Dykes at the double as QPR put flimsy Sheffield Wednesday to the sword

QPR (1) 4 Dykes 27, 60, Johansen 50, Willock 90

Sheffield Wednesday (1) 1 Windass 30

A double for Lyndon Dykes and strikes from Stefan Johansen and Chris Willock secured a comfortable home win for Rangers.

Dykes, restored to the starting line-up in place of the suspended Charlie Austin, netted his first on 27 minutes with a spectacular diving header, getting on the end of a finely-angled ball in from the left from Yoann Barbet.

And the Scot bagged his second on the hour with the simplest of close-range headers after Willock had teed him up with a fine cushioned header beyond the last defenders.

It took him to nine QPR goals for the season and made light of the three-match ban meted out to Austin for stamping on a defender in last week’s defeat at Nottingham Forest.

The Owls, looking increasingly doomed to drop into League One, equalised quickly after Dykes’ opener through Josh Windass, who was played in by Adam Reach, but Rangers regained the lead at the start of the second half and never looked back.

Ilias Chair laid the ball off just outside the area for Johansen to try his luck and the swerve on the shot, allied to a very slight deflection off a Wednesday defender, deceived keeper Joe Wildsmith and found the middle of the net. It was the third goal of his loan spell at Rangers.

Dykes added the third 10 minutes later and Willock, who had a fine game, was on hand to bury a cross from sub George Thomas in injury time, as the Wednesday rearguard melted away in pursuit of goals.

Wednesday had plenty of attempts on goal but were frantic and wasteful. Windass got another shot away inside the box after clever play from Barry Bannan – the man who always pulls the strings for the Owls - and they had plenty of balls into the danger zone which might have borne fruit.

But the hosts were always in control once they had reestablished the lead.

Wildsmith was busy throughout. He had to get down sharply near his left-hand post to stop a low drive from Chair and also saved from Willock in the opening moments.

Willock, the man of the match, fizzed another against the outside of a post late on before getting his deserved goal.

Hoops: Dieng – Dickie, De Wijs (Adomah 69), Barbet – Kakay, Johansen (Bettache 81), Field (Ball 81), Wallace – Willock, Chair (Thomas 76) – Dykes. Subs not used: Lumley, Kane, Bonne, Hamalainen, Kelman

Owls: Wildsmith – Urhoghide (Harris 71), Lees, Borner – Palmer, Hutchinson (Pelupessy 83), Bannan, Reach – Rhodes (Green 71) – Paterson (Kachunga 70), Windass. Subs not used: Westwood, Penney, Brown, Shaw, Brennan