​QPR 2 Bristol City 1

Luck deserted Bristol City as they slipped to defeat in West London in this entertaining Boxing Day Championship fixture at Loftus Road.

Having dominated the opening half hour, the visitors were undone by two goals in seven minutes as Rangers forged a commanding lead against the run of play.

Jay Simpson seized upon weak defending to poach the opening goal on 33 minutes and Mikele Leigertwood smashed a second from 20 yards shortly before the break.

City staged a second-half fightback and leading scorer Nicky Maynard gave them hope when firing his first goal in almost two months after 58 minutes.

Substitute David Clarkson then shot into the side netting with only Radek Cerny to beat, while Kaspars Gorkss got away with an apparent foul on Maynard inside the penalty area as the home side rode their luck.

Rangers hung on to take the points, in the process leapfrogging City in the table.

It could have been so different had the visitors possessed a cutting edge in the final third. City certainly began as though they meant business, forcing the early pace and pushing Rangers back.

Sustained pressure eventually yielded a clear sight of goal for recalled midfielder Williams, whose dipping volley from the edge of the 18 yard box brought a smart two-handed save from Radek Cerny.

Skipper Louis Carey then embarked upon a solo excursion which culminated in him being bundled over by Fitz Hall, but Jamie McAllister’s free kick came to nothing.

City continued to dictate terms and Bradley Orr tried his luck from range with a first-time effort which was blocked, while Alvaro Saborio threatened to break clear of the covering defence, only to delay his shot and allow Kaspars Gorkss to make a saving tackle.

Playing their second game under new manager Paul Hart, Rangers appeared shapeless and offered little threat in the final third, much to the consternation of their fans, who let their feelings be known as possession was turned over with alarming regularity.

More fluent and assured, City probed patiently for weaknesses and were nearly rewarded when McAllister’s defence-splitting pass found top scorer Nicky Maynard. But once again, Gorkss managed to make a crucial last-ditch intervention to avert the danger.

Danny Haynes was causing problems with his pace and he cut inside and tried his luck with a left-footed drive which was deflected behind for a corner. When Cerny attempted to claim Paul Hartley’s flag kick and fumbled, he made immediate amends by parrying a rising volley from Cole Skuse.

For all their possession and territorial advantage, City proved unable to engineer a really clear-cut chance and they were punished for their profligacy as half-time approached. A Wayne Routledge cross caused panic in City ranks and Williams made a hash of his attempted clearance, succeeding only in giving the ball to Simpson, who shot across Gerken and into the right-hand corner of the net to break the deadlock.

Gerken was again picking the ball out of the back of his net seven minutes later, Leigertwood’s powerful 20-yard drive finding it’s target with missile-like precision.

City needed to score the next goal, but almost fell further behind on 50 minutes, Simpson taking an inch-perfect through ball from Routledge in his stride and sending his shot curling inches wide of Gerken’s left upright.

At the other end, Alvaro Saborio and the lively Haynes were both frustrated by last-ditch challenges after being put through. But the Robins were not to be denied and Maynard produced a startling piece of skill to pull a goal back on 58 minutes.

Finding himself in space on the edge of the penalty area, the striker flicked the ball up with a deft touch of his right foot and directed a fearsome volley beyond Cerny and into the top right-hand corner of the net to register his eleventh goal of the season and his first since he netted against Sheffield Wednesday on October 30.

Rangers boss Hart decided to make a change on 63 minutes, introducing Patrick Agyemang in place of Alejandro Faurlin, and the burly striker made an immediate impact, surging past Carey and bearing down on goal. Fortunately for City, their captain managed to put his opponent off balance, forcing him to lose control.

City manager Gary Johnson replaced Williams and Saborio with Evander Sno and David Clarkson respectively in a bid to force an equaliser in the final 20 minutes.

Clarkson was straight into the action, his flicked header setting Maynard clear only for a linesman’s offside flag to pull him up. If City disputed that decision, they were outraged moments later when Gorkss appeared to trip Maynard on the edge of the six yard box and referee David Phillips refused to award what appeared a stonewall penalty.

City continued to press and Maynard’s persistence presented Clarkson with a clear sight of goal, but the Scot sent his volley flying into the side netting from 15 yards.

Rangers (4-4-2):Cerny; Ramage, Hall, Gorkss, Williams; Faurlin (Agyemang 63), Watson, Leigertwood, Buzsaky (Connolly 83); Routledge, Simpson (Borrowdale 83)

City (4-5-1): Gerken; Orr, Carey, Fontaine, McAllister; Skuse, Hartley, Williams (Sno 66); Haynes (Sproule 83), Maynard, Saborio (Clarkson 70).

Referee: David Phillips (Lancashire)

Attendance: 13,534