Charlie Austin bagged a hat-trick as Queens Park Rangers came from two goals down to beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2 at Loftus Road and climb out of the relegation zone.
Goals from Joleon Lescott and Silvestre Varela helped the Baggies into a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes, before Austin bagged a penalty to reduce the arrears shortly after.
The 25-year-old then struck his 10th Premier League goal early in the first half to level up the clash, before glancing a late header beyond Ben Foster to propel Rangers up to 15th in the table.
Below, relive the action from a dramatic encounter at Loftus Road.
Good afternoon and merry Christmas to you and yours. I'm Shane and I'll be taking you through QPR's festive clash with West Brom at Loftus Road.
Christmas football is brilliant, and thankfully there's LOADS of it over the next 10 days or so, but first we're looking at Rangers' attempts to escape the relegation zone for the time being, and you can't back against them here today.
Harry Redknapp's side have some pretty attrocious away form, having lost every single one of their games away from West London, but thankfully they're very decent at Loftus Road and they're bidding for a fourth win from five home games this afternoon - the other being a 2-2 draw with champions Manchester City.
QPR sit 18th, and with Burnley travelling to Spurs, and Sunderland away to Newcastle tomorrow, it is not inconceivable that Redknapp's troops could go into their Boxing Day fixture at Arsenal 15th in the table - but only if they win today, and they're up against a resurgent West Brom side.
The Baggies narrowly beat Aston Villa last weekend to stop the rot after losing four of their previous five games. I watched it and, despite producing an unflattering attacking performance, Alan Irvine's side did dig very, very deep defensively at times. It was a display that proved that the personnel were playing for their manager's future, with the Scot coming under intense scrutiny in recent weeks.
We'll have a look at Irvine a little later on, but first we really must bring you some team news. Scratch that. First, you can have a look at what the boys down at Sports Mole HQ have had to say on this clash. Go on and meet me back here in a few minutes for first XIs.
QPR XI: Green; Onuoha, Caulker, Dunne, Yun; Barton, Vargas, Henry, Fer; Austin, Zamora
WEST BROM XI: Foster, Wisdom, Lescott, McAuley, Pocognoli, Gardner, Dorrans, Morrison, Varela, Sessegnon, Ideye
QPR SUBS: McCarthy, Ferdinand, Hill, Phillips, Mutch, Kranjcar, Hoilett
WEST BROM SUBS: Myhill, Baird, Dawson, Gamboa, Yacob, Mulumbu, Berahino
Ok so we'll start with the hosts, who make four changes from that 3-1 reverse at Everton. Mauricio Isla returned to Chile this week for personal reasons, as Nedum Onuoha moves to right-back to facilitate Steven Caulker's return at centre-back.
Further forward and Karl Henry returns to the fold in midfield alongside Joey Barton, while Leroy Fer and Eduardo Vargas line up on the flanks in support of strikers Charlie Austin and Bobby Zamora, who bagged that consolation at Goodison Park.
On to the Baggies now and it looks like Alan Irvine has stuck to a winning formula by naming an identical first XI from last week's 1-0 win over Aston Villa.
The excellent Ben Foster continues in goals, with Andre Wisdom, Joleon Lescott, Gareth McAuley and Sebastien Pocognoli in front of him in defence. Craig Gardner, last week's goalscorer, starts on the right wing in a five-man midfield, with Graham Dorrans, James Morrison, Stephane Sessegnon and Silvestre Varela, while £10m signing Brown Ideye spearheads the attack once more. In other words - NO BERAHINO AGAIN! Big call.
We'll have a more in-depth look at a few of the teams' danger men today, but first let me serenade you with this to whet the appetite for all things Christmas. This song, along with Die Hard, typifies Christmas for me, and we've not got enough time to watch Die Hard together so you'll have to make do with this.
So, Saido Berahino left out for the third successive game. The 21-year-old was dropped for Albion's last two games, having not scored in almost two months! But he has shown signs that he is getting back to his best in a couple of recent cameo appearances that suggested he perhaps should have started said games.
In truth he's got very little choice but to start scoring again because, well, it's extremely hard to see where the goals will come from otherwise. Brown Ideye, their £10m record signing, continues to struggle. He started against Villa last week and he looks a man in dire need of some confidence. He starts again today so let's hope for his sake he does alright because he missed one or two sitters against the Villans.
With seven Premier League goals, Berahino is actually the second highest scoring Englishman in the division this season. Who's top? Why that's Charlie Austin of course. The QPR hitman returns to first-team action after sitting out the defeat at Goodison Park through suspension. He's got eight league goals so far this season - one less than Alexis Sanchez, which should put his form into context - and he'll be key to victory this afternoon.
Who can QPR look to if Austin isn't firing? That's the problem. Like West Brom and Berahino, the goalscoring burden lies firmly with the 25-year-old. Zamora's strike on Monday night was his first since netting the goal that lifted Rangers into the Premier League by beating Derby in last season's playoff final, so he's not exactly been firing on all cylinders!
DID YOU KNOW? Having won six and drawn three, West Brom have only lost one of their last 10 games against QPR. Do stats like this matter? I'm not sure.
PREDICTION: Right, let's get rough, rugged and raw and lash at an aul' prediction ahead of kickoff. I think QPR's home form is far better than Albion's away form, so let's punt for a Rangers win and I'll go 2-0 to the hosts, with Austin and Fer on the scoresheet. I get an overwhelming amount of these wrong so don't rush off to the bookies.
Okay so the players are entering the field at Loftus Road and we're just four minutes away from kickoff now. I fancy a decent game here. Both sides need a victory so hopefully we'll see a cracker.
KICKOFF: Aaaaaaaaaaaaand we're officially off at Loftus Road, my friends. West Brom, wearing their red kit, which is a nice and Christmassy, get us underway. Let's go.
Very loose pass from Leroy Fer goes straight to Stephane Sessegnon, who wins a corner, but big Karl Henry connects with it to avert the danger. Good early spell by the visitors.
SAVE! Early chance for the Baggies as Sessegnon cuts back for the unmarked Craig Gardner, who fires first time at Roebrt Green but the QPR keeper saves. It was a nice height for him to be fair.
We're only six minutes in but it's very fair to say that West Brom are the better team so far. They've only had that one early chance so far though.
CHANCE! Brown Ideye might've done better here. The misfiring Baggies striker swings a boot at a brilliant cross from Sessegnon, but he skies it well over the bar - and probably out of the stadium.
GOAL!!! QPR 0-1 WEST BROM (Joleon Lescott)
What a great start for the visitors, and it's Lescott, who grabs his first goal for the club. The centre-back nodded Brown Ideye's flick-on from a corner past Green. They've deserved it in truth; far the better team so far.
Maybe that assist is just what Ideye needs - a pick-me-up of sorts after a shocking start to his West Brom career. He's looked hungry in recent minutes and he might just grab his first Premier League goal today.
QPR just haven't got into this at all. It's all West Brom. But just as I say that, Vargas fizzes a very dangerous cross into the Baggies' box, but it comes to nothing as Lescott gets it away.
GOAL!!! QPR 0-2 WEST BROM (Silvestre Varela)
Things have gotten so much better for the visitors as Silvestre Varela adds to his Lescott's opener and West Brom are flying. The winger plays a neat one-two with Ideye, before going on to finish past Green. Two for the Baggies. Two assists for Ideye.
PENALTY TO QPR!!!
GOAL!!!! QPR 1-2 WEST BROM (Charlie Austin penalty)
Very much game-on at Loftus Road as top goalscorer Charlie Austin slots a penalty beyond Ben Foster. The spot-kick was awarded when James Morrison was virtually hugging Leroy Fer in the box, and Craig Pawson was having none of it. Good decision by the referee.
QPR players, led by Joey Barton, swarmed Pawson, trying to pressure him into issuing a red card, but the Durham official did the right thing in not sending him off I think.
SUBSTITUTION: Early blow for QPR as they're forced into a change, with injured left-back Suk-Young Yun making way for Clint Hill. It's not the worst thing in the world from a Rangers perspective, because Sessegnon was making a mug of him almost every time he went forward.
Pendulum has swung back in the Baggies' favour and it's all West Brom now. Craig Gardner is standing over a free kick from about 30 yards now, and Rob Green has to be alert to punch it over the bar.
10 minutes left in this half then and QPR have a big task on their hands if they are to restore parity before the break. West Brom still bossing this and it actually be about 4-1, such is their dominance.
BOOKING: Richard Dunne becomes the first player to go into the book as the Irish defender clatters the tricky Varela. Good decision.
SAVE! This is was a very, very good effort by Sessegnon, who fires an angled shot at Green, but the English keeper pulls off a fine reflex save to tip over for a corner - which came to nothing.
SHOT! Brilliant effort from Austin as his curling effort from range drops just on the roof of the net. Foster had no chance if it was a half a metre lower.
HALF TIME: QPR 1-2 WEST BROM
Quite a decent first half then, eh? Goals from Joleon Lescott and Silvestre Varela - their first for Albion - gave the visitors a two-goal lead, but a really silly moment from James Morrison has given QPR a route back into the game. The Scot conceded a stupid penalty, which Charlie Austin duly converted.
GOAL!!! QPR 2-2 West Brom (Charlie Austin)
It's that man again. It's a brilliant leap from Richard Dunne to connect with Barton's corner but the Irishman saw his header cannon off the bar. The ball fell to Zamora, who fired across goal and Austin was on hand to poke home the equaliser. He's got 10 goals now.
PENALTY APPEAL: Oh what a massive call this is from Craig Pawson. Joey Barton looks to have a stonewall penalty after he's tripped by Morrison - who conceded the first penalty - but Pawson waves away. That's a big call and it looks like he got it wrong.
Big decision to flag Austin offside just when he's about to race through with Ben Foster, but he got the decision right.
West Brom, to their credit, have been really good since being pegged back. They're certainly not settling for a draw and they're definitely the better team in this half overall. Yet to really create anything, but they're well on top.
CHANCE! Good lord. This is arguably the worst shot of the season, as under-fire Brown Ideye goes through on goal, but he takes the shot on waaaay too early and he scuffs it badly as it rolls into Green's hands. Shocker.
This is just brutal and Clint Hill is lucky to have stayed on the pitch. He's frustrated by Sessegnon expertly shielding the possession, and the make-shift left-back excessively kicks the Benin international after the ball had already gone away from him. He lost his temper and he should be sent off. Simple as.
Good football from West Brom there as they fashion a very decent attack, but it again comes to nothing. If Irvine wants to win this game then Berahino needs to be introduced because Ideye, despite his two assists, is doing very, very little up there.
SUBSTITUTION: QPR make their second sub, and it's tactical rather than forced this time as Junior Hoilett replaces Eduardo Vargas, who has done very little.
Hoilett's involved immediately as the winger gallops through West Brom's midfield before finding Austin, who tried to cut inside Lescott but the Albion defender does well and clears.
SUBSTITUTION: Ideye's afternoon has come to an end as he is replaced by Saido Berahino. Aside from Austin, who now has 10 Premier League goals, Berahino is the division's most prolific Englishman this season. Can he prove why with a late winner? Let's see.
Berahino has definitely had an impact. He's injected a great deal of pace into a previously lethargic West Brom attack, and I fancy him for a chance or two before the 90 is up.
It's gone a bit quiet now. Neither side has done anywhere near enough to win this to be honest.
SHOT! Great work from Berahino to tease Onuoha before clipping back to the unmarked Gardner on the edge of the box, but his left-footed strike is high and wide. Despite the fact it was nowhere near the goal, it's still probably the closest we've seen to another goal since the equaliser.
CHANCE! This is a clear-cut chance, and it's Austin, who misses the chance to secure his hat-trick. He runs on to Hoilett's brilliant ball, but Foster is out quickly to thwart Austin's first-time effort. Good goalkeeping.
SUBSTITUTION: The largely ineffective Bobby Zamora makes way for Niko Kranjcar. He's got a few goals in his locker, doesn't he.
CHANCE: QPR well on top now as Leroy Fer does really well to work an opening, but his left-footed shot is so poor and bounces against Lescott. He should have done far, far better there.
GOAL!!! QPR 3-2 WEST BROM (Charlie Austin hat-trick)
It should most definitely be game set and match at Loftus Road as Charlie Austin secures his hat-trick. He leaps above Sebastien Pocognoli to glance Joey Barton's corner past Foster.
What a kick in the baubles for the Baggies, who were two-up! They're coming back strongly now and they'll make it a very nervy last few minutes.
OFF THE BAR!!! So cruel for the Baggies as the brilliant Berahino twists and turns Onuoha inside out before crashing an angled effort against the crossbar. Desperately unlucky.
THREE MINUTES ADDED ON:
FULL TIME: QPR 3-2 WEST BROM
What a massive, massive win that could prove to be in the context of QPR's season. They move out of the relegation zone courtesy of a Charlie Austin hat-trick. Amazing.
Well that's all we've got time for today, my friends. Stay tuned for analysis, ratings, reaction and all that good stuff shortly. Happy Christmas!
Written by
Shane Callaghan
Shane Callaghan
