Two own goals from Reading captain Emma Mukandi handed Manchester City a 3-0 victory at the Select Car Leasing Stadium.
Despite battling hard and keeping it tight until half-time, the Citizens proved too much in the second period.
After 53 minutes Lauren Hemp played a one-two with Bunny Shaw on the edge of the area and fired a square ball across the box which Mukandi diverted into her own net.
Seven minutes later, Hemp’s cross was pushed away by goalkeeper Jacqueline Burns but ricocheted off Mukandi into the net, with Shaw’s 76th-minute header from Mary Fowler’s cross wrapping up the points.
With just the one win from the opening six matches, Kelly Chambers' side remain second from bottom, above winless Leicester City and joint on points with newly-promoted Liverpool.
It marked Manchester City's fourth consecutive win, moving them up to fourth.
Reading travel to sixth placed Aston Villa next, on Sunday, November 20.
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