Rangers hold off brave Millers

Rangers, leading 3-0 going into the closing stages, held off a brave Millers comeback to win 4-2, with £15 million rated striker Charlie Austin scoring twice.

Making three changes, Steve Evans handed starts to Emmanuel Ledesma, Grant Ward and Jonson Clarke-Harris and went with a 4-4-2 at a sunny Loftus Road.

It worked quite well in the first half as Rotherham got forward and caused one or two scares. Matt Derbyshire was inches away from converting Clarke-Harris’ searching centre.

The Millers needed to get to half time on level terms but, as Nottingham Forest last week, they conceded near to half time. James Perch broke down the flank and his low centre was nudged by Austin into the path of Tjaronn Chery to curl past Kelle Roos.

The second half was only four minutes old when the Dutchman doubled the advantage, guiding the ball into an open goal from Massimo Luongo’s cut-back.

Up against it, Rotherham could have done without the error that handed Rangers their third goal just past the hour. Austin’s effort from just outside the box had little power but it managed to squirm under Roos.

They were handed a lifeline on 72 minutes when Lee Frecklington freed Clarke-Harris to steer expertly past Rob Green and a comeback looked on two minutes from time as substitute Tom Thorpe stole in at the far post to stab Joe Newell’s corner high into the net.

But before the Millers could mount a final push, Rangers broke from the re-start and when sub Sebastian Polter went down under a challenge from Frecklington, Austin rolled in the resulting penalty.

QPR: Green, Hall, Onuoha, Chery, Faurlin (Doughty 77), Henry, Konchesky, Luongo (Polter 82), Perch, Austin, Phillips

Millers: Roos, Buxton, Newell, Halford, Collins, Ledesma (White 68), Smallwood (Thorpe 46), Frecklington, Grant Ward (Maguire 78), Clarke-Harris, Derbyshire

Referee: D. Whitestone

Attendance: 15,009 (743 visitors)