Queens Park Rangers beat Blackburn Rovers 4-2 in the Championship at the weekend, giving fans plenty to mull over as we head into the international break.
Mark Warburton will have been delighted with his side’s performance on Saturday. Four goals from four different players prevented a run of three straight defeats for QPR, who go into the international break in 9th with just one point separating them from the play-offs.
Nahki Wells opened the scoring after half-an-hour with his sixth goal in the Championship so far. Ebere Eze got his fourth with a fine solo effort after the restart, before Bright Osayi-Samuel got the pick of the bunch on the hour finishing off a fantastic team goal. Jordan Hugill headed a fourth later on - his sixth Championship goal of the season.
It was arguably QPR’s best-attacking display of the season so far, and here we take a look at three things we’ve learnt from the game.
The search for a clean sheet continues
One of QPR’s best-attacking displays - one of their worst defensively. Tony Mowbray’s Blackburn presented very little attacking threat on Saturday, yet, probably to his disbelief, still managed to put two past QPR.
Only Luton Town and QPR are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and that’ll be a huge concern of Warburton’s over the next two weeks. Remnants of Wednesday night’s 3-0 loss in Cardiff showed in QPR’s performance against Blackburn - R’s skipper Toni Leistner looking lost at times in his own back four.
If QPR are to mount a serious play-off push then they must shape up defensively.
They must announce Nahki Wells
In his second consecutive season on-loan in West London, Nahki Wells is arguably hitting his career-best form.
His best goal-scoring season at this level was with Huddersfield Town in 2015/16 where he scored 17 Championship goals and he’s already on six for this season. QPR are yet to lose a game when Wells has scored, and he'll be pivotal in anything QPR achieve this season.
The club must do their utmost to make the 29-year-old a permanent figure at Loftus Road for next season.
Manning the left
One of the best of many changes that Warburton’s made to QPR since being appointed in the summer is moving Ryan Manning into left-back.
The 23-year-old is a central midfielder by nature and returned to QPR having had a relatively uneventful loan-spell at Rotherham United last season. But Manning has been an impressive figure this season, adapting to his new role well.
Playing on the left-side of either a back four or five this season, Manning has been a valuable outlet for QPR. Against Blackburn on Saturday, the brunt of QPR’s attacking play came from the left - Manning was involved in the first goal, and directly assisted the fourth.