Blackburn Rovers win comfortably at QPR

Blackburn Rovers left West London with all three points after an unexpectedly easy win over a side who had started the day just two places below them.

A Danny Graham penalty gave them a half time lead before Bradley Dack doubled their advantage less than 30 seconds into the second half. A late consolation header by Matt Smith was probably a fair reward for Rangers’ efforts though.

Both sides came into this game with a better result in recent weeks. QPR had hammered Swansea 4-0 after seven games without a win. Blackburn had picked six points up off the East Midlands due of Nottingham Forest and Derby, after a run of six horrendous losses, and no wins in 11.

Despite that, both sides however had probably done enough to avoid the drop with the Hoops still casting one eye on the Rotherham result despite having an eight point lead over third bottom at the start of the day.

The Northern Ireland international Corry Evans tested QPR keeper Joe Lumley in the 15th and was responsible for most of Blackburn’s early threat. But it was a Joe Rothwell set piece that should have hit the target off Darragh Lenihan’s header

QPR soon paid when Tim Robinson awarded a penalty after a trip by Josh Scowen on Lewis Travis. Graham converted to give Rivers a 22nd minute lead. The away side deserved the lead at that point.

Rangers perked up a little thereafter: Tomer Hemed’s header deflected for a corner but Freeman’s delivery was poor; Bright Osayi-Samuel burst through but fired wildly over; Scowen did the opposite and fired too close to Jayson Leutwiler in the Rovers goal.

Within 30 seconds of the restart, Dack doubled Blackburn’s lead with a tap in after a cross from the right.

Blackburn remained firm and the match had the look of being their day throughout. Even when they conceded possession, it was hard to see too much danger to Canadian Leutwiler in their goal, playing his first league game of the season.

Indeed, it could have been 3-0 when Rodwell’s shot was blocked after Adam Armstrong had torn QPR’s left-back apart. What few chances there were went Rovers’ way except when substitute Nahki Wells volleyed way over in the 79th minute.

The game nearly petered out harmlessly just as both clubs’ seasons now will, QPR’s distant relegation fears being put at ease by Rotherham’s 4-3 defeat in Swansea which left the Millers on 40 points, eight behind QPR, but QPR briefly lifted their fans’ hopes with a consolation goal headed in by Smith from a Luke Freeman cross.

It was the one blemish on an otherwise resilient and competent Blackburn defence.

Attendance: 13, 632

Referee: Tim Robinson

QPR: Lumley, Cousins (Wells 52′), Furlong, Lynch, Manning, Wszolek (Eze 74′), Scowen, Luongo, Freeman, Osayi-Samuel, Hemed (Smith 64′)

Blackburn: Leutwiler, Bennett, Lenihan, Williams, Bell, Evans, (Rodwell 64′)  Travis, Rothwell, Dack, Armstrong (Brereton 86′), Graham (Nuttall 67′)

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