadei had a sight of goal after he did well to put pressure on Sorba Thomas to force a turnover and forced a save from Aynsley Pears with his subsequent strike at goal.
Mbengue curled an excellent searching pass into the path of Long and the Irishman was brought down by Joe Rankin-Cotello who was brandished a yellow card.
Casadei took the resulting free-kick but produced an effort that wouldn’t have looked out of place at Twickenham as his effort ballooned high into the stands.
Rovers created two big chances in quick succession. Joe Lumley punched away a fizzed cross from Sorba Thomas before Sam Gallagher jumped highest to meet a cross which grazed the top of the crossbar on its way over.
Having got his sights set, Casadei unleashed a much better connection with his next attempt with a venomous shot that was batted away by the keeper.
There was a huge let off for Reading just five minutes before the break when Sammie Szmodics charged down to block Lumley’s clearance and was unfortunate to see the ball bounce off the post and back into Lumley’s gloves.
A pressure period from the hosts ensued after the restart as Mbengue had to make a last ditch block to prevent Diaz from adding to his tally before Lumley stayed composed to clutch a drilled cross.
The ball dropped for Diaz inside the six yard box and he looked certain to double the advantage, but Lumley got in the way not once, but twice to come to his team’s rescue.
Reading’s brightest moment since the restart came when Long almost found the far corner with a header before Jeff Hendrick narrowly missed the target to give Ince’s men some encouragement.
Having found signs of life, Reading punished Rovers for not taking their chances and grabbed an equaliser in the 68th minute.
Casadei netted his first goal in English football when he drove a low shot from 20 yards that flew past Pears and into the corner.
With just over 10 minutes left, Ince made a triple change. Kelvin Ehibhatiomhan, Kelvin Abrefa and Femi Azeez replaced Mbengue, Long and Lucas Joao.
But it was a Rovers substitute that made the difference when a clever backheel from Gallagher played him through and he poked the ball the onrushing Lumley.
Any hopes of a comeback were made even more tricky when Mamadou Loum was shown a red card after going head to head with Gallagher after a scuffle which saw the Blackburn forward hit the deck.
Reading are in action on Saturday at home to Hull City.
Blackburn Rovers: Pears, Rankin-Costello, Carter, Hyam, Pickering, Travis, Morton, Thomas, Szmodics, Brereton Diaz, Gallagher
Subs: Brittain, Dolan, Wharton, Hedges, Garrett, Hilton, Wharton
Reading: Lumley, Holmes, Sarr, McIntyre, Mbengue, Loum, Casadei, Hendrick, Ince, Long, Joao
Subs: Azeez, Guinness-Walker, Bouzanis, Moore, Abrefa, Abbey, Ehibhatiomhan
Goals: Brereton Diaz 2’, Casadei 68’, Hedges 82’
