Queens Park Rangers 3 West Bromwich Albion 1: match report

Anyone scouring Loftus Road in search of a saviour may well have overlooked the 61 year-old with the slack jaw and receding hairline. But the mere shadow of Neil Warnock in the doorway appears to have cajoled Queens Park Rangers into life. Less than a week after leaving Crystal Palace, his 11th club, he is remaking a 12th in his own weathered image. But to attribute Saturday's result solely to the Warnock effect would be disingenuous. While QPR enjoyed a new lease of life, West Brom simply committed suicide. Roberto di Matteo's team have won just one match in six.  Related ArticlesChampionship tableTelegraph player raterChampionship fixturesNeil Warnock takes QPR jobBriatore resigns as QPR chairmanSport on television'Both the goals in the first 20 minutes were terrible to give away,' the Italian said. 'You can't allow that. 'It makes your day so much more difficult.' If goalkeeper Scott Carson still idly aspired to a seat on the plane to South Africa, it took 13 minutes for the door to be closed for the last time. Launching QPR's first meaningful attack, Adel Taarabt crossed. The ball was indisputably Carson's, but he failed to cling on, and after Hogan Ephraim had taken first bite, it was left to Jay Simpson to jab the ball in. Left-back Marek Cech was at fault for the second goal, straying too far infield as Alejandro Faurlin played a diagonal pass to Matthew Connolly, who finished between Carson's legs. Cech then went some way towards redeeming himself, beginning the move that led to West Brom's goal. Jerome Thomas's cross looked unthreatening, but at the back post, Chris Brunt's header was trained at the right trajectory to float into the corner. As West Brom pressed for an equaliser, the main difference between the sides continued to be between the posts. While Carson garnered ironic acclaim whenever he claimed the ball, QPR's Carl Ikeme kept his side ahead with two excellent saves. His second, rushing out to deny Thomas, was outstanding. If Carson thought his day could get no worse, he was wrong. Akos Buzsaky hoisted in a free-kick from the left, and as it eluded forwards and backs alike, Carson was left hopelessly stranded as the ball bounced over his head, off the post, and trickled in. 'We've had a good week,' Warnock said. 'It was a matter of finding out what I'm like. They've taken everything on board from the first day, and they've not let me down.'

Source: Telegraph