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Championship: Jimmy Dunne nets twice to move QPR into play-off spots
IT WAS A memorable day for Jimmy Dunne as the QPR captain bagged a brace in the 5-0 thumping of Swansea at Loftus Road.
Richard Kone had already scored a hat-trick inside 15 minutes before Dunne netted his first to go four up by half-time.
The Swans – who were top of the Championship until they were overtaken by Middlesbrough on Friday night – suffered their second defeat in a row.
They did have their moments in the first half – Adam Idah fired against the bar shortly after they went behind.
But QPR were very much on top and they made it 4-0 when Dunne rose to head home Harvey Vale’s corner in first-half stoppage time.
In the 86th minute, Dunne stuck out a leg to divert Kone’s off-target shot into the net for the Irish international’s second goal and Rangers’ fifth.
Swansea remain second in the table, while QPR’s resounding victory moved them back into the play-off positions in eighth.
Elsewhere, Southampton announced themselves in the Championship promotion race with a statement 3-2 win at pre-season title-favourites West Ham.
Kuryu Matsuki, James Bree and Lewis Dobbin were all on target in a chaotic first half, while Kyle Walker-Peters and Tomas Soucek replied for the third-placed Hammers.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, relegated on the final day of last term, would have gone top with a win but instead saw their nine-match unbeaten run grind to a halt.
There were thousands of empty seats by the end at the London Stadium, with those who stayed booing the Hammers off.
For anyone who thought promotion would be achieved at a canter in east London, this was a wake-up call.
The Hammers now have a Southampton side, who were deducted four points at the start of the season, in their rear-view mirror, lying just two points behind.
Meanwhile, Adam Armstrong ended his goal drought with a milestone strike to give dominant Wolves a 1-0 win against Watford, taking them into fourth.
Championship results
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Championship Round-Up Soccer