QPR 4-0 Reading: Hoops continue superb form as they go two points off automatic promotion spots

This was the weekend to make your case for the Premier League to the watching world and Queens Park Rangers did so in style.

With the top flight on a break and its stars jetting off to exotic beaches, attention turned to the Championship’s multi-team fight for Premier League promotion.

And no team made a better statement than QPR. The surprise package played zapping one-touch football and thumped four goals past relegation-threatened Reading.

Lyndon Dyke gave QPR the lead with a header after just 13 minutes on Saturday 

The Scottish striker was on the scoresheet just 22 minutes later with a header once again 

With six wins and a draw in their last seven matches, Mark Warburton’s young side are on the march. Opponents Reading, however, are in a royal mess – more on them later.

For now it is time to rave about the Rs. From the first minute, they played with swagger and intensity. Lyndon Dykes opened the scoring after 13 minutes and, even at just 1-0, the result felt done and dusted.

Chris Willock was the architect, as he was for so much QPR did in this match. Willock has an agility similar to Phil Foden and Reading could not handle him.

Brother of Newcastle’s Joe, Willock would take the ball on the half turn and, within seconds, he had span his marker and was charging down on goal.

He put in a on-a-plate perfect cross for Dykes’ first and also set-up the third goal from Luke Amos. In between that, Scottish forward Dykes headed home another, this time from Albert Adomah’s cross.

But it would be unfair to solely single out Willock. He was one of a number of stellar performances from Warburton’s men.

Stefan Johansen was another and the Norwegian controlled the midfield from deep while always a threat on the ball. He set up the fourth, a thumping header from Irish defender Jimmy Dunne.

‘And now you’re going to believe us, the Rs are going up,’ sang a jubilant Loftus Road. Fair play, not many outsiders will have believed it, instead writing off QPR’s position in the table as a blip.

But soon they will believe the hype. QPR are two points off the automatic promotion spots with a game in hand. If they play like this every week, they will be very much up there.

Luke Amos scored in the 37th minute to put QPR comfortably 3-0 up before the break 

They will do well to play a team more hapless than Reading this season, though. Veljko Paunovic’s side actually matched QPR in shots, 16 apiece, but David Marshall made just one save of note. The rest were nothing attempts in a turgid performance.

So while few had QPR to be as high as they are, not many will have predicted this Reading mess. This time last year, after all, it was Paunovic’s side challenging for promotion – now they are just two points adrift of safety.

They’ve won just two of their last 17 matches and conceded 23 goals in January alone. But the problems are rooted further than just an unhappy new year.

Jimmy Dunne found the top corner with a header from a corner six minutes after the interval 

They’ve had a six-point deduction for breaching financial rules and the consensus is that Paunovic’s job is only safe because the club can’t afford the pay-off if they sack the Serbian.

Key man Liam Moore was stripped of the club captaincy and they were dumped out of the FA Cup in embarrassing fashion at Kidderminster.

So this is dismal for Reading but, for Warburton’s Rs, the only way is up.