Marti Cifuentes looks ahead future at QPR and responds to Sunderland rumours | OneFootball

Marti Cifuentes believes it is vital that QPR "stay humble" and that there is "a lot of work to be done in the future" to "achieve the level we want to achieve" after they confirmed their Championship status with a 4-0 win over Leeds United last night.

The West Londoners were on course for a dismal relegation when the Spaniard replaced Gareth Ainsworth in the Loftus Road dugout at the end of October – sitting second bottom with just eight points from 14 games – but has inspired a remarkable turnaround that culminated in a stunning victory on Friday night.

Playing against the Championship's top sides has often drawn the best out of Cifuentes' team and this was no different as they took the game to promotion-chasing Leeds from the first whistle to secure survival in style.

Ilias Chair fired in the opener inside 10 minutes and then Lucas Andersen's first goal for the R's meant they were two goals to the good at the break. The hosts were forced to weather an early storm in the second half as the Whites pushed to force their way back into the game, with their hopes of automatic promotion under threat, but Cifuentes' side then struck twice from set pieces as Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field headed them into a four-goal advantage.

The result leaves the W12 outfit 16th, and seven points above the drop zone, ahead of Saturday's games while Leeds' hopes of a top-two finish are now out of their hands – as Leicester City's promotion has been confirmed while Ipswich Town, who have two games in hand, are just a point behind Daniel Farke's side in the table.

A sold-out Loftus Road celebrated at full time and Cifuentes hinted that the festivities would likely go on late into the night before looking ahead to the future.

Marti Cifuentes urges QPR to stay humble

Speaking after the victory over Leeds, the 41-year-old emphasised the importance of staying humble and recognising that while they had come a long way since his arrival, there was still a lot to do.

He said: "I said when I came here that first of all when we win could football games, that is unfortunately not every weekend, we should enjoy it and that's what I'm going to do. Enjoy tonight's victory because it means a lot.

"If you ask me about the future, I think that it's going to be time to sit, to be very humble because today all of us are very happy and it's easy to get a little bit carried away but there is a lot of work to be done in the future but we need to remain humble and understand there are a lot of things we can do better."

Quizzed on whether results against top Championship sides like Leeds allowed him to dream about what the future could hold for QPR, he added: "I am very happy because it is true that we have been playing at a good level against some good teams but again, I think that we need to remain very humble. It's a long way to achieve the level we want to achieve, the standards that this club should have.

"In that sense, I think today was a very good performance but there is a lot of work to do."

Marti Cifuentes dismissive of Sunderland rumours

Earlier this week, rumours swirled online and on social media about Cifuentes being a frontrunner for the Sunderland job – with the Black Cats currently searching for a permanent head coach.

The R's boss was not keen to entertain such speculation and offered a short response.

He said: "I think if we believe everything we see on social media, it's going to be a long night. I've nothing to say. I'm very focused on tonight's game and enjoying it."

It would be a heartbreaking blow to lose Cifuentes this summer but it would be a shock to see him leave Loftus Road given the future now looks bright at the club thanks to