Sam Gallagher scored a dramatic stoppage-time winner as Blackburn defeated QPR 1-0 to boost their survival hopes.

The home fans had endured a frustrating afternoon of few chances and made their feelings about manager Owen Coyle clear, but Gallagher stopped those chants in their tracks in the dying moments with his 11th goal of the season.

QPR will feel aggrieved, though, as Conor Washington's header in the second half looked to have bounced over the line but the officials denied them.

The visitors created the clearest opportunities but found Jason Steele in inspired form, and after their first defeat on the road in 2017 are now only six points off the relegation places. Rovers, meanwhile, ended a three-match winless run in the Championship and remain three points from safety.

QPR peppered the Blackburn goal from the outset. Inside the first minute a raking cross-field ball found Washington, who squared to Jamie Mackie free inside the box but Steele pulled off a stunning low save.

Washington's dangerous cross barely a minute later just evaded Mackie and after Massimo Luongo's close-range shot was diverted for a corner, Joel Lynch saw his resulting header tipped over by Steele.

Neither side created anything clear-cut as the half wore on, although Gallagher should have done better when he met a Conway corner 12 yards out but could not find the target.

The visitors had the first real chance of note in the second half when Washington controlled on the left of the area but proceeded to drag his effort wide.

The game's real talking point came on the hour as a long throw somehow found Washington in the area and his powerful 12-yard header bounced down off the underside of the crossbar. However, the officials ruled the ball had not crossed the line.

Blackburn went close soon after when Connor Mahoney's superb curling free-kick was prodded goalwards at the back post by Darragh Lenihan and was palmed away on the line by Smithies, who then watched Feeney scuff the rebound wide.

As the game entered the dying moments, the Blackburn fans loudly voiced their displeasure against Coyle. But in the 91st minute, Marvin Emnes delivered the perfect cross for Gallagher to half-volley home from six yards and give his under-fire boss some respite.

Blackburn boss Owen Coyle:

"I certainly understand the frustrations in respect of we want to win games, we want to win points. The club for a number of years, there has been loads of stuff going on. The bottom line is anybody who knows me knows how resilient I am, knows how focused I am.

"I totally understand the frustration if you're at home, it's 0-0, you want to win the game, but there's still time to win. People will have their opinion but the important thing is they keep backing players, keep getting behind the team because when you do that the players have shown great spirit, great character, and went on to win a tough game."

QPR boss Ian Holloway:

"I had the same view as the fourth official [of Washington's effort]. We couldn't be really sure, but with players' reactions it looked like it was. Never mind, we let a goal in at the end, that's what cost us. It truly is the first time I've ever scored a goal and lost 1-0. I just ask for professionalism.

"We're asking referees, fourth officials, assessors to be professional when you're not giving them the right equipment. I don't need a fourth official stood between me and (Blackburn manager) Owen Coyle, I can tell you that.

"We're professional people. That man needs to be upstairs, watching a screen, talking to the referee and he would have seen it and could have had a re-run of it.I used to work for the people who do it. You don't need a goal line machine telling you 'goal', 'no goal', that costs over £100,000. You don't need that.

"How can you have a respect campaign, when you can't respect them yourself and let them have the technology that is available?"