Managerless QPR came from two goals down to earn a 3-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Loftus Road.
Rangers rally to win five-goal thriller
Managerless QPR came from two goals down to earn a 3-2 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Loftus Road.
Damion Stewart grabbed the winner two minutes from time to secure an unlikely win for caretaker boss Gareth Ainsworth.
Wednesday were gifted the opener on 35 minutes when Gavin Mahon headed into his own net and Marcus Tudgay added a second from the penalty spot on 53 minutes.
QPR reduced the arrears just past the hour mark with long-term injury victim Rowan Vine netting his first goal of the season.
Mahon made amends for his own goal with the equaliser on 74 minutes and big defender Stewart completed the comeback with the third from Lee Cook's cross two minutes from the end.
The Londoners will see the victory as nothing more than they deserved as they created chance after chance throughout the game and were denied by the woodwork twice in the first half.
The game began in lively fashion and the home side were soon on the front foot and creating chances.
Heidar Helguson fired wide from an acute angle after breaking down the right before Adel Taarabt wasted a great opportunity to open the scoring after he blasted over from six yards.
Helguson again missed the target from a good position before Wayne Routledge hit the post after bearing down on Wednesday goalkeeper Lee Grant.
From the resulting corner defender Stewart had his header cleared off the line by Richard Hinds.
Rangers' complete dominance continued and they missed another opportunity to take a deserved lead as Jordi Lopez failed to work Grant from eight yards out.
Opener
And they were stung by a rare Wednesday attack in the 35th minute. Etienne Esajas forced a corner and, after taking it short, crossed into the area where Mahon made a mess of his attempted clearance and succeeded only in heading past Radek Cerny.
The goal did nothing to stop the constant flow of home chances, though, as Icelandic striker Helguson fired onto the post and Lopez forced Grant into a neat save.
Early in the second half Wednesday made Rangers pay for their missed chances when they doubled the lead from the penalty spot. Kaspars Gorkss felled Leon Clarke and Tudgay fired down the centre of the goal, with Cerny diving over the ball.
Rangers could easily have dropped their heads after finding themselves 2-0 down after total domination, but they continued to attack Wednesday and battled back into the game just after the hour.
Routledge showed directness as he produced a surging run into the penalty area before laying the ball back for substitute Vine, who had the simplest of tasks to tap the ball home from close range.
Equaliser
The goal buoyed Ainsworth's side and with 18 minutes remaining they restored parity when Mahon executed his header in much better fashion in Wednesday's area and the ball nestled in the bottom corner.
Rangers had the scent of victory and hustled for one more chance, and just as it looked as though Rangers would have to settle for a point, Cook broke down the left and put in a cross for Stewart, who thumped his header past Grant.
Wednesday were forced onto the front foot and for the first time in the game they put Rangers under pressure and they almost levelled, but Cerny produced a finger-tip save to deny Darren Potter and Rangers held on.
