West Bromwich Albion 2-1 QPR: Karlan Grant scores twice as Baggies come from behind to return to top

Karlan Grant had not scored for Albion since the Baggies' second game of the season - the 3-2 home win over Luton

Karlan Grant hit his second match-winner of the season for West Bromwich Albion to send the Baggies back to the top of the Championship table.

Last season's £15m signing from Huddersfield Town was eventually credited with both goals as the Baggies came from behind to beat Queens Park Rangers.

On-loan Watford striker Andre Gray had fired Rangers ahead after just 43 seconds - and the Hoops still held that lead with 15 minutes left.

But, when Grant unleashed a speculative low left-foot shot on the angle from 15 yards, QPR keeper Seny Dieng got down low to make the save only to then clumsily flap the loose spinning ball into the net with his spare hand.

And, with just two minutes left, Grant beat Dieng again from a similar angle, this time with a low finish into the far bottom corner, to lift the Baggies from fourth back to top spot, ahead of Saturday's fixtures.

Wolverhampton-born Andre Gray's goal inside the first 45 seconds at the Birmingham Road End stunned the Baggies fans

Only one goal in the Championship this season, Alex Mowatt's opener inside the first 30 seconds of Albion's 2-1 win at Blackburn, has been quicker than QPR's first-minute counter-attack stunner.

Grady Diangana was dispossessed on the edge of the Rangers box and the visitors broke upfield where Moses Odubajo slipped in Gray - and the former Luton, Brentford and Burnley striker slid the ball under keeper Sam Johnstone from a tight angle.

Albion were quickly close to levelling it up but Diangana fired just wide from 20 yards, then did the same again when he could have done better, opting to shoot when he had other options.

Dieng also had to be at his most alert to parry Adam Reach's powerful header. But, after QPR had seemingly soaked up whatever Albion had got to throw at them, Dieng had only himself to blame for the hosts' leveller.

It was initially credited as an own goal but later awarded to Grant, who then hit a well-worked winner.

Substitute Jordan Hugill, whose 55th-minute introduction in place of Diangana brought booing from some Baggies fans, backheeled to fellow sub Callum Robinson and his first-time pass freed Grant to run on drill home a powerful left-foot shot.

Grant only managed to score once in the Premier League last season but this was his second winning goal at The Hawthorns in little over a month after netting Albion's third in the 3-2 win over Luton in August.

West Bromwich Albion head coach Val Ismael:

"I am here to make decisions. I know exactly what I am doing. Making subs is all about having an impact. Not bringing on a sub for the sake of it. We had a clear idea of what we wanted to do.

"We got more possession and more passes, which was good, because we wanted to keep the ball more. It is all about being patient.

"We deserved to win. We had 18 shots. Eight were on target. We scored twice. This is what we missed in our previous three games."

QPR manager Mark Warburton:

"It looked like we were going to get three points. The players know we should have had at least a point. But we committed two individual errors. To give away two goals like that was very disappointing.

"Seny Dieng has had an outstanding rise and he is a considerable talent but he knows he made a mistake for the first goal.

"We had to change our style of play so we didn't fall into the traps of their press. We felt we could get loads of space down the sides and that was why Andre Gray was playing and he exploited that."