Akos Buzsaky celebrates putting QPR 1-0 up against Crystal Palace

Amid the backdrop of Neil Warnock returning to Selhurst Park for the first time since leaving Crystal Palace, QPR all but guaranteed their Championship survival with an impressive 2-0 win over Paul Hart’s side on Saturday.

The build-up to the game had unsurprisingly been dominated by the returning Neil Warnock. The former Sheffield Utd manager spent 2½ yrs in South London before joining QPR in March of this year.

At the time of his departure, Warnock insisted that the only reason he had left was due to the administrators agreeing a lucrative compensation package with QPR. Palace’s administrators saw it slightly different and slammed him for ‘not having the stomach to fight to save the club’, while outgoing chairman, Simon Jordan, also criticised Warnock for deserting the club in its hour of need.

With Warnock speaking at length in the week leading up to the clash about not looking forward to the game it was hard to fathom Rangers coming away with any points never mind the three that transpired.

On top of all that Rangers recent record against their London neighbours is nothing short of embarrassing. Since the glorious 6-0 mauling at Loftus Road in 1999 the R’s have won just once in 13 occasions against Palace leaving even the most optimistic of QPR fan cautious at best to predict a positive outcome.

Nevertheless, with the stars, sun and moon presumably all aligned against the visitors, Rangers done the unthinkable. They not only won, but played Palace off the park with some sumptuous football. Yes sumptuous.

The R’s took the lead through a fine Akos Buzsacky strike on 10 minutes and gave the hosts a mountain to climb on the hour mark when Kaspars Gorkks nodded in Adel Taarabt’s corner.

As he had been all week, Warnock was dignified in victory and wished his former club all the best in their battle to remain in the division. The result leaves Rangers on the brink of safety, with 4 games to go.

Victory at home to Cardiff next will mathematically secure the Hoops stay in the Championship, but this one against Palace could prove to be the most decisive of the lot.