Queens Park Rangers punish Portsmouth with ruthless finishing | OneFootball

Match in Five Sentences: Queens Park Rangers beat Portsmouth 6-1 to ignite their Championship push. Paul Smyth opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a right-footed strike from outside the box. Rayan Kolli doubled the lead (24.) and Smyth made it three (29.) before John Swift pulled one back for the visitors (38.). Despite having 59.9% possession and 20 attempts, Portsmouth were picked off as Queens Park Rangers hit eight of nine attempts on target. After the restart Kolli added a fourth (55.) then Esquerdinha won a late penalty that Richard Kone converted (86.), and Kone struck again moments later (87.) as Queens Park Rangers rise from 17th to 13th and host Watford next, while Portsmouth visit Norwich.

Player of the Match: Paul Smyth struck twice and set up Rayan Kolli, converting both of his two shots on target to put Queens Park Rangers in command by half time.

Stat of the Match: Queens Park Rangers hit eight of nine attempts on target, an 88.9% accuracy that underlined their clinical edge.

Three Things We Learned: Harvey Vale was a creative hub with two assists and four key passes, repeatedly releasing runners. Joe Walsh made six saves to keep Portsmouth at arm's length when the game was open. The result lifts Queens Park Rangers from 17th to 13th in the table, while Portsmouth drop from 20th to 21st.