Alan Irvine savoured Norwich City's best display of the season in a 7-1 Championship rout against Reading.

The Canaries smashed six in the first half for the first time ever at Carrow Road in a league game to bury the play-off chasing Royals.

Wes Hoolahan and Alex Pritchard notched braces with Nelson Oliveira and Russell Martin on target prior to the interval. Yann Kermorgant pulled one back for Reading but Cameron Jerome sealed a super show from the Canaries.

'I thought they were absolutely brilliant,' said Irvine, who was confirmed as the club's interim boss until the end of the season on Friday night. 'The performance was outstanding. I think it was out best of the season. Bearing in mind the quality of the opposition. I have never experienced being 6-1 up at half-time. That is for sure. I have been the right side of that kind of scoreline but not often, because it doesn't happen very often. I said the lads needed to respond after what happened in the week. I felt they would and they reacted in a positive way. Full credit to them. They took a lot of criticism. I told them I couldn't protect them against Huddersfield. Now it is only right I praise them.

'Let's be fair. It could've been more. We missed plenty of chances in the second half. You would normally regret missing those chances but we were in a great position from half-time. I also said to them it was up to them what kind of second half we had. If we were going to be show ponies and just start to do things for ourselves as individuals and make wrong decisions it could have been a very different second half.

'Full credit to the lads. They went out and performed in a thoroughly professional way and they continued to do all the horrible jobs off the ball.'