Ipswich Town 1–3 QPR
A rampant second half display saw QPR keep the pressure on the Championship's top two with an emphatic win at Ipswich Town this afternoon.
Goals from Nico Kranjcar, Gary O'Neil and Armand Traore after the break kept the Rs in touch with Leicester and Burnley with a 3-0 win at Portman Road.
However, they were lucky not to fall behind midway through the half saw a mad scramble saw Rob Green save superbly from Luke Chambers and Danny Simpson fly in to beat David McGoldrick to the rebound in front of goal, before Joey Barton finally hacked clear as Paul Taylor moved in for the kill at the far post.
A the other end, O'Neil's cross from the left was just nicked away from the incoming Tom Carroll at the far post, while Austin's bullet header from another O'Neil cross – this time from the right – was tipped over brilliantly by Town keeper Dean Gerken at point blank range.
As half time approached, Green did well to get down to an Anderson belter from outside the area, before smothering the loose ball at McGoldrick's feet.
But on 52 minutes it was QPR who took the lead when Kranjcar turned on the left hand edge of the area and waltzed past three challenges before passing the ball into the far corner.
Thirteen minutes later it was 2-0 when Austin picked up the ball in he middle, ignored options to his left and struck a shot from the edge of the box which Gerken was forced to parry, and O'Neil, following up, was left with a simple tap in.
And eight minutes on the travelling Rs fans were in heaven when super sub Traore, who had only been on the for six minutes, pounced on a mistake by Town defender Tommy Smith to beat Gerken at his near post and make certain of the points.
Smith atoned for his earlier error by pulling one back for the hosts in stoppage times, scoring with a spectacular volley from Stephen Hunt's corner, but it was too little too late for Town.
Rs: Green, Simpson, Dunne, Hill, Assou-Ekotto, Benayoun (Traore 67), Carroll, Barton (Henry 39), O'Neil, Kranjcar (Phillips 85), Austin. Subs not used: Murphy, Johnson, Wright-Phillips, Ohuoha.
