Queens Park Rangers 2-0 Birmingham City: Ilias Chair scores twice as R's win
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QPR's Ilias Chair (right) has moved onto three goals for the season
Queens Park Rangers picked up their first Championship victory in five games as Ilias Chair scored in each half to see off an out-of-form Birmingham City.
QPR striker Charlie Austin saw a golden chance saved by Matija Sarkic but the hosts did go ahead when Chair's strike deflected in off the head of Blues defender Marc Roberts.
Lee Bowyer's Blues came close to equalising when Lukas Jutkiewicz fired just over after replacing Troy Deeney before the hour mark.
But they were second best at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, QPR sealing the points with a clinical second from Chair from a Lyndon Dykes through ball.
Austin struck narrowly over as Mark Warburton's R's chased a third goal but the win ends a run of three successive defeats and moves them up to eighth. Birmingham slip into the bottom half after a fourth game without victory.
Blues edged the early exchanges, on-loan Manchester United winger Tahith Chong's diving header kept out by Seny Dieng, but QPR soon found their feet, Austin somehow denied from point-blank range.
Moses Odubajo's cross then found its way to Morocco playmaker Chair, whose shot was heading for visiting keeper Sarkic until his team-mate Roberts inadvertently diverted it away from him and into the net.
In the driving west London rain, Birmingham once again came out the traps well after the break, but it was to be a third consecutive game without scoring.
QPR, on the other hand, have only been outscored by Championship leaders West Brom and Chair showed pace to get clear of the Blues back-line and confidently tuck away his second.
QPR manager Mark Warburton told BBC Radio London:
"I'm very pleased. We got goals at good times against a very well-organised and positive team.
"We probably didn't play anywhere near as well as we did, for example, at Bournemouth and Bristol City, but we've come away with the three points.
"It was important to get the clean sheet as well - we stood up to their physicality and movement, showed good energy in their final third and looked dangerous on the counter."
Birmingham head coach Lee Bowyer told BBC WM:
"I think we could still be out there until tomorrow and we wouldn't have scored.
"Again our problem was putting the ball in the back of the net when we were on top and creating chances - you have to take them because if you don't, you get punished in this league.
"The difference on the night for me, standing on the sidelines, was [Ilias] Chair. He was more clinical in front of goal - he had two or three chances and scores two goals.
"In my opinion the scoreline doesn't reflect the performance - I think we should've got a bit more from tonight."