QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes praised a quality goal and an impressive performance after his team boosted their Championship survival hopes with a deserved 1-0 victory at Bristol Rovers.

Ilias Chair’s cool finish, passing the ball into the net from Lucas Andersen’s 42nd-minute cross, was enough to lift the visitors to within one point of fourth-from-bottom Millwall.

The visitors defended their lead with organisation and tenacity in the second half, showing the sort of character they will need to escape the drop.

And a delighted Cifuentes said: “I know we have the necessary spirit to move up the table and it was evident today.

“Our goal came from two quality players combining. Ilias Chair is already a top player for us, but I have told him he has the ability to do even greater things.

“Lucas Andersen also has a lot of quality and it was good to see them working together to create the chance.

“But every member of the team deserved credit for a tremendous performance against very good opponents.

“Bristol (City) had beaten Southampton in the week and we knew how tough it would be to come here and win.

“We worked on certain things to combat their strengths and it was important we bounced back quickly from a poor performance against Stoke.

“It sums up the Championship that Bristol (City) were so good in midweek and yet we were able to restrict them to very few chances today.

“What’s so difficult is to put together consistent performances and results. That is what we must be aiming for in our remaining games.

“Today we have been very good, but being like that for one game is not enough.”

City head coach Liam Manning admitted it was a rare off-day for his team, who have been closing in on the play-off positions.

“From the start, we never got going,” he said. “Collectively – and that includes me with the changes I made – we were not good enough.

“It has been a really hectic schedule since Christmas and perhaps that showed physically and mentally today.

“It’s not an excuse because top teams like Manchester City cope with tough programmes. But they have some of the best players in the world.

“We will give our lads tomorrow and Monday off because I think a short rest will do them good.

“Then it will be back to prepare for our next game. We knew we would have to cope with expectation levels today after our win against Southampton.

“Queens Park Rangers are a better side than their league position suggests. I watched them and was aware that we would be in for a very tough game.

“The players are as frustrated as myself because we can be so much better. But they are an honest group and I have nothing but praise for their efforts in recent weeks.”

City lost young striker Sam Bell with a hamstring injury after only 22 minutes and Manning added: “We won’t be sure how serious it is until we get a scan, but obviously it didn’t look good.”

Ilias Chair’s first-half goal boosted QPR’s survival chances in the Championship with a 1-0 victory over Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

The key moment came three minutes before half-time when Lucas Andersen’s low cross from the right was stroked home right-footed by the unmarked Chair, who coolly passed the ball into the net from 12 yards.

From then on Rangers defended their lead with great tenacity against an out-of-sorts home side, who struggled to create meaningful openings.

QPR remained in the relegation zone, but they sit just a point behind fourth-bottom Millwall.

City made two changes from the 3-1 midweek win over Southampton, with Ross McCrorie and Nahki Wells replacing George Tanner and Tommy Conway, who dropped to the bench.

Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes made five alterations to the team beaten 1-0 at Stoke, welcoming back the influential Chris Willock and Chair to his starting line-up.

The home side lined up wearing a replica strip of the one worn by their counterparts of 50 years ago as City celebrated their FA Cup fifth-round replay victory over then unbeaten First Division leaders Leeds at Elland Road in February 1974.

But the historic kit failed to inspire as Liam Manning’s side looked a shadow of the team who had beaten Southampton so convincingly during a dour first half in which they barely tested visiting goalkeeper Asmir Begovic.

City had plenty of the ball, without creating clear openings. Their best effort came in the 37th minute from Anis Mehmeti, whose curling shot from the corner of the box was parried by Begovic.

Jason Knight and McCrorie fired narrowly wide, while at the other end Willock had a shot charged down. But there was little to enthuse either set of fans until Chair’s quality finish.

Knight and Joe Williams had efforts blocked at the end of a half which ended with boos from some City fans.

Chair’s goal had been Rangers’ only shot on target. But they began the second half on the front foot, with his low 49th-minute shot saved by the diving Max O’Leary.

By the 58th minute Manning had seen enough and sent on Taylor Gardner-Hickman, Dire Mebude and Tommy Conway for Williams, Knight and Mehmeti.

It made little difference. O’Leary kept his side in the game with another diving stop, this time to keep out Andersen’s powerful drive.

City continued to flounder going forwards and Rangers defended their lead with comfort as both coaches made further changes.

Conway shot narrowly wide after 82 minutes for City, but it was Rangers who finished the stronger, Willock twice foiled by O’Leary saves and substitute Michael Frey shooting into the side-netting.

Steven Schumacher hopes Stoke’s “important” 1-0 win over fellow strugglers QPR lifts the confidence of his side.

Wouter Burger’s strike before half time was the difference as the Potters ended a four-match losing streak.

The Dutch youngster, who also scored in the reverse fixture, converted the winner with a tap-in from Lewis Baker’s corner.

In the process, Schumacher secured a first home league win as boss and the club’s first at the bet365 Stadium since October.

With victory, Stoke gave themselves daylight from the relegation zone as they moved six points above the dotted line.

“We were all aware of how important the game was,” noted the Potters’ boss.

“It was an important win and a tough game against a team close to us in the league.

“The performance isn’t one that we’ll remember forever and the game wasn’t a classic, but to get that win at home was so important.

“It’s relentless and it’s important that we back it up now and I hope that that result gives the players some confidence.

“It’s not been easy to play here all season and it’s been too long since we’ve won (at home), so hopefully that stigma has gone.

“We’ve played a lot better since I’ve been here than we did tonight but that doesn’t matter; we got the win and the fans go home happy.

“Sometimes, you’ve got to come to a realisation of what’s important at certain stages.

“The results haven’t been what we wanted, so we changed our shape and played more direct and we were harder to beat.

“At this stage of the season and as a coach you’ve got to recognise what’s important and the win was what was all that mattered today.

“But we can’t relax now; it’s only one win and the league is still really tight.”

Meanwhile, the travelling Hoops could only muster one shot on target as their four-match unbeaten run ended.

QPR remain entrenched in the relegation zone as they drift to four points from safety.

“I’m disappointed,” said boss Marti Cifuentes.

“We had some good chances in the first half to take the lead but unfortunately, we went 1-0 down after a corner.

“They played a back-five and they showed respect to us and we couldn’t get the flow we wanted, especially in the second half.

“It was not easy for us to break them down. Still, we tried to compete to the very last second but it was just one of those games.

“Today was a very important game in terms of the table but at the same time, whatever happened today, it wasn’t going to be a season changer.

“We need to stay very calm; we’re of course disappointed and angry, but we were unbeaten for four games and perhaps someone could think this would be easy.

“When I arrived at the club, we were eight points away and the team is showing improvements almost every week.

“I do believe in what we’re doing and I think that the team is showing that we can compete every game.

“My target now is to make sure we get a new trend of good results to pick up the points that we need.

“In less than three months at the club, we’ve had two good trends so I’m sure we can have another one.”

Stoke secured a first home win since October as they beat fellow strugglers QPR 1-0.

A Wouter Burger strike on the cusp of half time was enough to end a run of four straight defeats in the Championship.

The visiting Hoops, who could have moved out of the relegation zone with a victory, failed to extend their four-match unbeaten run.

It could be an important first home win for Potters’ boss Steven Schumacher, with his new side moving six points clear of the dreaded dotted line.

Following two wins and two draws, a resurgent QPR started promisingly and nearly opened the scoring inside three minutes.

The visitors carefully crafted a pocket of space and found Paul Smyth, but the winger’s venomous strike was pawed away by Daniel Iversen.

Stoke heeded their opponents’ early warning sign and gradually grew into the fixture, with new forward Niall Ennis trying to instigate a response.

The hosts had only scored two goals in their last eight home league games – with only one from open play – and their wastefulness in front of goal was on show again.

Lewis Baker’s outswinging corner was headed goalwards by Michael Rose, but the defender’s effort was tipped over by Asmir Begovic.

And the former Potters’ stopper – who made 173 appearances in six years at the club – was in inspired form against his old employers.

Fierce strikes from Burger and Ennis before the break had the same outcome, with Begovic twice coming to QPR’s rescue.

However, there was nothing the ex-Bosnian international could do just on the stroke of half time as Stoke took the lead with a goal that had been coming.

A Baker corner again wreaked havoc with Luke McNally’s flick-on finding the onrushing Burger, who converted a simple tap-in.

It was a second league goal of the season for the Dutch youngster, whose only other second tier strike also came against the Rs in the reverse fixture in November.

The home side’s momentum was not swayed by the interval, with the Potters continuing to dictate the fixture.

And they should have doubled their lead following a moment of pinball, but valiant QPR defending and another Begovic stop ensured the game remained within reach.

Substitute Lyndon Gooch also came close to providing a Stoke second, yet his rifled strike whistled beyond the post.

A late Hoops onslaught ensued with the influential Ilias Chair trying to unlock a resolute home defence.

Ultimately, the hosts’ slender lead was preserved as they avoided suffering a fifth successive league defeat for the first time since January 2005.

Meanwhile, Marti Cifuentes’ outfit remain entrenched in the relegation zone, four points from safety with 14 games still to play.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes is hopeful his side’s new signings can keep the club in the Championship after they combined to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw at home to Norwich.

Swiss striker Michael Frey headed in a cross from fellow pre-deadline signing Lucas Andersen to earn the west London side a draw.

Meanwhile, loan signings Isaac Hayden and Joe Hodge impressed in midfield, giving head coach Cifuentes plenty of encouragement in the battle to avoid relegation.

The Spaniard said: “I’m very happy for the new players. I think that all of them are showing they are great professionals.

“These four players are coming from situations where we will need to take into account that they will perhaps need a couple of weeks to be at their best version, but I’m happy with them.

“The assist from Lucas to Frey was brilliant. All of them are giving good performances for us.

“They need match fitness but they’ve shown fantastic performances and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do together with the rest of the guys.

“We definitely feel like we’re stronger now than we were before.”

QPR took the lead through Jack Colback’s opener but Norwich hit back with second-half goals from Kenny McLean and Josh Sargent.

Frey’s leveller meant third-bottom Rangers closed the gap on Huddersfield, the team immediately above them, to two points.

“I can never be happy with just a point, but we played against a strong team that scored two quality goals,” said Cifuentes.

“We managed to have good moments, both in the first half and the second, and I want to praise the attitude and the mentality of the guys.

“It’s not easy to be behind at home in the situation that we are in. But we had the mental strength and capacity to keep on pushing – and after the equaliser from Frey we still tried to go for the victory.”

Norwich boss David Wagner was left to rue a miss by Ashley Barnes shortly before QPR’s equaliser.

“Performance-wise, OK. Intensity and energy, top. Result, a little bit frustrating,” said Wagner.

“But I think it’s a positive if we are frustrated at getting a point away from home against QPR in a game where we have come back from one down.

“Unfortunately we didn’t score the third one where Barnsey had a great opportunity. Then we conceded a sloppy goal, which cost us.

“Our biggest challenge today was not to get too emotional and to stay calm. I think when we did that we looked very good in possession and were able to break them down and create opportunities.

“So I’m a little bit frustrated that we haven’t won this game, because it was possible. We should be fair also and say that performance-wise this was OK.

“Unfortunately it’s only a point. I think it’s OK if there’s a little bit of frustration about only getting the point after being 1-0 down at half-time away from home.

“We should look at the performance as well. You only have positive results if you perform consistently and this is what the players have done in recent weeks.”

QPR scored twice in three second-half minutes to boost their survival hopes with a 2-1 win at Blackburn.

QPR took a 61st-minute lead through an unfortunate Aynsley Pears own goal, which owed much to the magic of Ilias Chair, but it was the least they deserved and Joe Hodge’s assured finish seven minutes into his QPR debut doubled their advantage.

It was too much for Blackburn’s supporters, who vociferously protested against owners Venky’s and their CEO Steve Waggott before Sam Gallagher’s fourth of the campaign halved the deficit 17 minutes from time.

But the visitors held on for their first win on this ground since October 1999 and with Blackburn now only five points clear of danger after a winless run of eight, QPR may have dragged them into the relegation battle.

Benjamin Chrisene should have given Rovers a fifth-minute lead when he found space inside the box and switched onto his right foot but got his curling effort all wrong and missed the target.

QPR looked the most assured of the two sides though and Chair engineered space on the left soon after, cutting inside before unleashing a rasping shot that Pears tipped away.

They went even closer when a flowing move saw Reggie Cannon cross for Sinclair Armstrong at the near post but he put his first-time shot the wrong side of the post.

Rovers were toothless, though Joe Rankin-Costello forced Asmir Begovic into a low save before Armstrong’s shot from a narrow angle was tipped behind.

The visitors went close again two minutes after the restart when Chair whipped a dangerous cross to the back post that Steve Cook met but his header whistled just wide, before Armstrong missed a glaring chance when over-running the ball clean through, allowing Pears to smother.

QPR got the goal their performance deserved just after the hour and it was thanks to the game’s outstanding player in Chair, who jinked inside from the left and dummied before letting fly with a ferocious low 25-yard strike that clattered the post and rebounded in off Pears.

They doubled their advantage three minutes later and there was no luck about this one as Armstrong found Hodge’s perfectly timed run into the box and he had time to pick his spot, slotting the ball beyond Pears into the right corner.

The atmosphere was bordering on mutinous after the second goal but Blackburn rallied and grabbed a lifeline when Rankin-Costello chased his mis-hit shot and bundled the ball into the path of Gallagher who fired through the legs of Begovic.

Begovic produced a sprawling save to deny Gallagher, and Semir Telalovic poked over deep into added time, but QPR held on for a vital win.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes praised his team for showing fighting spirit in their 1-1 draw at home to fellow strugglers Huddersfield.

The hosts were poor in a vital match for both sides at Loftus Road, where Jack Rudoni’s late goal looked like leaving third-from-bottom Rangers six points adrift of the Terriers who are immediately above them in the Championship table.

Kenneth Paal equalised in the fifth minute of stoppage time by kneeing a cross from Ilias Chair into the top corner of the net.

“Not a good performance and it was generally a poor game. I’m not very pleased with our performance,” Cifuentes admitted.

“Having said that, we knew there would be tension in this game because it was so important to both sides, so you could see we couldn’t get the grip on the game that we would have liked.

“Then we had to accept that the picture of the game was a lot of fight, a lot of duels and aerial situations.

“So I want to praise the guys, because after conceding a goal in that minute and having the courage and personality to chase the draw, and then to keep pushing to try to get the victory, shows that even when we’re not having our best performance the team is competing well.”

A win would have taken QPR out of the relegation zone, where they have been since September. They remain in deep trouble.

However, Cifuentes insisted: “To be able, on a day like today, when many things didn’t go well, to pick up a point, I think is a step to the next level and in the right direction.

“The first thing is to be competitive and the second is that, even on the bad days, you can pick up points. Hopefully we can maintain that.”

Huddersfield have won just one of their past 11 league matches and the draw was their 13th of the season.

Boss Darren Moore said: “To not come away with the points, we’re disappointed with the result.

“The positives are that it’s another solid performance. We’ve come to a difficult place and really controlled the game for large periods.

“You have to come here and set your stall out and I thought the boys did that today. We certainly felt we should have taken all three points.

“When you lose a goal that late in the game, especially when you’ve dominated large periods of the game, we certainly feel it’s two points dropped.

“My message to the players has been that we’ve got to keep pushing and believe that those three points are not far away.

“When we get the three points, I really think it will be a glue in terms of performances, confidence and our fans seeing it and us pushing on and going forward.

“We’re nearer to turning draws into victories than losing.”

Kenneth Paal equalised five minutes into stoppage time to rescue a point for QPR as they drew 1-1 with fellow strugglers Huddersfield.

Jack Rudoni’s 86th-minute goal looked like leaving third-from-bottom Rangers six points adrift of the Terriers – the team immediately above them in the Sky Bet Championship table.

But Ilias Chair’s right-wing cross was kneed into the top corner of the net by left-back Paal in the final stages and helped avoid a potentially disastrous home defeat.

A win would have taken QPR out of the relegation zone, where they have been since September, and leapfrogged Huddersfield. The draw means the gap remains at three points.

Both sides struggled to create clearcut chances, particularly during a scrappy first half, although Chair and young striker Sinclair Armstrong looked a threat for Rangers.

Playmaker Chair saw a weak shot comfortably saved by goalkeeper Lee Nicholls and sent in a wickedly-delivered corner from the left, but no-one could add a decisive touch.

Armstrong, meanwhile, fired high and wide from an acute angle during a frustrating opening 45 minutes for the hosts.

At the other end, Rhys Healey headed over from Sorba Thomas’ free-kick and had a shot blocked by Jake Clarke-Salter following good work on the right by Rudoni.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes will have hoped for an improvement after the interval, but it did not materialise.

Instead, Huddersfield looked the better side, enjoying the majority of possession and going close when Michal Helik headed just over from Thomas’ left-wing corner.

It prompted Cifuentes to make a double substitution, sending on Paul Smyth and Elijah Dixon-Bonner in place of Chris Willock and the ineffective Lyndon Dykes.

That did make a slight difference, with Smyth adding some energy in attack and Dixon-Bonner shooting wide from near the edge of the penalty area, before Jack Colback’s left-footed strike was caught by Nicholls.

However, that was as much as QPR could muster before Rudoni broke the deadlock.

Rangers, who have shown a tendency to concede goals from set-pieces, failed to properly clear a free-kick and Radinio Balker’s shot fell to Rudoni, who fired past keeper Asmir Begovic.

The last-gasp equaliser will be a huge relief for Cifuentes but the R’s remain in deep trouble and must now hope that the arrival of Swiss striker Michael Frey gives them the impetus up front they have lacked all season.

Frey, whose signing from Royal Antwerp was announced shortly before kick-off, scored 33 goals in 69 games for the Belgian club and Rangers desperately need him to produce that kind of form in England.

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes is preparing for a vital match against fellow strugglers Huddersfield after his side ended their winless run by beating Millwall.

A 2-0 success at Loftus Road was Rangers’ first victory in eight Sky Bet Championship matches and lifted them up a place, to third from bottom.

And it means they will climb out of the relegation zone if they beat Huddersfield – the team immediately above them – next weekend.

Cifuentes said: “We need to keep on working. Today we are very happy, but we know that we have a very important game next week here again.

“We need to be very focused on the task. The next target is to win against Huddersfield.

“Enjoy the victory today – it was very important for us – and from tomorrow start to prepare for a massive game against Huddersfield at home. Feet on the ground and keep on working.

“I’m aware that no matter what the result next week it is going to be a huge task. It’s an important game but, step by step, we need to get a lot of victories, not just next week.”

Rangers struggled to create clear-cut chances before Chair broke the deadlock in the 27th minute.

They defended well and their win was sealed by Sinclair Armstrong netting a late second.

Cifuentes added: “In all the games that we’ve played, we never gave up and I never felt – even in the worst games we played – that the team was accepting the defeat.

“We have been close in all the games since I took over. We’ve always been in games but haven’t had the clinical touch.

“Today we did, and that made things easier. You could feel the tension, London derby, but definitely the first goal gave us the calm that we needed and from there we played at a very good level.

“Today’s victory was a consequence of a lot of small things we have been doing well over the last few games but unfortunately not getting the points.”

Millwall boss Joe Edwards admitted that his team’s disappointing performance felt like a step backwards.

The Lions won three matches in a row soon after Edwards’ recent appointment but have now suffered back-to-back league defeats.

“In pretty much every department we were not good enough and that’s incredibly frustrating,” Edwards said.

“It can be really frustrating when it feels like there’s a lot of good work going on, good performances, progress and signs we’re building, and then today out of nowhere you have a performance like that.

“QPR are in a difficult position and they came out fighting, particularly in the second half, and we couldn’t match it.

“The flow of our attacks in recent weeks – we’ve been ripping through teams and today we didn’t do that.

“Today we became predictable very early on and I’m not sure why. QPR grew into the game, whereas we just got stuck in our half and played predictable football, which was absolutely not our plan.

“QPR didn’t start well and we settled quickly, but it was like that lulled us into a false sense of security. We were then unable to break into any kind of intensity.”

Goals from Ilias Chair and Sinclair Armstrong gave relegation-threatened QPR a vital 2-0 win over Millwall at Loftus Road.

It was Rangers’ first victory in eight Sky Bet Championship matches and lifted them up a place, to third from bottom.

And it means they will move level on points with Huddersfield, the team immediately above them in the table, if they beat the Terriers in another crucial game next weekend.

In a feisty London derby, both teams struggled to create clear-cut chances before Chair put Rangers ahead in the 27th minute with his third goal of the season.

Lyndon Dykes, usually a striker but currently operating in a withdrawn role, played a big part in the build-up.

Dykes controlled the ball nicely and laid it to the right to Chris Willock, who turned away from Joe Bryan and delivered a left-footed cross to the far post, where Chair bundled home from close range after getting in front of Millwall’s on-loan Arsenal youngster Brooke Norton-Cuffy.

QPR continued to threaten after the goal and Willock fired over – again after turning away from Bryan – before Dykes’ side-footed effort flashed narrowly wide.

Millwall’s first real sight of goal came a couple of minutes before half-time, when Billy Mitchell sent a first-time strike over the bar after being found by Zian Flemming’s cross from the left.

Rangers were back on the front foot after the interval, with Dykes heading wide from Willock’s cross and then testing keeper Matija Sarkic with a low shot which was well saved.

And the hosts appealed in vain for a penalty when Wes Harding blocked Dykes’ shot with his hands.

Rangers then had a let-off of their own when keeper Asmir Begovic allowed Mitchell’s shot to squirm through his legs and was rescued by Reggie Cannon’s clearance off the line.

Cannon took a heavy knock in the process and as he lay on the ground the defender appeared to be struck by a number of objects thrown from the away fans’ section of the ground.

That was the closest Millwall came to an equaliser – and there was no way back for them after Armstrong’s 85th-minute goal.

Chair teed up Jack Colback and, after Sarkic failed to hold the veteran midfielder’s left-footed shot, Armstrong was on hand to tuck away the loose ball.

Millwall, who recently won three matches in a row under new boss Joe Edwards, have now suffered back-to-back defeats.

Bournemouth produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat QPR 3-2 and reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The Championship strugglers scored two goals in quick succession before the break through Sinclair Armstrong and Lyndon Dykes at Loftus Road.

But the Cherries came out after half-time firing and goals from Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Justin Kluivert secured their seventh win in nine matches in all competitions.

QPR looked to strike early in the 10th minute. Andre Dozzell turned his man in midfield and combined with Dykes before his cross was too high for the striker to get on the end of.

The hosts continued their positive start in the 15th minute when Dykes forced Mark Travers into action.

Paul Smyth showed blistering pace to beat his marker and his cross onto the head of Dykes was denied by the acrobatic Travers, who got down quickly at his right post.

The Cherries started to warm into the tie and they went close after 21 minutes when Philip Billing’s driven shot across goal narrowly missed the target.

Bournemouth struggled up to that point but a moment of brilliance from Billing to retrieve the ball off Luis Sinisterra, dribble and get a shot off highlighted their Premier League quality.

But it was the Championship side who scored first after 40 minutes.

A searching ball forward found Armstrong with his back facing Bournemouth’s goal on halfway. The striker turned Marcos Senesi with ease and glided through on goal where he produced a placed finish into the bottom-right corner.

And straight after the restart in the 42nd minute Dykes got the goal he deserved and Rangers stormed into a 2-0 lead.

The attacker cut inside from the left and his long-range effort took a heavy deflection off Max Aarons, whose poor positioning saw the ball loop over the helpless Travers and into the net.

Bournemouth flew out of the blocks in the second half and grabbed a goal through Tavernier in the 48th minute.

Both sides scrapped for the loose ball in QPR’s box after a set-piece but it fell nicely to Tavernier, whose effort took another heavy deflection before it bounced past Asmir Begovic.

Bournemouth equalised in the 58th minute through Moore.

Alex Scott’s inswinging corner was whipped into the danger zone and Moore beat Begovic in the air to nod his side back into the game from six yards.

The visitors completed the turnaround after 69 minutes through Kluivert.

Billing, who had been outstanding all game, turned the ball over in QPR’s defensive third before he picked out Kluivert at the back post.

Kluivert, son of former Barcelona and Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert, showed how clinical he can be when he finished first time to seal victory for Bournemouth.

Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna admitted his sickness-ravaged promotion chasers did not do enough to take all three points as they were held to a goalless draw by struggling QPR.

The Tractor Boys lost the chance to pull away from the chasing pack in the Championship and have now gone four games without a victory and failed to score at home in a league game for the first time since October 2022.

The result saw Ipswich fall eight points behind leaders Leicester, with the gap to third-placed Southampton just three points, while QPR stayed in the drop zone.

McKenna said: “I didn’t think it was a very good match or general performance or general atmosphere.

“It was a really difficult build up to the match right up to the two minutes before kick off when Nathan Broadhead is vomiting in the dressing room and there’s a few players with the vomiting bug and probably a couple more to come.

“So difficult build up, it wasn’t a great game and of course there’s a lot of factors behind that. It’s the third game in six days after a massive effort, the players are humans.

“I thought that the effort levels, especially in the second half, were excellent and we tried really, really hard and had some chances to win the game.

“Didn’t give up any chances in open play, gave nothing away, had a couple of chances to win it but didn’t do quite enough in the performance to win the game.”

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes was pleased with his team’s response to the 2-0 defeat on Boxing Day at Millwall.

He said: “It was a good answer from my guys after a disappointing performance on Boxing Day against a very good side.

“I like Ipswich the most in the league, the way that they play they have been really, really strong so far this season, especially playing at home: scoring a lot of goals creating a lot of goals, creating a lot of chances and I think today we did a good job.

“Sometimes football is a little bit more than just the tactics and the training – the togetherness and the capacity to build as a team some kind of identity and I think that today we did that.

“I think that the answer from the guys in the terms of how committed they were against a very good team was excellent and I have a feeling that we competed at a very good level during the whole game and we had some marginal situations.

“We hit the post with the most clear chance of the game, probably.”

Promotion-chasing Ipswich lost the chance to pull away from the pack in the Championship as they were held to a 0-0 draw by struggling QPR.

The match saw both sides have a number of chances to win it, with the visitors coming closest when Steve Cook’s header hit the post and ran across the goal line.

The result saw Ipswich fall eight points behind leaders Leicester, with the gap to third-placed Southampton just three points, while QPR stayed in the drop zone.

Sinclair Armstrong made his presence felt in the second minute when he muscled his way past Luke Woolfenden but Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky parried the shot behind for a corner.

Three minutes later, Freddie Ladapo had only Asmir Begovic to beat when Conor Chaplin played him in but he delayed his shot which was cleared by the Rangers’ defence.

Begovic came to the visitors’ rescue when he deflected the ball over the bar with his legs from another Ladapo effort, while Ilias Chair and Armstrong combined down the left with the latter’s shot coming off Hladky for a QPR corner.

Ipswich had a narrow escape in the 31st minute when Cook’s header struck the base of the post following a QPR corner and rolled across the goal line, with a combination of Hladky and Cameron Burgess clearing the ball away.

At the other end, Begovic tipped a shot from Omari Hutchinson over the bar and an inswinging corner by the Chelsea loanee that was creeping inside the near post was headed behind by Reggie Cannon.

Ladapo had the QPR shot-stopper stretching across his goal line following a cross from Cameron Humphreys which the Ipswich striker headed narrowly wide, and a slick exchange of passes between Marcus Harness and Humphreys resulted in the midfielder’s shot being blocked by Begovic.

Paul Smyth came close to giving the Hoops the lead when he almost beat Hladky to the ball and referee David Webb turned away penalty appeals for QPR when Smyth went down in the box following a challenge from Woolfenden.

The match was held up at half time after a medical emergency in the crowd.

Tom Bradshaw and Murray Wallace scored as Millwall beat QPR 2-0 to end a three-month wait for a home Championship win.

Bradshaw put the Lions in front with their only shot on target in the first half before Wallace made sure of all three points in second-half stoppage time.

Millwall applied pressure in the opening stages at The Den, with George Honeyman’s first-time side-footed volley dropping wide of the post, and he also curled a free-kick over the crossbar after Jimmy Dunne pulled down Bradshaw on the edge of the box.

Rangers enjoyed 65 per cent of the possession in the first half but failed to turn that into challenging moments for home keeper Matija Sarkic.

Their best moment before the break came after Paul Smyth nicked the ball past Jake Cooper in the 27th minute but George Saville cut out the Rangers winger’s cross.

A toothless half from both sides ended in delight for the hosts, as they went in front in the third minute of additional time through Wales international Bradshaw.

Only Saville will know whether he was shooting or providing a cross to the far post for the striker to slide the ball into the net for his third goal of the campaign, and just Millwall’s 10th league goal in 12 matches on home turf.

Aidomo Emakhu tested Asmir Begovic in the 49th minute, the QPR keeper turning the near-post attempt around the post after Kenneth Paal was too easily brushed to the ground by the young Irishman.

Rangers were presented with a chance from Emakhu’s misplaced pass in the 62nd minute but Ilias Chair produced a tame, low right-footed shot which was easily held by Sarkic and then Reggie Cannon’s first-time shot from Paal’s cross flashed across the face of goal.

Millwall substitute Zian Flemming whipped a left-footed effort narrowly past Begovic’s left post as the hosts looked to kill the contest off.

The fourth official had only just held up the board to show an additional 10 minutes of stoppage time when Wallace made it 2-0, the Scottish defender converting from close range after Begovic failed to punch clear a Honeyman corner.

Kevin Nisbet was then put through by Flemming, only to find the side-netting as the hosts looked for a third goal.

But Millwall had done more than enough for a first victory at The Den since September 20, ending a seven-match winless run in the league. For QPR it was a third straight loss and they remained in the relegation zone.

Southampton boss Russell Martin applauded Shea Charles for a “good foul” after the midfielder was sent off towards the end of a 1-0 win at QPR.

With the Saints under pressure, midfielder Charles, on as a second-half substitute, halted a Rangers attack in the 89th minute by bringing down Albert Adomah.

It led to Shea being dismissed for a second yellow card and meant the visitors saw out the final stages with 10 men before securing a valuable three points in the race for promotion.

Martin said: “Shea took one for the team, which is unfortunate for him but was a big moment because such a strength of theirs is on the counter-attack.

“(I’ll criticise) if you get sent off for something stupid – dissent or a wild tackle and all that stuff.

“If you’re on a yellow card and one of their biggest threats is the counter-attack, I think it’s a good foul. There are good fouls in the game and that was one.

“Now he misses a game, but I’m never going to criticise someone for taking one for the team.”

A Taylor Harwood-Bellis header three minutes before half-time was enough to clinch victory for Martin’s side, who are fourth in the Sky Bet Championship and now unbeaten in 15 matches – Southampton’s longest unbeaten run since 1950.

The Saints took their chance to close the gap on second-placed Ipswich, who were thrashed 4-0 by fellow promotion challengers Leeds earlier in the day.

“We had an opportunity to make up some points today and thankfully we took it,” said Martin.

“We limited them to very little in terms of big chances. We defended the box brilliantly. On the whole I’m really delighted.

“We were OK in the first half – a little bit of a lack of energy compared to recent weeks – and in the second half I thought we were great.”

QPR boss Marti Cifuentes insisted he took encouragement from his team’s display despite the loss.

Rangers remain third from bottom and have suffered back-to-back defeats, having recently won three matches in a row under the recently-appointed Spaniard.

“I’m disappointed because of the result. We want to win matches and today we were not good enough to do it,” said Cifuentes.

“At the same time, I can feel proud and encouraged about what’s coming because I saw a team that produced a good performance and tried to play positive, attacking football against one of the best sides in the league.

“We made things very difficult for Southampton. We had a good period in the first half and then unfortunately we conceded a goal from a set-piece.

“At half-time we spoke about putting a lot of pressure on them and I think the guys did that excellently.

“Perhaps we lack this clinical part in the last third, because we got in a lot of situations but should have produced more.

“Overall a very positive performance, but when you lose games you can never be satisfied.

“Now it’s time to look forward. I think if we play at the level we did today then we can collect a lot of points.

“I feel quite calm and the most important thing is that the team keeps progressing and improving.”