Luton Town 1-2 Queens Park Rangers: Hoops fight back to boost play-off hopes
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Rob Dickie's winner consigned Luton to their first home league defeat since 27 November
Rob Dickie's late goal gave Queens Park Rangers a comeback win against play-off rivals Luton at Kenilworth Road.
The Hatters were denied a first-half opener when Elijah Adebayo's crisp finish was ruled out for offside, but led when Cameron Jerome's shot squirmed through goalkeeper David Marshall.
QPR levelled when former Luton striker Gray struck from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Kal Naismith.
And Chris Willock's corner glanced off Dickie's shoulder to claim the points.
The Hatters, who drop to seventh, will be hugely disappointed by their first home league defeat since 27 November after causing plenty of problems for QPR, whose second win in eight league matches lifts them up to fourth.
Adebayo thought he had put the Hatters ahead on 24 minutes when he ran on to Jordan Clark's through ball and fired a low finish into the far corner, but a tight offside decision cut short his celebrations and drew protests from boss Nathan Jones.
Allan Campbell will have been glad of another first-half offside flag after he missed an open goal, following up after Adebayo's volley forced a superb point-blank save from Marshall.
The Rs goalkeeper followed that standout moment with a howler seconds later to give Jerome his fifth goal of the season, his speculative strike standing despite the ball hitting Clark's hand in the build-up.
QPR had rarely threatened until Gray struck their first away goal in five matches from the penalty spot after tripping over the prostrate Naismith.
Luton still looked the likelier winners until Willock's corner into a crowded six-yard box glanced off Dickie to end a run of four away defeats.
Luton Town manager Nathan Jones:
"I feel low, I've got to be honest with you, the manner of it, just disappointed.
"The decisions to give them the goals were poor, I felt we were decent all afternoon, we were excellent first half and this is a tough one to take.
"These (QPR) have never got to play well to beat us, I don't know what it is, because we have chance after chance against them away from home and we gift them the goals and then here exactly the same.
"Just stay on your feet, you don't have to dive in, so I'm just disappointed with the goals, it's killed me and I'm finding it hard to speak.
"We've been in the top six, should have been fourth today - if you just do the basics well enough you're fourth in the league today which is the biggest over-achievement in history."
QPR manager Mark Warburton told BBC Radio London:
"There's no doubt we had to find a response today after the past couple of games and we've been frustrated in letting ourselves down in our performances.
"They've worked hard all week and no doubt at all they were ready for the challenge.
"The goal we conceded was a nothing goal really, but there was no panic in the dressing room at half-time. It was all about trying to get on the front foot more, be more careful with the ball and take off the shackles.
"I think you saw that in the second half and they deserve enormous credit.
"We had to weather their threat, they're a good team but we're a good team as well and we showed that quality."