Queens Park Rangers 1-0 Blackburn Rovers: Ilias Chair grabs late Hoops winner
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Blackburn and Chile forward Ben Brereton Diaz could not add to his tally of 12 goals for club and country this season
Ilias Chair struck a late winner to send Queens Park Rangers back into the Championship's top six with a narrow victory over Blackburn Rovers.
Chair fired in from outside the area for the only goal at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
It was a fourth home win in five matches as QPR move up to fifth.
Blackburn, who are now four matches without a win, came closest with the game goalless when home defender Yoann Barbet hit his own post.
Having started on the bench on Saturday following their exploits on international duty for Scotland and Chile respectively, the two clubs' top scorers, Lyndon Dykes and Ben Brereton Diaz, were both back in from the start.
But their return did not help in a first half of few chances. Chair had a free-kick saved by Thomas Kaminski for QPR, while Tayo Edun curled one wide for Blackburn.
Barbet then struck his own post in trying to deal with Edun's cross at the start of the second half but the hosts finished stronger as they pushed for a winner. Dykes was denied by Kaminski while Jimmy Dunne shot over from close range.
Chair eventually provided a moment of magic to win the game when he received the ball 20 yards out and was given the space to bury a shot with the goalkeeper unmoved.
It was a fifth of the season for the Morocco international, who has now scored the winner in each of his side's last three home matches.
Queens Park Rangers manager Mark Warburton:
On potentially losing Ilias Chair in January: "If Ilias goes to another club it will be for QPR's value. If some club wants to come and pay £25m for him then great.
"It was a great strike. He's got great technique. It's about getting that half a yard of space and maximising it, which he did very well.
"I thought we were dominant in the second half and that the goal was going to come."
Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray:
"It was a great strike from the boy that won the game for them. I think for the vast majority of the game we frustrated them and made life difficult.
"They're a possession-based team and I'm not sure they created too many opportunities. I genuinely thought we would win 1-0 and yet we lost 1-0."