Chelsea 2-1 QPR

In the end it came down to a penalty converted by Eden Hazard with aplomb for Chelsea's winner.

Whether Eduardo Vargas got much of shoulder to Hazard's back a foot inside the box was debatable. Some you get - some you don't, but in the end the result was just about right despite a plucky Rs performance.

It was almost five minutes before QPR managed to get the ball into Chelsea's half following an opening spell that included three corners to the Blues.

The best early chances fell to Oscar and Branislav Ivanovic – both of whom shot wide after good approach play Willian, and the dominance continued.

Rangers, though, kept out their neighbour's final ball until the half hour – when they were finally undone by a sublime piece of skill.

Spot on: Eden Hazard scores the second goal for Chelsea from a penalty

Diego Costa played to Cesc Fabregas, who took the ball forward before passing wide right to Oscar.

The Brazilian hesitated not a second, before flicking the ball with the outside of his right boot into the opposite corner of the net.

Chelsea continued in that vein after the break – spending large periods dominating possession on the edge of the QPR box, but failing to break through.

Rs created little, but when they did break they did so with impact.

A Vargas long shot on 62 minutes was palmed away by a leaping Thibaut Courtois, but only as far as Leroy Fer.

The Dutchman miscued his shot and it rolled to Charlie Austin, with his back to goal, who gave it a cheeky little backheel into the net and ran to greet the ecstatic 3,000 away fans to celebrate his third goal in two games.

Game on.

The leveller kickstarted Chelsea the kick into action they had failed to deliver most of the afternoon.

Hazard, a handful as always for the opposition defence, surged forward on 75 minutes and was upended just inside the box by Vargas – a calamitous bit of defending.

The Belgian stepped up himself, and sent his penalty past Green like a rocket.

Green, who had earned his crust all afternoon, then managed to keep out both a shot from sub Andre Schurrle and a header from John Terry in the space of little more than a minute.

Blues finished the day looking forward to the possibility of qualifying from their Champions League group on Wednesday night.

Rangers continue searching for points to lift them out of the drop-zone.

Chelsea, 4-2-3-1: Courtois, Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill, Luis; Matic, Fabregas; Oscar, Hazard (Ramires 90), Willian; Costa (Schurlle 78); subs not used: Cech, Zouma, Ake, Salah

QPR, 4-5-1: Green, Isla, Caulker, Dunne, Yun; Vargas, Henry, Sandro, Fer (Traore 84), Hoilett (Zamora 60); Austin; subs not used: Murphy, Hill, Phillips, Wright-Phillips, Kranjcar

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