Morgan Fox scores fortunate winner as QPR beat Luton

Morgan Fox’s lucky goal secured a fifth straight home win for QPR and condemned Luton to a 10th consecutive away defeat.

Fox did not know much about his second-half winner after a wayward shot from Ilias Chair deflected off him and flew into the net to seal a 2-1 victory.

Michael Frey had put Rangers ahead midway through the first half but Mark McGuiness hauled Luton level on the stroke of half-time.

Fox’s winner lifted QPR, who won only one of their first 16 matches this season, up to 13th in the table.

But the pressure will surely be building on Luton boss Rob Edwards as their post-Premier League hangover continued, a fourth straight defeat leaving them just two points above the drop zone.

Match Action

Rangers should have taken the lead after just six minutes when Chair, making his 250th appearance for the Hoops, swung in a cross from the left.

Frey had a free header six yards out but planted it too close to Luton keeper Thomas Kaminski, who palmed the ball out with Amari’i Bell completing the clearance.

The hosts went even closer after 20 minutes when another Chair cross found the head of Jimmy Dunne, with Kaminski superbly tipping his effort against the crossbar.

The rebound came straight back to the Rangers captain, but he hurried his shot and blazed wildly over the crossbar.

The breakthrough came three minutes later when Frey sent Paul Smyth scampering down the right.

Smyth played the ball back to Kieran Morgan, who crossed to the far post where Frey had just arrived.

The Swiss forward brushed off a feeble attempt at a challenge from Hatters defender Reuell Walters, controlled the ball – with a hint of handball – and slotted it from a tight angle past Kaminski.

Luton looked to hit straight back but Bell and Carlton Morris had shots blocked on the line in an almighty goalmouth scramble and Marvelous Nakamba fired over.

But in first-half stoppage time they equalised when McGuiness glanced a header beyond Rangers keeper Paul Nardi from a Zack Nelson corner.

Second Half

However, QPR won it when Chair’s tame shot from the edge of the box clipped the heels of Rangers’  Fox in the box and wrong-footed Kaminski as it rolled over the line.

QPR could have had a third when substitute Alfie Lloyd’s shot beat Kaminski only to come back off the far post.

McGuiness had a chance to level again in stoppage-time with a carbon-copy header from another corner, but this time it flew agonisingly over the top.

READ MORE: Rob Edwards says ‘footballing gods’ against Luton after defeat at QPR