Three second-half QPR goals sunk Wednesday’s hopes of building on the impressive win over Cardiff in our bid to avoid relegation from the Championship.
This afternoon’s 4-1 defeat sees us seven points from safety and we now face the possibility of having to win five of our last six games to have a chance of staying in the second tier.
Both sides created openings early on before Rangers took the lead on 27 minutes, Lyndon Dykes splitting central defenders Tom Lees and Julian Borner and heading powerfully down into the corner of the net from 12 yards.
However, we were level three minutes later, Barry Bannan and Adam Reach combining down the left, Reach finding Josh Windass in space and the striker firing home in style with the outside of his foot from 12 yards.
We proved a match for mid-table Rangers in the first 45 minutes, Windass testing home keeper Seny Dieng with a snapshot just before half time while there was still time for Ilias Chair to force a full-length save out of Joe Wildsmith with a low 20-yarder.
However, a deflected goal within four minutes after the restart turned the game back in the home side’s favour and ultimately proved crucial to the outcome.
Stefan Johansen’s effort from just outside the box deflected off the head of Osaze Urhoghide and into the net, wrong-footing Wildsmith but with question marks over whether the keeper might have done better, despite the slight change in direction of the shot.
Jordan Rhodes then failed to connect from six yards out following a flick-on header by Borner and worse followed for Wednesday on the hour-mark, Dykes nodding home his second goal of the game to make it 3-1.
We continued to create a few chances of our own but lacked the killer instinct, belief and composure in front of goal, sub Elias Kachunga somehow missing with a header from almost under the crossbar, replays showing that defender Osman Kakay might have blocked the ball with his arm.
Windass also went close from the edge of the box while a deflected cross from Reach came back off the woodwork.
At the same time, Rangers gained in confidence and dominance as the game wore on and it was no surprise when they added a fourth goal on the break in added time, Chris Willock driving home from inside the box to complete a disappointing afternoon for Wednesday.
Wildsmith, Palmer, Urhoghide (Harris 71), Lees, Börner, Reach, Hutchinson (Pelupessy 83), Bannan, Paterson (Green 71), Windass, Rhodes (Kachunga 71). Unused subs. Westwood, Penney, Brennan, Brown, Shaw.