Arouna Kone struck twice in the latter stages of the first half to give Wigan Athletic a two-goal cushion at the break against Reading.
© PA Photos
The Ivory Coast forward netted a brace in the FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town last week and continued his fine form in the opening 45 minutes at the Madjeski Stadium.
Wigan's superior possession was rewarded when Maynor Figueroa's header deflected off Kone on its way past Adam Federici on 44 minutes.
The Royals stopper had earlier kept the scores goalless with a low stop from Franco di Santo's powerful drive.
However, he was helpless to prevent the fortunate opener from Kone, who netted a second just a minute after breaking the deadlock.
He collected a pass from Figueroa 35 yards out, charged past the Reading defence and dinked the ball over Federici to give Wigan a crucial advantage in the bottom-of-the-table clash.
