Leeds United climbed back to the top of the Championship table last night, seeing off Reading with ease at the Madjeski in a 3-0 win.

In reality, the match was done and dusted by half-time with Mateusz Klich setting the tone, finding the net on the 14th minute, finishing cooly from Luke Ayling’s cutback.

Pablo Hernandez then killed the game off on his own, first curling home a brilliant effort to make it 2-0 before adding a third two minutes before half-time time, with a brutal low finish.

Even Ayling’s second-half red card could not dampen the spirits of the players or fans following yet another dazzling performance by Hernandez.

The tricky Spaniard has been a consistently lethal threat in Marcelo Bielsa’s squad this season, surpassing even the high expectations we had already placed on him in pre-season.

[ad_pod ]

Both goals on their own were enough to show that Hernandez is a player playing considerably below himself by being in the Championship and in the process offering a teasing taste of Premier League class to Leeds fans

But his general play throughout the 90 minutes was the catalyst to the Whites carving the second-tier strugglers open at will in a match that should have been won by a greater margin.

12 accurate long passes is borderline ridiculous, maintaining an overall pass success of 83%. Reading simply did not have a clue how to deal with him.

If Leeds are to be promoted this season, it is likely that Hernandez will have an enormous hand in it over the next nine games.