QPR extend newly-discovered hot home streak to leave Watford empty-handed
QPR (2) 3 Frey 5, Dunne 37, Field 56
Watford (0) 1 Baah 55
QPR made it four Championship home wins in a row to continue their steady rise away from the division's trouble spots as the Hornets' poor away form did for them again.
Having won none of their first nine home matches, Marti Cifuentes must have despaired of ever getting the Fortress Loftus Road he is after but since the handsome win against Norwich in early December, they have imposed themselves on all-comers.
It did not long for the into the new year for the goal music to sound around Loftus Road.
Watford were caught napping by Kenneth Paal's kick free-kick to release Kieran Morgan down the left and his low ball into the box was swept in by Michael Frey.
It was the Swiss striker's fifth goal of the season and first since the September draw with Millwall.
A second followed before the break - another of equal simplicity as Ilias Chair floated a ball up into the mixer and Jimmy Dunne towered in the air to send a firm header into the net.
He has made a habit of scoring recently. Three of his four for the season have come in this recent run of home wins which have finally elevated the Hoops to relative safety.
Watford's early concession maintained an unhappy trend for them as it was the 11th time this season they have shipped a goal in the opening 10 minutes and it meant Tom Cleverley's team were instantly on the back foot.
Paul Nardi saved an angled drive from Giorgi Chakvetadze as Watford tried to work their way into the game but they created little before Dunne doubled the R's lead, though Vakoun Bayo ought to have got the Hornets on the scoreboard when he met a deep cross from Jeremy Ngakia but headed wide from an unmarked position.
Kwadwo Baah appeared to have got the Hornets back into it 10 minutes after the interval, finishing off a breakaway from Chakvetadze with a shot that deflected in off the boot of Paal.
But Rangers were swift to restore their lead with Sam Field heading in a cross from Paul Smyth in the very next attack.
Smyth came close to extending the lead after a blistering dart in from the right and low cross-shot that sub Koki Saito almost touched in at the far post, and also had another effort saved by Bachmann, but the points were safe, even if the ever-battling Baah smashed a shot against the angle of crossbar and post in the dying moments.
Hoops: (4-3-3) Nardi - Paal, Dunne, Fox (Clarke-Salter 63), Ashby - Morgan (Madsen 77), Varane, Field (Colback 90) - Smyth, Frey (Kolli 63), Chair (Saito 77)
Hornets: (4-1-4-1) Bachmann - Ngakia, Porteous, Pollock, Larouci (Ebosele 66) - Sierralta - Baah, Sissoko (Kayembe 66), Chakvetadze, Ince (Vata 66) - Bayo
Attendance: 17,268
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