Rangers went into the game looking to leap-frog Jim Magilton's side as both teams aim to force their way into the play-off positions come the business end of the season.
There was a surprise change to Rangers' starting eleven with in form centre-half Damion Stewart finding himself dropped to the bench, and Fitz Hall coming into replace the Jamaican international. Lee Cook returned on the left wing in place of Matteo Alberti in the only other change from the side that drew 2-2 at
Rangers raced out of the blocks and made a dream start when Samuel Di Carmine scored in only the second minute of the match. Wayne Routledge easily turned Ben Thatcher on the right hand side and produced a pinpoint cross allowing Di Carmine to finish with a stylish half-volley from 6 yards.
However, Rangers failed to continue in the same vein, allowing
The visitors continued to press for a second against a Rangers side that seemed to be struggling at the back. Some clumsy defending meant that several needless free kicks were conceded around the Rangers penalty area.
Some sloppy passing meant that rangers were unable to create any meaningful attacking opportunities too, and Ipswich nearly took the lead ten minutes before half time when an attempted back pass from Gavin Mahon put striker Pablo Counago clean through on goal. The Spaniard unselfishly teed up Jon Stead who failed to find the target when a goal seemed certain. However, the home side managed to hang on and went into the half time break on level pegging.
Rangers started the second half in a similar fashion to how they started the match, trying to get influential winger Routledge involved at every opportunity. Routledge was getting the better of Ben Thatcher and produced a couple of excellent crosses that
Heider Helguson replaced goalscorer Di Carmine on 52 minutes as Paulo Sousa looked to inject some life into a so far toothless attacking display.
Rangers continued to search for an equaliser but were hit by a sucker punch on the hour mark. Gavin Mahon lost the ball cheaply on the edge of the ranger's penalty area which allowed Pablo Counago to produce a cool left foot finish past a helpless Lee Camp.
Paulo Sousa acted quickly after the goal by introducing top-scorer Dexter Blackstock for Damien Delany, and switching to a 3-5-2 formation. However Rangers still struggled to create any clear cut chances against a resilient
The away side effectively sealed victory when
The Rangers faithful were becoming very frustrated and a small section of the crowd vented their anger towards captain Gavin Mahon, by jeering him every time he got the ball. Although
This seemed to spur the Rangers players on and they suddenly found themselves having their best period of the match, even though the game seemed lost. Dexter Blackstock forced Richard Wright into a save with a powerful header, and Leigertwood had a 25 yard effort deflected over as they pressured late on but could not find a breakthrough. The game ended in defeat in what was a bad day at the office for a below-par QPR team.
It was a disappointing display from Rangers, who have been playing very well under new boss Paulo Sousa. They missed the presence of defender Damion Stewart, and the midfield struggled to pass the ball on what was a difficult pitch.
Up next is a tough away trip to play off rivals