Game of the day: QPR 1-3 Fulham
Slavisa Jokanovic secured his first win as Fulham boss on Saturday as they sealed a comfortable win over west-London rivals QPR with a 3-1 victory at Loftus Road.
QPR were blown away by three goals in the first half, scored by Ross McCormack, Moussa Dembele and Tom Cairney.
Substitute Tjarron Chery scored a stoppage-time consolation goal for Rangers- who were awful on the day as Jokanovic celebrated victory for the first time since he was appointed Fulham head coach on December 27.
QPR started the game well as Matt Phillips’ header supplied from Jamie Mackie’s cross was gathered by the Fulham goalkeeper Andy Lonergan early on.
Fulham midfielder Lasse Vigen Christensen had a early effort saved at the near post by Rangers goalkeeper Smithies, but the midfielder then went off injured after just six minutes.
Fulham made the breakthrough on the 35th minute when McCormack drifted between centre-backs Grant Hall and Nedum Onuoha to receive Cairney’s clever pass and fired past Alex Smithies.
The afternoon got worse for QPR just five minutes later after Dembele headed home O’Hara’s left-wing cross to double the visitors’ lead five minutes before half-time.
On the stroke of half-time, Cairney netted the third Fulham goal after Dembele’s shot hit the post and Cairney followed up the rebound to make it 3-0 at the half.
In the second half QPR had an appealed penalty claim rejected by referee Tim Robinson, after Phillips’ free-kick struck Scott Parker’s arm.
The home fans felt that Fulham defender Dan Burn should have been red-carded for bringing down Mackie, but the referee felt Fulham player Michael Madi was close enough for Burn not to be deemed as the last man, and he was shown a yellow card.
Chery, eventually found the net by firing a strike in from eight-yards following Daniel Tozser’s right-wing corner.
The goal denied Fulham a clean sheet, which would have been only their third in the league this season.
This emphatic win now moves The Cottagers up to 17th in the table-seven points from the relegation places, while QPR remain 13th on 39 points.