QPR 2-3 Liverpool
a pair of debut strikes for Eduardo Vargas was not enough to take a deserved point.
Right at the death after injury time produced two goals, Raheem Sterling's cross was steered into his own net by Steven Caulker for a second Rangers own goal of the afternoon.
Rs thought they had saved the day when Vargas's header scraped over the line in added time to cancel out a late hit from Philippe Coutninho. Before that, Vargas had been on the end of a brilliant move to volley home from close in. It looked enough to cancel out an earlier gaffe when unfortunate Richard Dunne stuck out a leg to put the Reds into the lead.
The result was unjust - but Rangers fans took it out on Sterling instead.
The Reds hitman was a Hoop as a teenager before moving north but got plenty of verbal stick, and gestured to home fans at one stage: 'why me?' That used to be what Mario Balotelli wore on his t-shirt at one stage.
He missed a second-half sitter after a great save from Alex McCarthy, in for tonsillitis ridden Rob Green, and the entire Rangers squad could be forgiven for feeling the same as Sterling.
This was a great performance, and miles better than the abject surrender at West Ham two weeks, ago, but when Dunne own-goaled on 67 minutes, it was downright unfair after Rs hit the frame twice, had an effort cleared off the line, and kept Simon Mignolet far busier than McCarthy.
As early as the second minute, Bobby Zamora's lay-off fell to Charlie Austin who hammered into row Z when he should have done better. Austin made amends when he bashed his way through to fire against Miignolet's legs, get a rebound off Skrtel on the line and then saw his second effort hit the side netting from an acute angle.
Leroy Fer was flat out in anguish when he thrashed the bar rather than the net after he met a perfect rolled cross from Zamora seven yards out. It was easier to score than find the frame.
Rangers thought they had finally done it when Fer hit the bar for the second time, and Austin and Sandro tried to bundle it over the line from the rebound only to be denied by a brilliant block from Glen Johnson.
Sandro brought the best out of Mignolet seconds into the second half, and sub Armand Traore could only direct a late header straight at the Reds keeper.
McCarthy earned his corn at the other end, but was left helpless for the last two goals that ruined his and QPR's day.
QPR: McCarthy, Onuoha (Phillips 45), Dunne, Yun; Isla, Sandro (Traore 60), Henry, Fer; Austin, Zamora (Vargas 79): subs not used: Murphy, Ferdinand, Kranjcar, Hoilett
