Reading returned to winning ways with a 3-2 win on the road in Preston - courtesy of a Lucas Joao brace in the first half and a John Swift finish after the interval.
The Royals began brightly and with little more than a minute on the clock, broke the deadlock. A low cross into the middle from Swift wasn’t cleared and after Joao and Morrison had seen stabbed efforts cleared, Joao pounced to slam home from close range and make it 1-0.
Preston earned their first opportunity to attack five minutes later when Scott Sinclair’s cross was blocked behind by Morrison and Swift cleared the danger from a recycled corner on the left.
Ince and Joao combined to good effect down the right, before Swift delivered a dangerous inswinging cross that nearly found Joao only for a Preston head to nod it over the crossbar and clear the danger.
Preston earned themselves a foothold, but the Royals looked solid at the back. And soon, the lead was doubled. Swift fed the ball into the feet of Joao who turned left and then right before arrowing a thunderous strike high past Daniel Iversen and under his crossbar for 2-0.
Hoilett was given some space to make progress down the left, but a backtracking North End body dispossessed him as he looked to pick out a pass or a shot from the corner of the Preston box.
Alan Browne scuttled inside from the right but couldn’t pick out a man and the ball dribbled through to Hein without incident.
The hosts made a change after half an hour, Brad Potts being replaced by Liam Lindsay as Ryan Lowe’s side struggled to get to grips with the Royals’ dominance.
It could have been 3-0 soon after when Holmes flicked a ball fizzed into him over the North End defence where Joao volleyed instinctively at goal. The ball cannoned into the keeper’s body and to safety though.
And Reading were continuing to threaten in the final third – some neat passing freed Swift down the right and he pulled the ball back for Ince. But the offside flag was raised against the Royals midfielder to halt the move.
Preston were almost gifted a route back into the game just before the break when Holmes was dispossessed on the byline. The ball ran loose to Riis who had time and space to pick his spot, but he skied his effort over the bar from eight yards out to the Royals’ relief.
Two minutes of injury time saw Preston press with crosses into the box from both left and right, but Reading dealt with them well and went in at half-time two goals to the good.
Half-time: Preston 0-2 Reading
Reading began the second half well. Joao earned a free kick 25 yards out which Swift took and he forced a good save from Iversen, flying high to his right to push it around the post.
It was so nearly 3-0 moments later – Swift passing the ball inside to Yiadom who toed it goalwards. The keeper somehow kept it out and Morrison stabbed the rebound towards goal from close range only for it to be hacked off the goalline.
Iversen produced an instinctive save to deny Joao from the resultant corner – the striker looking for his hat-trick saw his header from yards out parried by the keeper to keep the score at 2-0.
It was 3-0 finally though, Joao threading a pass into Swift who sprung the offside trap to control it in the box and sweep the ball past Iversen in the Preston goal.
But from the restart, the hosts pulled one back. Johnson controlled a flick with his chest and scampered through the middle towards goal. He took aim and a deflection of a desperate Morrison slide took it past a helpless Hein to give the home side hope.
A misplaced pass from Drinkwater almost presented Preston with another chance, but Archer’s shot was brilliantly charged down by Morrison.
But the home side were well and truly back in the game with a quarter of an hour remaining – a corner from the right was not cleared and a goalmouth scramble saw the ball pop out for Archer to fire home from a couple of yards out.
A cross from the left found the head of captain Browne whose header looped high over the bar. But Sinclair came within a whisker of levelling the scores, curling just wide of the top left corner with little more than ten minutes left on the clock.
Preston were looking dangerous and Evans glanced a header wide with five minutes of the ninety remaining. And in the last minute of normal time, a cross from Van den Berg was glanced high and wide by Sinclair at the near post.
Five minutes of injury time were indicated and the Royals were trying to wind down the clock. But it needed a brave block from Holmes to charge down a hooked drive from just outside the box.
The final whistle sounded though. And Reading were victorious, ending a dismal run with a vital victory at Deepdale.
Full-time: Preston 2-3 Reading
Preston North End: Iversen, Van den Berg, Whiteman (Ledson HT), Bauer, Browne ©, Johnson, Hughes, Riis (Evans 54, Archer, Sinclair, Potts (Lindsay 35).
Unused subs: Ripley, Evans, McCann, Rafferty, Diaby.
Yellow:
Goals: Johnson 57, Archer 74
Reading: Hein, Yiadom, Rahman (McIntyre 62), Morrison ©, Holmes, Rinomhota, Drinkwater, Swift, Hoilett (Meite 67), Ince (Barker 90), Joao.
Unused subs: Southwood, Abrefa, Dele-Bashiru, Camara.
Yellow:
Goals: Joao 2, 19, Swift 55