QPR strengthened their reputation as being Sky Bet Championship dark horses with a 3-0 win at Hull.
The visitors needed to be disciplined, yet creative, from the outset against willing opponents in a fascinating encounter.
But once Chris Willock seized upon a free-kick from the training-book playbook in the first half, the newly promoted Tigers always looked up against it.
Lyndon Dykes turned in another well-rehearsed second goal after 68 minutes, after which Hull midfielder George Moncur was later sent off for a bad challenge on Dominic Ball.
Mark Warburton’s men were in cruise control thereafter and made it 3-0 when Rob Dickie squeezed the ball home after more good work from the impressive Ball.
Hull began purposefully – Keane Lewis-Potter and Moncur went close with half-chances – but the visitors played it cool and impressively quietened a raucous home crowd.
Their first meaningful attack then led to the opening goal.
Ilias Chair’s free-kick was expected to arrive into the Hull penalty box. But Chair deceived his opponents with a cute square ball across the edge of the 18-yard box.
Matt Ingram should, however, have done better as Willock’s accurate hit came off the Hull goalkeeper’s right wrist and ricocheted off a post into the net.
Grant McCann will have expected a response, but his players struggled to match the dynamism and aggression of QPR from start to finish.
The hosts’ cause was not helped, either, when Ryan Longman suffered an injury after 35 minutes and had to be replaced by Matt Smith.
Hull nonetheless finished the first half strongly and nearly equalised just before the break.
Lewis-Potter stood up a neat cross on the left and though Josh Magennis did well to hit the target, his arching header was tipped over the crossbar by goalkeeper Seny Dieng.
Hull kicked on early in the second half, with Lewis-Potter’s scuffed attempt from a corner cleared off the goalline by Moses Odubajo.
Odubajo, a former player at the MKM Stadium, did well – though Dickie did even better to deny Smith soon afterwards.
Smith poked the football through Dieng’s legs, but Dickie snuffed out the danger with a terrific late intervention on the line.
That challenge was valuable in the context of the game as QPR bossed things thereafter.
Moncur’s sending-off unquestionably played its part, but Warburton’s professional team always felt destined to leave the MKM Stadium with three points once Willock had opened the scoring.
