Jimmy Dunne celebrates scoring for QPR at BlackburnImage source, PA Media
Image caption,

Jimmy Dunne headed in QPR's winner at Ewood Park

ByDavid McIntyre
BBC Sport England

Jimmy Dunne scored QPR's winner as they came from behind to beat Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

Ryoya Morishita's spectacular strike put the hosts ahead early in the second half, but Paul Smyth equalised less than two minutes later.

Dunne headed home Tariq Lamptey's cross to clinch the points for Rangers, who are enjoying an impressive start to their campaign.

Julien Stephan's side remain unbeaten in the Championship this season and have won both their away matches.

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After a first half in which Rovers captain Todd Cantwell headed over the bar and sent two efforts wide, Morishita brilliantly broke the deadlock.

Andri Gudjohnsen beat Jake Clarke-Salter in the air to nod the ball towards the Japanese winger, who took a touch on the edge of the area before smashing an unstoppable volley beyond keeper Pierce Charles.

However, Rangers quickly hit back, with Rumarn Burrell chasing Ronnie Edwards' ball down the right, getting the better of Sean McLoughlin and pulling back for Smyth to fire home from close range.

Smyth then turned provider for Burrell, who headed the Northern Ireland forward's cross wide of the target.

But Dunne made no mistake when Blackburn cleared Ilias Chair's corner only for the fit-again Lamptey to set up the winner.

Former Chelsea and Brighton full-back Lamptey came on as a half-time substitute, having recently returned to England in a bid to rebuild his career after a long-term knee injury disrupted his time at Italian club Fiorentina.

'We've got some work to do' - reaction

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray told BBC Radio Lancashire:

"I think there were lots of positives today. We played against a good team - I thought we managed them pretty well, to be honest - and it was a really tight game. We had spells where we were pretty dominant, and they had moments too.

"I've said to them in the dressing room: 'Lots and lots of positives today'. If we can maintain the performance from the first 60 minutes for 90 [minutes], we'll be fine.

"It's a very quiet, disappointed dressing room, and yet I think if they stick together, there's enough spirit, togetherness and camaraderie to be competitive this season.

"I'm still here after a defeat, and it's hard to find words other than that I felt pretty proud of how they performed for the vast majority of the game.

"Let's take the positives — I've said that to them in the dressing room. We were really good for a lot of that game."

Figure caption,

Mowbray: 'There was lots of positives today'

QPR head coach Julien Stephan told BBC Radio London:

"We conceded an unbelievable goal at the start of the second half, but I really enjoyed the players' reaction after that - not just because we scored quickly, but because the technical level increased a lot compared to the second part of the first half, and the intensity too.

"I think we were really dominant in the second half. The players did very well, and the ones who came on brought a lot of quality.

"But if we want to be a top team, we have to finish games like this with three or four goals.

"When we're dominant like that and we continue to push, we have to kill the game off - that's probably the next step we need to reach.

"I enjoyed the win, but I know we've got some work to do and some improvements to make, because I think these players are capable of making them."

Figure caption,

Stéphan: 'To find this consistency is nice.'

Player of the match

Number: 3 J. Dunne
Average rating 8.69
Number: 22 B. Tóth
Average Rating: 5.83
Number: 25 R. Morishita
Average Rating: 5.58
Number: 6 T. Atcheson
Average Rating: 5.30
Number: 10 T. Cantwell
Average Rating: 5.27
Number: 2 R. Alebiosu
Average Rating: 5.20
Number: 9 A. Guðjohnsen
Average Rating: 5.04
Number: 28 A. Forshaw
Average Rating: 5.04
Number: 4 Yuri Ribeiro
Average Rating: 4.96
Number: 21 O. Afolayan
Average Rating: 4.96
Number: 31 K. Montgomery
Average Rating: 4.92
Number: 11 J. Fevrier
Average Rating: 4.76
Number: 15 S. McLoughlin
Average Rating: 4.61
Number: 53 F. Vare
Average Rating: 4.58
Number: 8 Sam Morsy
Average Rating: 4.55
Number: 30 J. Garrett
Average Rating: 4.35
Number: 39 H. Pates
Average Rating: 4.35

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.