Stephan savours thumping QPR win but warns it’s a ‘dangerous moment’

Julien Stephan enjoyed QPR’s thumping win over Leicester but warned it was a “dangerous moment” in their season and called for them to remain focused.

Stephan’s side stormed to a 4-1 victory, with all their goals coming in a totally one-sided first half, making it a nightmare return to Loftus Road for Leicester’s former Rangers boss Marti Cifuentes.

The Frenchman praised his players but told them to keep their feet firmly on the ground.

He said: “We have to speak about the players, about their quality, their mentality and the effort on the pitch.

“All the players big deserve credit. But it’s a dangerous moment for me – especially for me – because I think you will write a lot of positive things on the players and​ the next game will be another battle.

“We have to enjoy the moment, but we need to stay focused on the fact that each time it’s a new history, each game it’s different, and we have to prepare and have the same intensity and quality as this one.

“We are in a good way, but we are only halfway through the season. It’s a long journey.”

Koki Saito opened the scoring in only the second minute, and goals from Richard Kone, Karamoko Dembele and Amadou Mbengue put the hosts in complete control.

Cifuentes has endured a difficult start at Leicester since taking over in the summer and, after an encouraging total of seven points from their previous three matches, this result puts him back under serious pressure.

His successor at QPR, meanwhile, is enjoying an impressive first season in English football.

Rangers have now won four matches in a row at home, are seventh in the table, just one place and one point away from the play-off, spots, while the defeat left the Foxes 13th.

“It was an outstanding first half. It’s never perfect, but it was close to perfection,” said Stephan.

“An amazing first half and well managed in the second, because sometimes in a game like this you can imagine that the game is over and you reduce the intensity, but we continue to push.”

Cifuentes said: “A really bad first half and then it was perhaps the end of the game.

“It was just a very bad first half – unacceptable for me, for the players and unacceptable for our fans that travelled here.

“We didn’t match some of the things that are needed to compete in a game like this, so very disappointed. It’s a really disappointing day.

“Emotionally, it’s a tough one. We need to move on quick. It’s a marathon, we are almost in the middle of the season and we need to pick ourselves up.”