Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray insisted his side looked good enough to beat QPR even without the sending-off of Jack Colback.
The Black Cats came from behind to win 3-1 at Loftus Road, where Kenneth Paal put the hosts ahead before Rs midfielder Colback was red-carded against his former club for a challenge on Jobe Bellingham.
However, Paal’s opener came somewhat against the run of play and Mowbray felt the visitors were superior prior to Colback’s dismissal.
They equalised in the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time when Jack Clarke’s effort was diverted in by QPR defender Steve Cook.
And second-half goals from Dan Ballard and Abdoullah Ba secured the points.
Mowbray said: “I think we started really well in the game, dominated, and then they scored. It wasn’t as if they were peppering our goal and giving us problems.
“We got the job done and I think we controlled the game and deserved it.”
QPR’s young Irish striker Sinclair Armstrong caused problems with his pace and power, but overall the home side struggled.
Mowbray added: “QPR spend a lot of time out of possession – their average possession is 33 per cent – so we knew we were going to have lots of the ball.
“It was about how we broke down their defensive block and we found a way to do that, which was pleasing.
“They are a team that are driven to be competitive and we were trying to control the game.
“But I thought we were OK in the first half and it seemed a matter of time.
“They were trying to score on the transition with Armstrong, who’s a hugely talented boy, but I thought we dealt with him really well.
“I just felt it was a matter of time before we scored and it was great that we scored before half-time.”
QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth had no doubt that Colback’s sending-off was the turning point in the match.
Ainsworth said: “Jack’s a competitor and if you tackle hard in this day and age and miss your timing then the refs can come down with a red card. He’s been a victim of that.
“We had a plan put in place and looked very secure, but with 10 men it was always going to be difficult against a team that were one game away from the Premier League last year and have spent good money in the transfer window.”
Rangers were almost relegated last season, have won just once at home since last October and have lost all three of their home matches this term.
But Ainsworth is adamant there has been a marked improvement.
He said: “This place is different to what it was. I’ll tell you now: these boys empty the tank every single game.
“It was hard with 10 men. I’m not saying we definitely would have won with 11, but we had a plan.
“To get to half-time 1-0 would have been great. It’s a different team-talk at 1-0 up. After that I just wanted us to stay in the game.
“The third goal was really a killer. That kills us off.”
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Al-Nassr 1-1 Al-Hilal: Mitrovic scores last-gasp penalty
Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a penalty in the 10th minute of second-half stoppage time as Al-Hilal denied Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr victory in a 1-1 draw.
Mitrovic netted his 27th Saudi Pro League goal of the campaign after Sadio Mane was harshly judged to have fouled Saud Abdulhamid in the area.
Mane stuck out an arm to shield the ball, catching his opponent in the throat, though the contact appeared to have been outside of the box.
Mitrovic made no mistake to keep Al-Hilal's unbeaten campaign going.
The Serbian's spot-kick cancelled out Otavio's first-minute opener, with Ronaldo having set up his compatriot.
Champions Al-Hilal remain 12 points clear of Al-Nassr at the summit of the Pro League standings.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo the provider
Ronaldo leads the scoring charts in Saudi Arabia this season, though he had to settle for an assist on Friday.
That came from the only chance he created, with the 39-year-old limited to 25 touches, though he did have four shots.
Leeds' belief never wavered as Wembley beckons
Ethan Ampadu said Leeds United's players never let their belief waver despite a poor end to their Championship campaign, with a trip to Wembley now coming up.
Leeds will face either Southampton or West Brom in the play-off final on May 26 after thrashing Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road on Thursday.
The Whites endured a miserable end to their campaign, losing 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers before going down at home to Southampton on the final day, as Ipswich Town claimed automatic promotion behind Leicester City.
But after their emphatic defeat of the Canaries, who they drew with 0-0 in the first leg, Ampadu claimed Leeds never lost their way.
"Towards the end of the season there was a lot of talk about how we were playing, how we weren't on the front foot, how we weren't aggressive or clinical," he told Sky Sports.
"But we always had our belief that on our day, when we are firing, we can be hard for anyone to play against.
"When the front four, five, six play like that, they make the job of us defenders a lot easier.
"Whoever we play in the final it's going to be a hard game but to go in like this, to put in a performance like this, we can take momentum and confidence into it.
"The fans were second to none and we enjoyed their support – now we are going to prepare for the big one."
Georginio Rutter scored one and set up another in the rout, and he put the onus on Leeds to replicate the same level at Wembley.
"It's incredible. Today we go to Wembley," he said.
"We played a good game. I'm happy, everybody is happy. One more game and we will see.
"We played very good. 4-0 is a clean sheet. Today, we were mature. It's a very good performance from the team.
"I want to try my best and help the team. If we play like this [at the final], we have a good chance but we have to play like this."
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