Reading made it three successive wins after a comfortable 3-0 success over Sheffield Wednesday yesterday.

A Michael Olise penalty, which also brought a Julian Borner red card, changed the game, with the Royals having a relatively easy afternoon from the half hour mark.

However, Veljko Paunović's side still had work to do, and the boss will have been impressed with how his team played.

Whilst there were several standout performers, Tom McIntyre shone in an unfamiliar defensive midfield role. So much so, the club cheekily compared his performance to Italian legend Andrea Pirlo.

And, it prompted a response from the 22-year-old, who took to Twitter this morning.

"Need to put some respect on Pirlo’s name!"

It remains to be seen where the academy graduate will play moving forward, as he has played at left-back and his favoured centre-back position also this season.

The return to form has been very welcome for the Berkshire outfit, who hold a four-point lead over seventh place, whilst they trail the automatic places by six points.

Reading are back in action against Nottingham Forest next weekend.

The verdict

It was interesting to see McIntyre play in defensive midfield yesterday, but it worked out very well for the Royals.

Of course, the sending off made things easier for the team, but we can often see sides struggle against ten, but this wasn't the case at all.

As for McIntyre, it's good to see him respond to the light-hearted comment, and it will be interesting to see where he plays next week.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.