Football: Queens Park Rangers 0 - 5 Burnley

QPR thrashed by Premier League-bound Burnley 

The result ensured the Championship title race will go down to the final day of the season.

Author - Craig H

The visitors, already assured of automatic promotion, moved three points ahead of Leeds United, who face Bristol City at Elland Road on Monday.

Goals from Josh Cullen and two from Zian Flemming put the Clarets in control at the end of the first-half, which they dominated.Jeremy Sarmiento then scored twice off the bench to wrap up a huge win for Burnley and extend their unbeaten league run to 32 games.

A closer look at what happened at Loftus Road

Ultimately, QPR were chasing shadows at Loftus Road as a clinical Burnley side delivered a first-half masterclass that left the hosts with a mountain to climb. 

The home side had barely settled into the match when Burnley struck their first blow. The goal came from a sharp move that sliced through the QPR backline,

READ MORE: QPR match reports from London Super News

Despite signs of improvement after the break, Scott Parker’s visitors had already done the damage with a blistering display of attacking football, underpinned by relentless possession and ruthless finishing.

Even when QPR did manage rare forays forward, they were met with a wall of claret shirts, eager to preserve their advantage. Ronnie Edwards was called into action to deny Burnley a fourth after a loose ball from Nardi, while the visitors’ commitment to defending was evident whenever Rangers looked to threaten.

QPR look to the future now

After the match, the QPR boss spoke with pride at having kept the side in the division. However, attention will now be turning to the summer and he can improve the club so they can start challenging further up the table.

Fans certainly won't want to have another campaign in the bottom half of the Championship. There's a chance they might finish only two points outside the relegation zone. In reality, that really isn't good enough.

The away side leave London happy as title dreams stay alive

Burnley face Millwall, the last side to beat them in November, on the final day of the season. They will finish on 100 points with victory at Turf Moor. This would be a remarkable achievement for the club and for the former Charlton, Chelsea, West Ham and Fulham midfielder Scott Parker.

This is the level that QPR will need to be at it if they want to challenge for promotion next season.