Frustrated QPR were undone by a massive stroke of luck - but in truth they made little of their own against an efficient Sheffield Wednesday.
One-time Rangers target Gary Hooper was gifted a goal just before half time, but Rangers did little at the other end to back up Tuesday's heartening win over Bristol City.
However, on another day they might have snatched a point at the death.
Tjaron Chery saw his goalbound effort cleared off the line by Tom Lees in the game's very last action.
Before that, Nedum Onuoha brought a brilliant save out of rookie keeper Cameron Norman in the second half, and Chery had a couple of decent digs as Rangers started brightly.
But the sum total was an end to an unbeaten five-match run with Hoops sliding back down the table as they failed to make other half chances into the real thing.
They started like it was a 20-minute - not 90 minute - game and pressed at speed.
Chery tested Norman in only his second league start for the Owls.
The second effort was around 30 yards, and shaky Cameron was left to push behind for a corner.
Fernando Forestieri then forced Alex Smithies into an early stop before Rangers incurred two yellow cards in the first 16 minutes.
Ariel Borysiuk was unlucky to get his after an innocuous tackle, but Ben Gladwin getting his first start since the middle of August came in on ex- Rangers Kieran Lee from behind that invited the caution.
Daniel Pudil then bashed the Rangers bar from a close volley after a well-worked corner routine to rock Rs out of any sense of complacency.
But the Wednesday goal was pure luck.
A half clearance brought a scuffed shot from David Jones that by chance ended at the feet of Hooper who looked offside, but a video replay showed Niko Hamalainen playing the Wednesday striker in, who finished calmly to put Wednesday ahead.
Onuoha lashed a shot at goal but Dawson parried it one-handed with Rangers causing mayhem in the box after their third corner of the half.
James Perch then chose badly on the halfway line to send Wednesday streaming forward, and a ball across the box was an inch away from Hooper's boot for a second.
Wednesday wasted chances, notably Forestieri who fired low across goal, and although the subs bench was fully utilised, all the Rs huffing and puffing dissipated in the south Yorkshire air.
