Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Southampton

Sadio Mane's goal was his fifth of the season

• Mane scores fifth of season in stoppage time

• QPR without a victory since 20 December

• Taarabt makes only second league start of season

• Targett taken to hospital with head injury

Sadio Mane's 93rd-minute winner moved Southampton up to third in the Premier League as managerless QPR suffered a fifth straight defeat.

The Senegal midfielder turned Nedum Onuoha to fire into the top corner.

QPR, led by academy coach Chris Ramsey after boss Harry Redknapp resigned on Tuesday, remain in the bottom three.

Jose Fonte hit the bar in the first half for Southampton, whose left-back Matt Targett was taken to hospital with a head injury.

The England Under-20 defender, in the starting line-up because Ryan Bertrand was suspended, needed seven minutes of treatment on the pitch after being left motionless an aerial collision with QPR winger Matty Phillips.

Manager Ronald Koeman, though, later confirmed that Targett had suffered no serious damage.

Koeman's side were good value for their fifth successive away victory, against a Rangers side who created few clear chances, although substitute Mauro Zarate had a goal disallowed after Mane scored.

Tim Sherwood, who is expected to be Redknapp's permanent replacement, was not at Loftus Road to witness a game that suggested QPR have a lot of work to do if they are to remain in the Premier League.

Stand-in boss Ramsey attempted to freshen up QPR's side by giving Adel Taarabt - dismissed as not fit enough to play by Redknapp earlier this season - only his second league start of the campaign.

The Moroccan midfielder showed some neat touches, including a clever nutmegging of James Ward-Prowse, but was largely well policed by Victor Wanyama and was substituted after an hour.

Eljero Elia, who scored his first two Southampton goals when they won their last away game at Newcastle on 17 January, nearly embarrassed Rob Green early on, chipping wide from Wanyama's pass with the Rangers keeper out of position.

The visitors had the best first-half chances, with Fonte coming closest as he volleyed Ward-Prowse's corner against the bar from eight yards.

Mane had tested Green before that, and steered a shot wide after running in behind Clint Hill later in the half.

Rangers created more openings in the second half, with Zarate steering a shot straight at Fraser Forster after Nathaniel Clyne failed to clear Phillips' cross.

Forster then reacted superbly to flick over a Joey Barton shot that was deflected off QPR's 13-goal top scorer Charlie Austin.

But Mane, playing his second Saints game since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, capped an excellent performance with a stylish winner.

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman on Matt Target's head injury: "Everything is now under control. He will have a headache but nothing more. That's good news."

On his side's performance: "I think we played well. We played good football and we had the best chances in the game. We were maybe lucky that Fraser Forster made that great save 10 minutes before the end, but I think the better team won today."

QPR caretaker-manager Chris Ramsey: "If I'm honest, I felt we rode our luck a bit in the first half. But the defeat was very difficult to take.

"It gives a lot of hope to the owners and fans to see that the players are trying their best to keep us in the division. We had some good spells of play, but we really need to tighten up on the quality of our passing and our creativity in the final third."

Academy coach Chris Ramsey was in temporary charge of QPR following Harry Redknapp's resignation

Southampton defender Matt Targett received seven minutes of treatment on the pitch

England boss Roy Hodgson watched beside QPR director of football Les Ferdinand

Mane's winner added to crucial goals he scored against Chelsea and Arsenal over New Year