Rotherham United vs Queens Park Rangers. Sky Bet Championship.
New York StadiumAttendance10,563.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Rotherham and QPR at the New York Stadium as a Jordan Hugill double saw Matt Taylor's Millers to victory on Saturday afternoon.
Saturday 4 March 2023 18:24, UK
QPR's dire run of form continued as Rotherham leapfrogged them in the Championship table with a 3-1 victory.
Jordan Hugill, a former Rs loanee, netted a brace which drags Gareth Ainsworth's side deeper into a relegation battle.
It ensured a fifth straight defeat for the Londoners and they now have just one win from 19 league outings.
Rotherham went in front after 15 minutes when Chiedozie Ogbene was set free down the right by Tariqe Fosu and the winger picked the right pass to tee up Hugill a simple close-range finish.
Goalkeeper Seny Dieng then had to be alert to punch clear Shane Ferguson's inswinging corner, as Rotherham looked for a swift second.
The visitors responded well and only a diving save from Viktor Johansson kept Rotherham in front after Albert Adomah stood up a cross for skipper Stefan Johansen to strike first time.
Rotherham were back on the attack and Hakeem Odoffin was denied at the near post by Dieng after being put through on goal by Ogbene.
Hugill led a menacing counter-attack for the Millers and his chipped pass was perfect for Ferguson but again Dieng was equal to the effort and pushed it away as the first half finished with the hosts leading 1-0.
The home side were appealing for a penalty early in the second period after Dieng had tangled with Wes Harding but referee Darren Bond was unmoved.
After that, QPR started to enjoy their best period of the match and almost crafted a leveller when Sam Field volleyed over from Tim Iroegbunam's cross.
They then came within inches of an equaliser when debutant Aaron Drewe picked out Jimmy Dunne and the defender's shot flashed across goal.
However, it was Rotherham who grabbed the next goal after winning a penalty in the 70th minute.
Hugill was hauled down by Rob Dickie and stopped from getting on the end of Ogbene's cross, with the striker taking the spot-kick himself and sending Dieng the wrong way.
Jamal Lowe came close to getting one back for the visitors but his shot from the edge of the box flashed just wide.
Hugill almost netted his hat-trick from Ogbene's cross but he could not get a strong enough connection at the back post.
QPR were handed a lifeline with seven minutes left when they were awarded their own penalty after Harding fouled substitute Sinclair Armstrong. Lowe smashed the resulting spot-kick into the top corner to make it 2-1.
The goal really fired up the visitors and Dickie almost made it 2-2 with a fierce strike from the edge of the box.
But Rotherham sealed the points in the 90th minute when Odoffin lashed into the bottom corner after Georgie Kelly's initial shot fell kindly to him.
Rotherham's Matt Taylor:
"To have 40 points with 11 games left, I am not sure we have been in this position in this league too often. We have to make the most of the remaining games. Any points put us in the right direction. We know how difficult this league is and how difficult QPR would be. We need to keep on picking up points and building the belief. We wanted to bring QPR back into the mix and we would like to do the same with Birmingham next week.
"It was scrappy at times, without being disrespectful to them. They have changed their style with the new manager. They are very much back to front. I thought we stood up to it relatively well. We also showed some quality moments going forward. The goals were quality. Their goal came out of nothing. It was a strange feeling. There was a little bit of shock around the ground. It was important we were the aggressor after their goal. It was a big moment for Jordan today and the first time he'd been captain. I like what he stands for and the way he plays the game."
QPR's Gareth Ainsworth:
"Both boxes were the telling point. If you give chances away, like we did, at this level you're going to get punished. We had chances at the other end but did not hit the target. We have created more chances than we had in a long time. There were a couple of naive things for a couple of their goals. That was the story of the game. The third goal really took the wind out of us.
"We are missing our seasoned Championship players at the minute. But we have got to get better in both boxes and we will certainly be working on that this week. The energy around us has totally lifted. I just want to get that first result. I feel if we carry on like this, the wins are just around the corner."
