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DERBY County crashed to their heaviest defeat of the season as they lost 3-0 to Reading at the Madejski Stadium this afternoon.

Paul Jewell rates Reading as the best side he has seen in the Championship and they possessed far to much quality for his side on the day.

Noel Hunt gave the Royals an interval lead and their leading scorer, Kevin Doyle, scored twice in the second half to complete the victory.

Jewell made four changes to the Derby team that won in the Carling Cup at Brighton on Tuesday.

Stephen Bywater returned in goal for Roy Carroll, Martin Albrechtsen recovered from his hamstring injury and came in for Dean Leacock who has a groin strain, and Gary Teale was handed a start on the right side. Kris Commons switched back to the left and Przemyslaw Kazmierczak dropped to the bench.

Up front, Championship player of the month for October, Rob Hulse, was fit to come back in and he partnered Emanuel Villa who scored a hat trick against Brighton. Nathan Ellington made way for Hulse.

Villa had the ball in the net after only 13 minutes against Reading but at the wrong end, and fortunately for Derby it was disallowed.

Stephen Hunt whipped in a free kick and Villa – who scored an own goal against Nottingham Forest in the previous league game – flashed a header past Bywater but home celebrations were cut short when referee Scott Mathieson ruled the goal out, saying the Argentinian’s shirt had been pulled.

But Reading took the lead seven minutes later when another fine delivery by Stephen Hunt, this time from a corner, picked out his brother Noel who punished poor marking by running off Jordan Stewart to send a powerful header inside Bywater’s near post.

Reading started to buzz and Jimmy Kebe sent a volley just wide before James Harper nipped in to meet a cross and his effort struck Bywater in the chest.

Derby did not force a save from Marcus Hahnemann in the opening 45 minutes. The American goalkeeper caught a deep cross from Commons under his bar right on the interval but otherwise was untroubled.

Little had been seen of the Rams going forward but Commons squandered a golden opportunity to pull Derby level four minutes into the second half.

He was picked out by Teale’s cross but rather than taking a touch and shooting, he decided to step inside a defender. The Scottish international still had time to hit the target but blazed his shot high and wide.

Derby lost Albrechtsen with a calf injury and Nacer Barazite came on for Teale.

However, the Rams fell further behind on 68 minutes.

Barazite was brushed aside by Chris Armstrong who centred and Doyle stole in between substitute Claude Davis and Nyatanga to head past Bywater.

Doyle scored his second goal and Reading’s third of the afternoon on 75 minutes when his punished slack defending by Davis.

The Jamaican defender failed to close down Doyle who was allowed to turn too easily and send his shot from 20 yards arrowing beyond a startled Bwyater and in off the foot of a post.

Miles Addison went close with a header and Barazite was denied by Hahnemann in the closing minutes but Derby had been well beaten as Reading maintained their unbeaten home record.

The Royals have collected 22 of a possible 24 points at home this season.

READING: Hahnemann; Rosenior, Bikey, Ingimarsson, Armstrong; Kebe, Cisse (Matejovsky, 79), Harper (Gunnarsson, 79), S Hunt; Doyle, N Hunt (Long, 69).
Other subs: Henry, Andersen.

DERBY COUNTY: Bywater; Connolly, Albrechtsen (Davis, 54), Nyatanga, Stewart; Teale (Barazite, 67), Addison, Green, Commons; Villa, Hulse (Ellington, 77).
Other subs: Kazmierczak, Carroll.

REFEREE: S Mathieson (Cheshire).

ATTENDANCE: 18,724.

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