Queens Park Rangers 3-2 Middlesbrough: Rs hold on to first win of season

QPR earned their first points of the season as they held off a strong counter-attack in Middlesbrough to claim a narrow win at Loftus Road.

It was 3-0 as Lyndon Dykes stooped to head in a Stefan Johansen free kick, before Matt Crooks’ header gave the visitors some hope for halftime.

Marcus Forss’ close-range finish on his first start made it 3-2 and an equalizing goal was disallowed when Paddy McNair’s attempt was ruled out for offside before Boro’s Darragh Lenihan was sent off in stoppage time.

The teams produced nine goals in their two league matches last season and the pattern continued into a high-scoring opening hour.

Rangers failed to land a shot on target in their league opener at Blackburn and manager Michael Beale’s three changes worked as Willock and Dunne both found the net within 30 minutes.

Rangers had lost four of their last five home games in a dismal end to last season, but Beale’s first game in charge at Loftus Road was a very different story with a stunning first half. Dykes capped it off by his 13-game goal drought.

Boro only won one of their last nine encounters, but gave himself real hope when Crooks pulled in a header and then crossed over for Forss to make it 3-2 with over 30 minutes left.

The visitors were much better after the break and only the assistant referee’s flag kept McNair from taking them right off Ryan Giles’ cross.

But late on the counterattack, it was the hosts who came closest to scoring the sixth goal of the game when Albert Adomah flashed a shot wide of the ball before Lenihan saw red when his foul denied Macauley Bonne a clear run on goal.