Burnley 1-2 Queens Park Rangers: Hoops score late winner to stun leaders
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QPR players and fans celebrate their unexpected, yet crucial win at Turf Moor
Substitute Chris Martin scored a late winner as struggling QPR stunned runaway Championship leaders Burnley in an absorbing game to delay the hosts' title celebrations.
Already-promoted Burnley battered the visitors in the first half, dominating possession and having 17 attempts on goal, only for Sam Field to volley Rangers ahead just before the hour.
The Clarets, who still need one more win from their final three games to be sure of winning the Championship, continued to create chances and were finally rewarded when Manuel Benson cut in from the right and curled home a superb equaliser.
But with home pressure building Martin glanced home the winner from a corner, and Rangers held on for just their second victory in 21 league games to move four points clear of the relegation zone with two games remaining.
Burnley's promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt was confirmed in early April, but they needed a 16th home win of an all-conquering season to clinch a return as champions of the second tier for the fourth time in their history.
But a QPR side low in confidence and sliding ever closer towards the drop after a miserable season somehow withstood a first-half barrage before regrouping in impressive fashion to inflict a first home league defeat on Vincent Kompany's side this term.
Second-placed Sheffield United are the only side who can stop Burnley winning the title, but the Blades - who are in FA Cup action this weekend - must win all their remaining four games, while the Clarets will be confirmed as champions if they manage three points from their final three matches.
Burnley could - and should - have been out of sight after dominating the first half at Turf Moor.
Rob Dickie headed Ian Maatsen's fierce shot off the line early on, and also made a last-ditch clearance from Manuel Benson, while Ashley Barnes wasted a series of chances.
Benson also hit the bar with a header and Taylor Harwood-Bellis spurned a decent close-range opening, while Rangers rarely threatened with Jamal Lowe's tame low shot all they had to show for their efforts.
But Field smashed home the opener against the run of play, and although Benson's wonderful strike looked set to reignite the hosts, they were second best in the latter stages - culminating in Martin's late winner.
Burnley's defeat means that Newcastle United (in 2009-10) remain the last Championship side to go a season unbeaten at home.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany told BBC Radio Lancashire: "We lost our composure. I've seen these games before - deciders. I think we had 17 shots in the first half, many of them were really close. I think it would have been fair for us to score a couple at least.
"In the second half we never got the momentum going. It was a very familiar sight - when you're chasing the occasion, you're trying to win the title not win the game and you start making stuff up.
"It's still a team that's not used to winning trophies and the lesson for us there is that what you've done during the season is more than enough, you don't need to force it, but we forced it in the second half.
"They worked hard but they made stuff up. Doing what we did in the first half would have been enough, eventually we would have scored. I am not even surprised, I called it five minutes into the second half. We didn't have control of what we were doing and every team has enough quality to hurt you."
QPR manager Gareth Ainsworth told BBC Radio London: "I can't thank the boys enough for their efforts, they were absolutely sensational. We rode our luck a couple of times, I'm not going to gloss over that. Burnley are a hell of a team - no team has come here and beat them.
"They'd had 15 wins and six draws. I said to the boys nobody has tried what we're going to try today. It's risky, we sat in and defended. The boys had to believe in it and they really did, they took everything on that we said, they ran until they couldn't run any more, that's what they had to do to win.
"I'm not going to come here and go toe-to-toe with the best team in the league, no chance.
"It was a brilliant performance. I am really proud. Being a Blackburn lad makes it a little bit sweeter.
"I am in awe of Vincent Kompany and what he's done here. They deserve to be in the Premier League. It makes the result even sweeter for me - it's a top result and it goes a long way towards our safety in the Championship."