Goals from Eduardo Vargas, Charlie Austin, Bobby Zamora, and Joey Barton secure Queen's Park Rangers' vital second away league win of the season, as Chris Ramsey's men move within one point of 17th place.
The first chance of the game fell to West Brom’s Ideye Brown, who should have opened the scoring when a Darren Fletcher cross found the Nigerian unmarked 8 yards from goal. However, Ideye’s subsequent header on goal, despite the lack of defensive pressure from QPR, was carelessly ballooned over Robert Green’s crossbar.
Moments later West Brom were made to rue Ideye’s miss, as QPR took a shock lead through Eduardo Vargas. Straight from a Robert Green goal kick, the ball found its way to the Chilean inside the West Brom half. After flicking the ball past Morrison 25 yards from goal, the former Napoli man unleashed a venomous right footed strike across the outstretched Boaz Myhill, and into the bottom left corner of the net.
Ideye Brown spurned another glorious opportunity for West Brom in the 20th minute, after a low cross from Morrison on the right flank bobbled into his path. The former Dynamo Kiev forward was, however, unable to control Morrison’s cross, and the ball subsequently flicked off the knee of Ideye and past the right post.
Despite the home side dominating in the aftermath of the opening goal, it was QPR who were able to grab the second goal of the game to double their lead. Charlie Austin stole in at the back post, after a Matty Philips set piece was flicked to the back post by substitute, Nico Kranjcar, to head home his sixteenth league goal of the season.
On the stroke of half time QPR made their lead seemingly unassailable, through an astonishing Bobby Zamora goal. The former England international latched onto a lofted ball into the right channel, however with no offensive support, the forward opted to brilliantly flick the ball over the head of Myhill and into the net, from the right corner of the West Brom penalty box.
The home side pushed forward with intensity at the start of the second half, and deservedly found a route back into the game via substitute, Victor Anichebe. After some impressive wok on the left flank from Saido Berahino, the English youngster found a way past QPR’s Mauricio Isla, before dinking the ball to the back post, where Anichebe was on hand to power the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.
Tony Pulis’ men continued their offensive front, and should have reduced the deficit even further through Berahino in the 77th minute. After a Chris Brunt cross from the left flank was headed back across goal by Ideye Brown, the youngster could only find the mid-riff of Green in the QPR goal with a subsequent headed effort, despite being unmarked in the six yard box.
Any hope that West Brom had of finding a way to salvage a point at the Hawthorns were dashed with just five minutes remaining, as Youssouf Mulumbu was, somewhat harshly, shown a straight red card by Lee Probert. The substitute was adjudged by the referee to have intentionally elbowed Joey Barton as both player’s rose to challenge for the ball in the middle of the park.
Chris Ramsey's men crowned an impressive away performance with a fourth goal in added time at the end of the second half. A swift counter attack led by Charlie Austin, culminated in Joey Barton flicking the ball past Chris Baird in the penalty area, and rifling the ball into the top left corner of Myhill's goal.
The win sees QPR move within one point of Sunderland in 17th place, and will be brimming with confidence ahead of a vital trip to Villa Park next weekend.