Many had anticipated the return of Bircham and Rowlands to the starting line up but Gregory went with the same side that bagged a point at West Brom with the aforementioned pair not even making the bench. Royce was in goal behind Mancienne, Rehman, Stewart and Bignot. Ainsworth, Lomas, Smith and Cook were in midfield with Blackstock and Gallen up top. 

The sides exchanged wild shots in the opening salvos when Ainsworth and then Soares saw their efforts way off target. McAnuff forced the first save of the game when he cut in from his left wing berth to test Royce at his near post. Flinders was then forced into action at the other end as a combination of Blackstock and Darren Ward sent the ball goalward and the former Barnsley keeper pulled off a smart stop. 

Flinders then needed two attempts to stop the livewire Lee Cook registering his first league goal of the season. Cookie strolled away from Butterfield and Soares and cracked a low right footer goalward that Flinders should have held first time. The ball bounced off of his chest but fortunately for Palace he was first to the loose ball. 

On the half hour mark Palace hit the front thanks to some more shoddy Rangers defending. Rehman had already had a couple of shaky moments when he saw a ball played over the top of Mancienne into the path of McAnuff. Instead of moving across to close the winger down he retreated which meant Mancienne had yards to try and take out of the Palace man. Needless to say he couldn’t and when the ball came in Soares had stolen a march on Bignot and was on hand to poke home at the near post. 

As we have now come to expect from this R’s side, they didn’t let their heads drop and stormed up field to get back on level terms within four minutes. A ball into the box was knocked to Gallen by Blackstock and he fed it back out to Jimmy Smith. The Chelsea youngster took a touch to steady himself before looping a stunning volley over Flinders for his third goal in seven games. Loftus Road exploded; the noise level in the toilets was incredible! Your erstwhile reporter was draining the spuds at the time thanks to a couple of pre match cocktails! 

The game entered a bit of a lull now whilst both sides, neither of whom have been able to buy a win recently, concentrated on not giving another goal away. Rangers had looked noticeably less gung-ho to this point with Smith and Lomas concentrating on protecting the defence rather than piling forward to attack The Eagles. 

On the stroke of half time disaster struck when the R’s zonal marking system failed them at a corner. Mark Kennedy took the kick from the left side and found the head of Leon Cort running in from the edge of the box. He got the jump on Stewart and powered the ball goalward where Clinton Morrison was on hand to shovel the ball home from underneath the bar. 

As is traditional now, some people booed the team from the pitch at the whistle. It seems to me that no matter what the display has been like some people just can’t help themselves! Palace had been no better than Rangers and this was presumably pointed out in no uncertain terms at halftime as after the break there was only one team in it. 

Cook went close in the first few minutes when the tireless Blackstock showed some neat footwork to send the ball into the winger’s path. He sent the ball goalward with the outside of his left foot but the swerve took it away from the diving Flinders and just past the post. 

The R’s fans were screaming for a penalty a couple of minutes later when Ainsworth burst into the box and went down under the challenge of Danny Granville. It never looked like a pen to me as Ainsworth was halfway down when the defender got there. At the other end Shefki Kuqi missed a glorious chance when he fired straight at Royce when he should really have done better. That big lump had incredibly cost Palace £2.5m! I think the Fraud Squad need to be called over that one because someone has been done up like a kipper! 

The miss proved even more costly moments later when Rangers pulled level through an unlikely source. A ball into the box from Cook wasn’t cleared properly and it dropped between Lomas and Rehman twelve yards out. They both seemed to have a swing but it was Lomas’ left foot that made contact and the ball crashed past Flinders and provoked a turn of speed seldom seen from Mr Lomas in a normal match situation!  

Palace tried to respond but found Damion Stewart growing into the game. A cross came into the box and the big Jamaican flew in to take the ball off of Morrison’s toe before Mancienne and McAnuff got tangled up in the box. Dowd could have awarded a pen but he called it correctly and waved play on. 

Rangers were rampant now and Cook in particular was causing all sorts of problems. He produced a mesmerising moment of skill to earn Rangers a penalty only seven minutes after the equaliser. With two Palace players at his back he wrapped his foot round the ball and dragged it between the two to burst into the box. As he has looking up to pick out his cross Butterfield took his back leg and he crashed to the floor. Not even Dowd could deny Rangers this pen and Gallen stepped forward in the absence of Rowlands. He was calmness personified as he stepped forward to roll the ball home with Flinders going the wrong way. 

Just when you though things couldn’t get any better they did as Smith capped a brutal ten minute spell with the fourth. Rangers won a corner and Cook went across to take the kick in the corner of The Loft and Ellerslie Road. His ball in seemed to be drifting toward the keeper before he seemed to be bumped his one of his defenders. Jimmy Smith saw his chance and was on hand to fire home from a yard. This was the first time Rangers had bagged four at Loftus Road in over two years. 

Palace were done now, there seemed little in the way of inspiration anywhere on the pitch and their entire game plan seemed to centre largely around Kuqi’s forehead. They did manage to create another chance for Morrison but once again he squandered it with only Royce to beat. It just about summed up his afternoon on a day when he looked lazy and disinterested and did most of his best work when he was chuntering in Dowd’s ear about one thing or another. 

Dexter Blackstock had worked like ten men again and was unlucky not to bag his sixth goal of the season when he produced a brilliant turn to leave Ward for dead. He broke into the box but his right footed shot was blocked by Flinders. You can’t help but think that had it been on his left foot then it would have been five and you couldn’t begrudge Rangers any of them. 

Many of the Palace fans had already skulked off when the final whistle blew, Simon Jordan amongst them. The reception for the R’s players was tremendous and thoroughly deserved. Palace were simply blown away in the second half and probably lead a little fortunately at the break. It was a massive win and although it only took Rangers up one place it meant that there was now a five point gap between them and 22^nd place.  

This has to be used as the springboard for a run of results now, there is no point winning this game and then getting turned over at Luton next week. The defence still needs to be tightened up, Rehman is the obvious weak link the in the line and it would be an ideal chance for Matthew Rose to get a chance or for Mancienne to be shifted into the middle. 

Going forward Rangers are irresistible at the moment and our rating as the fourth highest scorers in the division pays testament to this. If only we could stop shipping them so readily then I think we could well be a team that could do a little bit of damage in this league. 

Man of the Match – Lee Cook. How do you stop a player when he is in this sort of form? Butterfield found that kicking him didn’t work! Get to tight and he will turn you and leave you for dead, give him space and he will send in an early killer cross.  

simon@qprnet.com