If Blackburn Rovers are to shed their reputation as a team who struggle to find some sort of consistency, then they will be desperate for more results and performances like this with which to do it.

After four without a win, two goals in three second half minutes secured a return to winning ways for Tony Mowbray's side, who took their chances when they had to, and controlled the pressure applied on them by a Reading - who will now see questions asked of their own play-off credentials after back to back defeats - perfectly.

With both these sides having been stung by late defeats last time out, it was a quiet opening to the match from both teams, Reading's Femi Azeez firing the only shot of the opening ten minutes well off target from the edge of the Blackburn area.

As the half wore on, chances continued to be few and far between, but the efforts there were, would largely come from the visitors. Baba Rahman twisted and turned down the Reading left to get away from Ryan Nyambe and into the Blackburn area, only to fire well off target.

Andy Yiadom meanwhile, headed straight at Rovers 'keeper Thomas Kaminski after arriving to meet a deep Ovie Ejaria cross into the area.

Blackburn though, were not without an attacking intent of their own, and when they did get a shot away just past the half-hour mark, it very nearly led to the opener.

Joe Rothwell, whose runs from deep again looked like causing a threat for the hosts, produced an excellent through ball to play Sam Gallagher in behind the Reading defence, only for his curling effort to bounce back off the angle of post and bar and away to relative safety.

With the game continuing to be a tight encounter as the half drew to the close, both sides would pick up injury concerns, Azeez making way for Reading shortly before centre back Daniel Ayala was forced off for Blackburn.

Gallagher meanwhile, saw another chance come and go, turning his man brilliantly on the edge of the Reading area, but the Rovers striker was unable couldn't direct his effort towards goal.

After the break, it would again be Rothwell and Gallagher who linked up to create a chance for the hosts. A clever corner routine saw Rothwell find the attacker unmarked in the area, only for his shot to fly well over.

Moments later, and it would again be Gallagher with another chance for Rovers, as an excellent ball over the top from Jan Paul van Hecke - on in place of the injured Ayala - played the striker in behind, but he could only fire at Reading 'keeper Luke Southwood from a tight angle.

With the chances he was getting though, it felt inevitable Gallagher would get on the scoresheet, and just moments after Rovers had been dealt another injury blow with Ryan Nyambe being forced off, the striker provided the perfect tonic by duly getting on the scoresheet.

Once more Joe Rothwell would play a key role in the passage of play, again driving from deep to break into the box, where his quick feet allowed him to get a shot away, and when that came back off the post, Gallagher had the simplest of tasks to tap in the rebound for his fifth of the season.

Blackburn have developed a knack for scoring a second quickly after their first this season, and they would continue that tradition in spectacular style here.

Having ridden their luck from the restart when Ovie Ejaria's ball across the face of goal narrowly evaded substitute George Puscas - when a touch would have levelled things up immediately - Blackburn quickly worked their way up the other end, where Tyrhys Dolan produced a stunning curling effort into the bottom corner of Southwood's goal from the edge of the area, to double the hosts advantage.

Rovers have also developed a theme for giving away two goal leads to draw at home this season, but this time, although they would have to ride out a spell of Reading pressure, it was they who should really have added a third.

First, van Hecke did brilliantly to bring the ball out of the Blackburn area, before continuing his run after setting Ian Poveda away, but when the Leeds loanee's cross was headed back into the path of the centre back by Ben Brereton, he could only fire wide from yards out.

Moments later, Southwood would produce a brilliant save to prevent Dolan curling in his second, but by that point, the three points to put Rovers back into the top half of the table, and leapfrog Reading in the process, were already secured.