Preston continue remarkable streak with another win over QPR

Preston North End were 4-1 winners away at Queens Park Rangers, their sixth consecutive win against the West London side in a run that stretches back to August 2016.

Preston are without doubt a bogey team for QPR and they took the three points again on Saturday, the first time in their history that they have won three consecutive league matches against the R’s at Loftus Road.

The hosts started the better of the two sides as QPR defender Toni Leistner prevented them from taking the lead in the opening five minutes with a vital interception.

Jayden Stockley pounced on lax defending from a Hoops goal kick to curl home an excellent finish in the 14th minute, his first goal for the club since joining from Exeter City earlier this month. The lead was no more than Preston deserved, and in the process they maintained their record of being the only Championship side not to concede a goal in the opening 15 minutes of a match this season.

You would have been forgiven for thinking that Preston were the side with play-off ambitions, their visitors were sloppy in possession and struggled to get out of their own half while Preston ran the game.

The R’s had a chance when Preston goalkeeper Declan Rudd palmed Luke Freeman’s free-kick away but Joel Lynch’s header was high and wide.

Ebere Eze and Pawel Wszolek had half chances with a low shot and a header respectively but both were easily saved by Rudd.

QPR started to threaten after the break with Matt Smith replacing Jordan Cousins. Smith’s flick on found Nahki Wells whose volley was tipped round the post by Rudd for his first proper save of the game. Darnell Furlong’s header glanced the crossbar minutes later as the home side looked for a way back into the game.

The West London side fell further behind with 68 minutes played. Paul Gallagher’s free-kick was flicked on by Ben Davies and hammered home by Jordan Storey at the back post as he scored his first goal for the club.

Alan Browne added to QPR’s misery with less than ten minutes left to play after heading home from a corner to become Preston’s joint top-scorer (nine) with Callum Robinson.

Matt Smith scored a consolation to deny Rudd a clean sheet as he rose highest to head home but it was too little too late for the R’s.

Brad Potts added to the late flurry of gols at Loftus Road when he reacted first to Lukas Nmecha’s shot which was parried right into his path by Lumley. Potts’ volley hit the inside of the post and flew in as Preston made it 4-1 and he became the third Preston player to get on the scoresheet for the first time.

Preston remain 18th as a result of their win but are now just a point behind Brentford. Defeat for QPR saw them slip two places to 13th.

QPR Starting XI: Lumley, Furlong, Leistner, Lynch, Bidwell, Wszolek (Osayi-Samuel 76), Scowen, Cousins (Smith 46), Freeman, Eze (Smyth 85), Wells

Subs: Ingram, Hall, Manning, Smith, Oteh, Osayi-Samuel, Smyth

Preston Starting XI: Rudd, Fisher, Storey, Davies, Hughes, Gallagher, Pearson, Potts, Browne, Maguire (Barkhuizen 69), Stockley (Nmecha 77)

Subs: Johnson, Woods, Ledson, Huntington, Ripley, Barkhuizen, Nmecha

Attendance: 13,736