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Football
Queens Park Rangers
vs Ipswich Town. Sky Bet Championship.
3: 00pm, Saturday 1st November 2025.
Loftus Road Stadium Attendance: Attendance17, 505.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Ipswich Town at the MATRADE Loftus Road Stadium on Saturday; George Hirst and Marcelino Nunez both score twice. Saturday 1 November 2025 18: 54, UK Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player George Hirst and Marcelino Nunez scored twice as Ipswich stormed to a 4-1 victory at QPR. Hirst opened the scoring after barely a minute at Loftus Road before Rumarn Burrell equalised midway through the first half. Both Nunez's goals were from free-kicks, with the first restoring the visitors' lead at the start of the second half. Hirst made it 3-1 after 57 minutes and Nunez added a fourth seven minutes later to seal a resounding win for the Suffolk side amid speculation linking their manager Kieran Mc Kenna with Celtic. Rangers were poor despite recently being boosted by the return of several key players, including Ilias Chair, who started a match for the first time since August. Chair, so often his team's talisman, helped them hit back after their nightmare start with a trademark cut-in from the left flank to make room for a right-footed shot. Goalkeeper Christian Walton could only parry Chair's low strike and Burrell pounced on the loose ball to score his third goal in his past four appearances.
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It hauled QPR level after Hirst had put Ipswich ahead with the first attack of the match. Sindre Walle Egeli went past teenage left-back Esquerdinha with ease and crossed towards Hirst, who climbed above R's defender Liam Morrison to head home from six yards. Rangers' spirits were lifted by their 21st-minute goal but it was a similar story at the start of the second half, with Ipswich again scoring in the opening couple of minutes. After Isaac Hayden's clumsy foul on Jaden Philogene near the left-hand edge of the penalty area, Nunez whipped the resulting free-kick past keeper Paul Nardi and into the far corner of the net. It was a fine strike but Nardi was positioned towards that corner and should have done better. Ipswich then took total control and a sweeping move from back to front culminated in Darnell Furlong, playing against his former club, crossing from the right for Hirst to score again with a header. There was no way back for Rangers after Nunez struck again from a free-kick, this time firing into the bottom corner. A second successive win is a big boost for Ipswich after an indifferent start to life back in the Championship following last season's relegation from the top flight. Rangers, meanwhile, have lost three of their past four matches and their home form remains a concern - they have now won just two of their past 12 league games in front of their own fans. QPR's Julien Stephan: "One goal in the first minute of the first half and then one goal in the first minute of the second half. Mentally it's difficult after that. "I enjoyed the reaction after their goal in the first half and at half-time I said to the players that we were in the game and that I felt we could do something. "But the second goal, how we conceded that, I think it killed us mentally. In the 20 to 25 minutes after that it was not good and they were better than us. "But, during 60 minutes, my feeling is we were very close. In the end it was a question of consistency and we were not consistent enough. "In our good period we were collectively and defensively very strong. But Ipswich were clinical, it was the difference between them and us, and we have to correct mistakes. " Ipswich's Kieran Mc Kenna: "It's a good boost for him. George manages to stay pretty confident. I've been happy with the work he's been giving to the team. "There were a few bits last week that I didn't love from the crowd. But he's working really well and he's giving a lot to the team in his role. He always gives us a good focal point. "When he runs hard for the team and he gives us leadership and puts himself about, I'll always take that as a really good base. "Of course some days you can be a little bit better in your execution and some days a little bit worse but when he's giving what he can give to the team he's a hell of a focal point. "We spoke in the hotel last night. We spoke about just sticking at it, getting in the right positions, giving everything to the team and trusting that the goals will come. He knows he's got an important role. " The £250, 000 is up for grabs with Super 6, and as always it is completely free to play. Entries by 3pm Saturday.
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