West Brom 3 QPR 2 - match report

James Morrison, Zoltan Gera and Youssouf Mulumbu grabbed the goals as Steve Clarke's men came out on top despite going off the boil in the second half.

Adel Taarabt and Esteban Granero scored either side of half-time for the Rs as Albion conceded for the first time this season in a home league game.

But first-half goals from Morrison and Gera and Mulumbu's second-half strike handed Clarke's men another maximum return on home soil.

Albion made a dream start when they took the lead within six minutes of kick-off.

Shane Long created the goal, turning just inside the Rangers half and simply powering away from Clint Hill and crossing into the centre, where Morrison arrived to head home from a couple of yards.

The Baggies could have doubled their lead nine minutes later when they broke from an Rs corner through the recalled Peter Odemwingie, who released Morrison on the right.

His superb cross found Long at the far post but the Irishman lifted his shot high and wide.

It took just seven more minutes for the second goal to arrive, however, and again it came through a Baggies break down the right.

Morrison's cross was aimed towards Long but, when Anton Ferdinand failed to clear, Gera pounced on the loose ball and slid a shot into the bottom corner.

Long could have added a third when he outmuscled Jose Bosingwa and raced through but lost control, allowing keeper Julio Cesar to gather.

Ten minutes before the interval Rangers were back in the game when a fabulous lofted pass from Esteban Granero found Taarabt, who ghosted between Gabriel Tamas and Gareth McAuley and unleashed an unstoppable volley past Ben Foster.

Three minutes before the interval Morrison again fed Long, who teed up Youssouf Mulumbu on the edge of the box but the midfielder's shot flew over.

On the stroke of half-time Gera should have made it 3-1 when he raced onto Odemwingie's pass and advanced into the box but saw his shot saved well by Cesar.

And new-boy Goran Popov blasted over from 25 yards in stoppage time.

But Albion's passing had become careless and the trend continues into the second half as the visitors began to pose a greater threat.

However, the visitors took 24 minutes from the interval to carve out a chance, which came when Taarabt chested down a high ball for Granero, who fired just over.

The Baggies struggled to retain possession after the interval but they almost grabbed a spectacular third goal when a neat passing move ended with a dipping shot from Morrison that went wide by a matter of inches.

And they finally put the game to bed with five minutes remaining when Mulumbu put the finishing touch to a fine move.

Morrison and Gonzalo Jara Reyes exchanged a couple of one-twos before the Chilean's pull-back was swept home by Mulumbu.

But the Rs reduced the arrears to one goal again in stoppage-time when Granero turned Claudio Yacob and bent home a shot from the edge of the box.

And they could have grabbed a point at the death when Bosingwa fired over from a tight angle.

By Steve Madeley