QPR exploits with Burnley were a remarkable anomaly: View | OneFootball

The R's shock win at Turf Moor in April 2023 was a remarkable one and it played a huge part in guiding them to safety.

Queens Park Rangers were in deep trouble ahead of their clash against Burnley in April 2023.

The R's were in major relegation danger at that point, even with Reading and Wigan Athletic both suffering points deductions during the 2022/23 campaign.

Blackpool were the other team in the relegation zone at that stage and although Mick McCarthy had left by that point, it seemed inevitable that they would be relegated following a very poor spell under the former Republic of Ireland boss.

QPR had to get a result at Turf Moor though, with the R's sitting just one point above the drop zone after their 1-1 draw against Norwich City in the previous game.

Unfortunately for them, the Clarets still had the Championship title to play for at the time Gareth Ainsworth's men made the trip to Lancashire.

The R's were bereft of confidence at that point. The Clarets, meanwhile, were closing in on the title and would have been confident heading into the clash between the two teams.

Burnley v QPR clash

Vincent Kompany could have experimented and left most of the Lancashire side's key players on the bench for this game.

However, the former Manchester City captain opted to pick a very strong team on the day, which wouldn't have given QPR fans any reason to be optimistic ahead of this clash.

And it's fair to say that the hosts dominated the game, starting strongly in the first half and having 17 attempts on goal, a remarkable number that ensured Seny Dieng was kept busy.

But it was Ainsworth's side who took the lead, with Sam Field's strike putting the visitors ahead just before the hour mark.

Manuel Benson levelled the game up with a magnificent strike in the 76th minute, which could have caused the away team to capitulate.

Three minutes from the end though, Jamal Lowe's cross was headed home by Chris Martin, allowing the R's to seal a remarkable win and take a big step closer to safety.

They went on to secure their survival after that, with another away win at Stoke City helping them in their survival quest.

There are plenty of reasons why this win at Turf Moor was such a remarkable victory.

Firstly, the Clarets hadn't lost a single home game in all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign before the R's visit, and that proved to be their only defeat on their home patch during the season.

The hosts also fielded a very strong team, with the likes of Anass Zaroury and Benson doing extremely well out wide and Ashley Barnes being a thorn in the side of many opponents.

Kompany's side were even in with a shout of breaking the 106-point record for a Championship season at one point, reinforcing just how good they were during their promotion-winning campaign.

During the game, the R's rode their luck on a number of occasions, and they needed this luck considering how poor their form was heading into this game.

Ainsworth, who had been appointed back in February 2023, had only won one of his opening 10 league games as QPR's manager before the game against the table-toppers.

The pressure was starting to mount on the manager at the time, with many fans unconvinced that he was the right man for the job.

But he was able to guide the R's to safety in the end.

It could be argued that QPR are still in the second tier now because of that result in Lancashire, even though current boss Marti Cifuentes has done an excellent job.