Queens Park Rangers 3-2 Millwall: Rs pull off fine second-half comeback to defeat Lions
- Published
QPR have won three of their past four Championship matches after making up for Saturday's home defeat by Huddersfield
Queens Park Rangers came from two goals down at half-time to beat Millwall thanks to an inspired second-half display.
Jed Wallace put the hosts ahead in the early stages with a cool finish from inside the box, and Mason Bennett's scissor-kick doubled their lead.
The Rs struck back through Charlie Austin's fine header from long range and Stefan Johansen's tap-in put them level.
They completed the turnaround when Jordy de Wijs found the net, nodding home from Ilias Chair's corner.
The result lifts QPR up to 12th in the Championship table, while Millwall remain in 10th and level on 49 points with their London rivals.
The hosts had a goal disallowed soon after Wallace's opener as they looked for an immediate response when De Wijs and Rob Dickie combined, but the Rs were flagged offside.
Their fortunes changed after the break thanks to Austin's superb header, which came from a Geoff Cameron delivery.
Johansen took advantage of some wayward Millwall defending to level it up and they came close to sealing it late on when Chair put a low cross in towards Austin who could not quite connect from close range.
But De Wijs ensured the hosts would take all three points when he placed a towering header into the top corner with four minutes remaining.
Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton:
"I don't rate that first half in any shape or form. We were lucky to be only 2-0 down. We played like a team that hadn't even met each other before.
"We gave the ball away cheaply, vacated areas positionally and were naive. It was very unlike us as a team. We fully deserved to be two-down and it could easily have been more. We looked so far off our normal level.
"To then show that desire and character, and to create so many chances against a Millwall defence that gives away very few chances against most teams in the division, the players deserve so much credit."
Millwall boss Gary Rowett:
"In the first half we were excellent. We got to grips with QPR, moved the ball well, had very good chances and took two of them.
"We spoke clearly about maintaining that intensity in the second half. For us to then concede so early in that second half - I thought it was a really poor goal.
"Charlie Austin gets in front of us and for them to score with one ball and one header from quite far out was really disappointing.
"The second goal was equally as poor and for the third we left the man free at a set-piece."