Queens Park Rangers' unbeaten away record in the Championship was emphatically ended in a 3-0 defeat at Birmingham City's St Andrew's on Saturday. Liam Millar scored twice in the 27th and 49th minutes before substitute Demarai Gray added a third in stoppage time.
The defeat was rooted in two costly errors either side of half-time. The first goal came against the run of play from a QPR corner, with Birmingham breaking the length of the field for Millar to finish. Head coach Julien Stephan felt his side lacked maturity. "The goals were more our fault than their quality," Stephan said. "The way we conceded the goals was very, very unusual."
QPR had started confidently and saw a strong penalty appeal waved away in the 18th minute when August Priske's shot struck a defender's arm. They also created an early chance from a Paul Smyth long throw. After falling behind, they pushed to get back into the game, with Rayan Kolli and Ronnie Edwards forcing saves from Birmingham goalkeeper James Beadle in the second half.
The result leaves Queens Park Rangers on 17 points from their opening 11 matches. Birmingham's victory moves them to 20 points, consolidating their position in the playoff places. QPR's next fixture is a home game against Norwich City, who have lost five consecutive league matches, at Loftus Road on Saturday 24 October. The full fixtures list shows a challenging run ahead for Stephan's side.
Despite the setback, QPR's overall start to the season remains solid. They sit just three points outside the top six and have shown resilience in earlier away fixtures. The squad will need to regroup quickly, with key players like Ilias Chair, who has been a creative force, looking to make an impact against Norwich. The team's defensive record, which had been a strength, will be a focus in training this week after conceding three times from limited Birmingham chances.
The match officials, led by referee Thomas Kirk, were not required to show a red card, though Birmingham captain Christoph Klarer was booked for a foul on QPR skipper Jimmy Dunne. The final whistle confirmed a disappointing afternoon for the travelling support, who had seen their team pick up points on the road in previous outings. Attention now turns to preparing for the visit of Norwich, a match that offers a swift opportunity for a response.
