Queens Park Rangers (QPR) have suffered a first defeat in three league games after they were beaten at London rivals Brentford on Friday night in the first game of matchday 14 in the English Championship. QPR had recorded four points from their last two games since they lost to Blackburn Rovers at the start of November. Brentford beat 10-man QPR 2-1 at the Brentford Community Stadium for their sixth league win of the season.
The hosts took the lead on 14 minutes through German midfielder Vitaly Janelt but the advantage lasted for just12 minutes. QPR striker Lyndon Dykes equalised for the visitors to take the game into the half-time break on level terms. In-form Brentford striker Ivan Toney moved level with Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong on 12 goals at the top of the scoring charts in the English Championship with the second goal for his team on 64 minutes.
QPR were still very much in the game until right-back Todd Kane was sent off with seven minutes to play after two yellow cards. With the numerical advantage, Brentford were able to maintain their lead till the end of the game.
The win catapulted Brentford from ninth to fourth position on the league table with 23 points from 14 games but they have since dropped to fifth position after Reading defeated Bristol City in the early kickoff on Saturday in the second tier of English football. For QPR, they remain in 13th spot on the table with 17 points from 14 games in the English Championship this season.
QPR are eight points better than Wycombe Wanderers who are third from bottom on the table and are just six points off the final playoff spot presently occupied by Welsh club Swansea City. The first two places are for automatic promotion, while the teams from third to sixth will battle each other for the third and final promotion slot via the playoffs at the end of the season.