Goals from Pawel Wszolek, Joel Lynch and Nahki Wells saw QPR to a comfortable 3-0 victory over the Blues at Loftus Road. Wszolek profited from Town mistakes to open the scoring on the half hour, Lynch headed the second on 34 and Wells added the third on 74 as the bottom-of-the-table Blues slipped back to seven points from safety.

Town boss Paul Lambert made two changes from the team which drew 1-1 with Sheffield United on Saturday with Flynn Downes and Grant Ward coming into the side for Andre Dozzell and Gwion Edwards, who dropped to the bench.

Ward played in the wide right role Edwards occupied against the Blades, while Downes came into the centre of midfield. The home side made one change with Lynch replacing Jordan Cousins, who was among their subs.

QPR struck the game’s first shot, Ebere Eze cutting in from the left and hitting a low effort which Dean Gerken claimed comfortably, while ex-Blues loanee Massimo Luongo was in their midfield.

In the fifth minute Blues skipper Luke Chambers was yellow-carded for colliding with Darnell Furlong just outside the area, the central defender feeling he was the man fouled.

Luke Freeman curled the resultant freekick just under Gerken’s bar and the keeper turned it over with little fanfare.

QPR enjoyed much the greater share of the ball in the opening minutes without threatening further, but on 10 Downes won the ball in midfield and fed Ward, who in turn played it to Jon Nolan to his right. However, the ex-Shrewsbury man’s cross was too long for Downes, who had broken into the box.

Moments later, Ellis Harrison was played on on the left but the Welshman sent the ball in before any of his team-mates had made a run.

But it was still QPR for the most part and they could well have gone in front in the 17th minute. Freeman rode a couple of tackles down the left before cutting back but slightly behind one-time Blues trialist Wells and the ball ricocheted off his heels and away from goal.

The Blues, with owner Marcus Evans watching from the stands, threatened again in the 20th minute when Matthew Pennington flicked a header from a corner on the left towards the far post but no one was able to apply the final touch.

Town’s best passage of play of the half led to a Nolan chance in the 23rd minute. After good work from Sears and Harrison, Downes played a clever ball for Nolan to chase and, with no options in the centre, the midfielder hit a low shot from an angle on the left which QPR keeper Joe Lumley palmed away to safety.

The Blues were beginning to get more into the game and in the 26th minute, shortly after skipper Luke Chambers had been treated for a head injury, Nolan played a delightful ball over the QPR backline for Harrison. The former Bristol Rovers man looped the ball towards goal from a tight angle on the right but just over.

However, right on the half hour the home side took the lead with Town playing a major part in their own downfall.

Nolan tried to play the ball back to his central defenders from wide on the right but only found Wells. The Bermudian brought it forward before hitting a low shot which Gerken could only paw away to his left and Wszolek was the first to react to hammer the rebound home from close range.

Four minutes later, it was 2-0. Freeman sent a freekick over from deep on the left and Lynch got ahead of Pennington to nod to Gerken’s right and into the net of the keeper’s despairing right hand.

The Blues looked to get back into the game after QPR’s quick-fire double. On 37 Pennington headed well over from a corner on the left when he will feel he ought to have done better.

Goalscorer Wszolek was booked for wiping out Nolan in the 43rd minute with neither team going close to adding to the goals before the break.

Having remained resolute in the early part of the half which QPR had dominated, the Blues started to make some headway and created a couple of chances before gifting the home side their opener.

Nolan presumably didn’t see Wells when he made his pass while Gerken will feel he ought to have bundled the ball away from goal if he wasn’t going to keep hold of it.

The second goal two minutes later came from a well-taken freekick but boss Lambert will believe it should have been defended far better.

Town needed a big second half if they were to take anything from the game but it was the home side who started the period brightest, Freeman hitting an early low effort towards the near post which Gerken claimed at the second attempt. On 49 Jordan Spence was booked for a foul on Lynch.

Following a 52nd minute Blues corner, Nolan stabbed the ball out to Trevoh Chalobah, who hit a 20-yard shot which looked goalbound until Lumley got across to palm it wide.

Ten minutes later, Ward was replaced by Jack Lankester having suffered a knock in a challenge moments earlier and been carried to the tunnel on a stretcher.

Town were seeing a lot of the ball and competently passed it around but rarely in dangerous areas and without creating a chance, while QPR were happy enough with their two-goal lead and didn’t looked particularly concerned about adding to it. On 70 Nolan was replaced by Jordan Roberts as the Blues moved to 4-4-1-1, while Ilias Chair took over from Eze for Rangers.

The home side completed what was a victory won at a canter in the 74th minute when sub Chair was somehow allowed to cut the ball back from the byline on the right to Wells, who had time to hit a shot on the turn across Gerken and into the corner of the net.

Having netted their third, QPR loosened the shackles and went looking for a fourth. Wszolek was thwarted by Gerken, then Chambers blocked Wells from the rebound, before Roberts curled a shot just over at the other end.

Rangers sub Bright Osayi-Samuel saw an effort blocked from close range moments after coming on, just prior to the fourth official indicating three additional minutes.

The final whistle confirmed a thoroughly disappointing afternoon for the Blues who had begun to make some headway when they conceded QPR’s two first-half goals, the first of which was seasonally gift-wrapped for Steve McClaren’s side.

In the second half, although Town saw more of the ball and moved the ball around well at times, they rarely did so in dangerous areas and never laid a glove on the visitors who were given another late Christmas present to cement their lead with 16 minutes remaining.

A bad afternoon all round for the Blues with results elsewhere seeing the sides above them move away and the gap to safety stretch back to seven points plus goal difference ahead of a difficult trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday.

QPR: Lumley, Furlong, Leistner, Lynch, Bidwell, Wszolek, Scowen, Luongo, Freeman (Osayi-Samuel 88), Eze (Chair 70), Wells (Oteh 84). Unused: Ingram, Hall, Cousins, Smith.

Town: Gerken, Spence, Chambers (c), Pennington, Knudsen, Chalobah, Downes, Nolan (Roberts 70), Ward (Lankester 62), Sears, Harrison. Unused: Bialkowski, Edwards, Jackson, Dozzell, Kenlock. Referee: Keith Stroud (Hampshire). Att: 14,584 (Town: 1,288).

Photo: Pagepix

planetblue_2011 added 20:03 - Dec 26 Think it's all over it is now👎🏻👎🏻 Oh well boys if that is the best you can do to stay up then we deserve to go down. The team isn't good enough simple as that. We will have a good league one team for next season as the team is only good enough for that division. 2 wins all season spells out no hope. Sign 5 decent players in jan we might have a chance of staying up, but that won't happen. Just to say well done town fans who went today, heard you singing all game even when we were 2-0 down. can't do no nore🧐

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blueboy1981 added 20:04 - Dec 26 Putting it SIMPLE - We are where we deserve to be in the table, below several teams including QPR who are nothing special at all. If we do not do better that we did today - we haven't an icicles chance in hell of avoiding relegation. And it will be completely deserved. WE WERE RUBBISH - cut the excuses, and instantly blaming the Owner, most of those players out there today should be ashamed of themselves. Still seething at the way we gave this game to QPR - yes, GAVE IT TO THEM.

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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 20:05 - Dec 26 Also dear fellow ITFC fans please say: "WHEN"... as to when it's ok to say something remotely negative about Mr. Lambert the manager. :-) :-) Yes! without a doubt PL is the best & brightest manager we have had for a very long time (but hey! hold on a moment now please, cause looking & comparing him SOLELY to the competence -- or lack hereof rather! -- to that of say those 4 preceding numnuts in the seat isn't saying soooo much about PL quality-wise in & of itself, well not as much as everybody especially here at this here otherwise pretty susceptible to being fickle-minded fan site lol rather desperately wants it to imho!). He certainly says and does all the right things OFF the field etc. etc.... HOWEVER he is not entirely without his flaws regarding with what & with whom the eventually going on ON the field, people!!! Most primary example: Under his tenure so far, yes! PL's personnel options are & have been limited until the January Window.... however hmmm even the PR groundskeeper, the PR cleaning lady or Ian Milne's Sister In Law could in all likelihood do NO WORSE in the back-4 than especially Spence, frequently Captain Calamity, and occasionally (too occasionally imho) even the great Danish longthrower extraordinaire. Yet indefensibly?! PL not only continue to pick all 3 as the first names on the starting XI week, after week, after week, but also show absolutely no attempt at "experimenting" in the back-4 (to his credit he does do that plenty elsewhere in the team though!) with others from the A Squad or even some from the U23, nor being open to holding anyone among those 3 veterans "in contempt" so to speak ...obviously as one possible way of showing them that there is such things as *accountability* & *repercussions* for not only not playing very well overall but moreover to be more or less directly INVOLVED in letting in super soft and/or super poorly defended goals again and again and again!!! - Spence, is simply diabolically bad at the game of football. End of story! - Chambers, well he is "merely" not only displaying increasingly poor pace & agility nowadays but most alarming also a chronic affinity for being well outright calamitous!!! Ohhh and he cannot consistently make a remotely good FORWARD-GOING pass even if his life depended on it! And last but not least imho (I know a good chunk of fans will probably disagree here) he has for quite loooong actually ceased to be able to neither "Lead by Example" nor properly motivate or properly guide his team-mates ON the field, especially when things don't go according to plan (a.k.a crucial "Leadership & Captaincy skills"), although we can all agree that he has always been & still is a quite fabulous leader OFF the field. - Knudsy. Somewhat less inconsistent than the other 2, (and therefor less of a liability I guess!) but STILL just not very good at this here tough level imho, yes! even considering his much- talked-about couple of international caps (in rather meaningless contests only mind you!). Does exhibit the potential good skill of not only scoring against Naaarwich but on a more general basis throwing the ball extremely long .... but ehhh if you count all 'em throws even back from all his many "proper bloke" selections by MM, how many of said longthrows has really resulted in something ehhh "usable"??? So I repeat: And yet the otherwise very venerable PL steadfastly select all 3 as starters game after game, and does so without blinking???!!! In closing ,I'm willing to bet a 100 quid with anyone right here & now that although PL probably will buy or loan some defenders in January... that AT LEAST Captain Calamity will still be among the first names on the starting XI sheet throughout the reminder of the season! No odds on it but quite possibly also Knudsy, especially if he does sign a new contract soon... something we shouldn't forget that both PL himself and Chambers too has been rather busy advocating to Ebeneezer Evans this fall. Aye personally I really like Paul Lambert as manager, and I sincerely hope he sticks around even IF we go down, as with him & the right £ backing we will soon be back & stronger... but as I said earlier too, objectively (i.e. NO bluetinted or "fist-pumping" embroidered specs please!) managerial-decision-wise he is not entirely without his flaws!

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blueboy1981 added 20:07 - Dec 26 ......... if the players have any conscience at all - they will donate this weeks wages to the travelling fans. Shame there isn't as much commitment from these well paid players.
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jayessess added 20:15 - Dec 26 Lambert consistently picks the same back four, despite their limitations and their mistakes, because our potential replacements are more or less of similar quality. He's clearly hoping that consistency of personnel a likelier route to good defensive organisation than swapping in other, just as limited, players in the hope they surprise him. I tend to agree with him.
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corkblue added 20:18 - Dec 26 When did we last get anything at QPR? As an afterthought - would you buy one of those away kits?
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19781981twtd added 20:20 - Dec 26 We are absolutely shi** and second best to the scum how that hurts life as an itfc fan is crap please let this woeful season end.
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Lightningboy added 20:22 - Dec 26 Jon Nolan...WOW...take a bow son cos that was one of the most pathetic performances i've ever seen in a town shirt and that's saying something. The guy is so far out of his depth at this level..no commitment,no vision,just no ability whatsoever..like an even more gormless version of Grant Leadbitter..every single time the ball came to him he could not wait to get rid..seriously,I never want to see him in our team ever again..send him back to Shrewsbury for nothing tomorrow..i'll pay his bus fare. As for the game not sure how we lost 3-0..we were poor but made them look much better than the result states..January and some much needed new faces can't come soon enough.

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magnus68 added 20:27 - Dec 26 Ok, Im as sad as everybody. When we went down 2001, and Burley Said we will do 100 pts and 100 goals, we soon wake up to something much toucher. That tougher, have been worse and tougher for every year. This year is the bottom, worse than any year. This League need investment of approx 10m€ every year. If you try to rum it flat or 5m€ loss as Evans, you will get nowhere. Evans, please sell to someone with a stronger will to risk money.wh

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itfchorry added 20:37 - Dec 26 Thought there was a chance of nicking something today - Sadly a totally and utterly spineless performance. One up front - No service - No running off the ball. 2 up top with Andre behind them - Really not that Hard
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Saxonblue74 added 20:37 - Dec 26 Lightningboy, Brinner Wooly and Mick Mills singing Nolan's praises today. Not sure who to believe now, town legend and professional football journalist or you?!
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ThaiBlue added 20:38 - Dec 26 From a previous post qpr will see a different Ipswich and they did we were in orange.get off Evans back he keeps the club going and nobody will want to touch us with a barge poll on buying us in our present situation.whatever you think of Evans put it aside till the end of the season just get behind Lambert who is a breath of fresh air for all us supporters,he will keep us up sure of that.got to be better than McCarthy or Hurst.....

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cat added 20:47 - Dec 26 Hallelujah and about frigging time! A long winded & humorous post from the alter ego of the formally named ‘mzt' (aka ‘the court jester) who makes a very good point about when the more negative and inpatient posters will begin their slaughtering of the new man in what's fast becoing the poison challis of football management. I'll personally stick with P.L as I like the style he brings, but the more sceptical will draw conclusions that P.L's last 2 appointments have been somewhat safe in the knowledge that he can't really fail after a couple of confidence sapping disappointments. Footballs a result driven business and the baying mob won't be feasting off his positivity for too much longer, but I'll be keeping the faith, for now!

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Saxonblue74 added 20:59 - Dec 26 Cat, of course we should stand by PL. There's not another manager out there who could do more under the circumstances. All we could hope for prior to January was an upturn in entertainment and that has been achieved. Results will follow in due course.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 21:04 - Dec 26 COYB!
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Lord_Mac added 21:21 - Dec 26 I actually wouldn't bother to spend any money in January. I would use the money in the summer to make a real concerted effort to bounce back at the first attempt, and to keep the club's infrastructure together for one season to go for it. You get bad value for money in Jan and players are overpriced when they are other club's Rejects. Mathematically it is virtually impossible, so bring back all of our youngsters from their loan signings and give them game time in preparation for season 2019-20 in League One.

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dirtydingusmagee added 21:24 - Dec 26 our goal difference is looking scary,if things are tight on the points .We really didnt need todays scoreline .Today has been like a kick in the do da's.
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Saxonblue74 added 21:46 - Dec 26 Lord Mac.....mathematically virtually impossible?? 66 points still to play for and 7 from safety? Perhaps you really are a Lord.....sounds like house of lords logic!!!
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BeethorpeAndy added 21:50 - Dec 26 We've had a bad day. Expected nothing at QpR and got nothing. 5 days and the quality will come. Keep the faith and Nick a point at boro! COYB
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BeethorpeAndy added 21:51 - Dec 26 We've had a bad day. Expected nothing at QpR and got nothing. 5 days and the quality will come. Keep the faith and Nick a point at boro! COYB
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TonyHumesIpswich added 21:55 - Dec 26 It's called a relegation battle for a reason team. The fans want to support you and cheer you on in this fight, but when you just roll out the white flag? 3 wins now from safety unless we can alter our goal difference. Need a solid 10-0 at Boro to cut the deficit. With this squad, can really see that happening, loads of fight in them.
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BrettenhamBlue added 22:13 - Dec 26 Why should we care when the team clearly doesn't? When it comes to football, all I feel is humiliation right now. As some of you know, my sons gone from being an ITFC fan to being an avid budgie. When they were 3-1 down he said "Dad, they never quit, they fight to the end and that is why I support them". And lo and behold, yet another late comeback. This teams performances are consistently unacceptable. Hard to blame PL, he's working with what he's got.

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BeethorpeAndy added 22:17 - Dec 26 Tony, I will be quite happy with 2-0 at boro! Don't be greedy!
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aas1010 added 22:34 - Dec 26 Why couldn't mcgoldrick score for us . Plus how comes he's not injured for Sheffield Utd??? Was he just scrounging for our money and not putting any effort in ???
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martin587 added 22:41 - Dec 26 Just got home after being delayed in a massive pile up on the A127.This was very very disappointing as we had more perceptive of the play and created nothing.New faces are desperately needed to inject some much needed class into this poor squad.My only worry is just who will want to come here.This was a wasted day,I expected a great deal more after the two previous games. I try to be positive but I'm beginning to fear the worst.🙈

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