QPR were cruelly undone by a soft penalty and a seventh red card of the season at Old Trafford this afternoon.

For the second match in a row, the rub of the green was denied west London after Fulham were refused a penalty in Manchester United’s last home match.

This time, the home team were gifted one. And Shaun Derry took the long walk for the slightest of touches on Ashley Young after just 15 minutes.

No wonder boss Mark Hughes waited as long as possible for referee Lee Mason at half time.

But the official from Bolton was having none of it as he sensibly stayed some distance on the pitch.

Paul Scholes drove home a cracking clincher in the second half – but the damage had long been done.

Rs did well to survive an opening period when Paddy Kenny was more builders’ foreman than keeper as he screeched at the wall lined up in front of him twice.

The second United free-kick required the Rangers shot-stopper to fling himself full length to divert Wayne Rooney’s effort.

But Kenny was powerless when the striker converted the penalty.

It was a shocking decision by Mason to award not only the kick, but to send Shaun Derry off as well.

The minimal contact from the Rs midfielder on Ashley Young brought a theatrical tumble from the man in red – although the man whose face should have been the same colour was assistant referee Ceri Richards.

Young was a yard offside when Rooney played the ball through to him as TV proved, and there were howls of protest from the 3,000 travelling faithful.

A steepling backspin from an Adel Taarabt deflection brought David De Gea into the action for the first time after 20 minutes as the keeper tipped the ball over the bar.

Young’s glancing header wide brought more consternation for Kenny, but Taarabt nearly capitalised on a mistake from Rafel only to see his left-sided shot blocked by Jonny Evans.

Danny Welbeck scooped over straight after the restart, and Rooney brought a smart stop out of Kenny all along the ground.

But the Rs keeper was the hero of the hour when he diverted a point-blank effort from Rafael on to the bar and then saved twice from Welbeck as United turned the screw on the 10 men.

After Scholes had made it 2-0, Michael Carrick crashed the right-hand upright. But despite the usual 75,000-plus crowd at the Theatre of Dreams, the noise in the closing minutes was all Rangers fans who can feel hard done by at this result.

QPR: Kenny, Diakite (Wright-Phillips 71), Hill, Derry, Taarabt (Smith 71), Bothroyd (Campbell, 80), Mackie, Buzsaky, Taiwo, Ferdinand, Onuoha.

Subs not used: Cerny, Gabbidon, Young, Zamora.