Chair scores twice as QPR start season with cracking away win

The fit-again Ilias Chair scored twice as QPR began their Championship campaign with a superb away victory.

Koki Saito also scored at Fratton Park, where Rangers, without Nicolas Madsen, endured a difficult start, with recent signing Boy Kemper going off injured and Terry Devlin scoring for the hosts with a long-range strike.

The R’s equalised when Harvey Vale clipped the ball towards Rumarn Burrell, who was unable to connect, but Chair came in behind the striker to apply the finish.

And they turned the game on its head by scoring twice more in the final few minutes of the first half.

Rangers broke forward and Chair set up Saito, who dribbled towards the edge of the box before trying his luck with a shot that deflected off Devlin, wrong-footing keeper Nicolas Schmid.

And Chair made it 3-1 by calmly tucking away Amadou Mbengue’s low cross from the right.

It was a triumphant return to form for Chair, who has been plagued by injuries in the past two seasons.

He had a second-half shot saved by Schmid as Rangers threatened on the counter-attack, and a ball in from Vale just evaded substitute Alfie Lloyd.

QPR: Charles, Mbengue (Varane 74), Dunne, Clarke-Salter, Kemper (Adamson 20), Edwards, Chair, Poku, Vale (Kamara 58), Saito (Smyth 58), Burrell (Lloyd 74).

Subs not used: Ward, Morrison, Alemayehu, Kone.