QPR defeated relegation candidates Crystal Palace, who ended the game with ten men, 2-1 at Loftus Road and now lead the table by ten points. Despite this apparent inevitable rise to the Premiership, boss Neil Warnock is refusing to get carried away. Warnock, a former Palace boss, said: "It's difficult for me against Palace. I really don't enjoy games against them, but I wanted my players to enjoy it.

"You've got to give Palace credit. They fought for their lives, scored a goal - sloppy from our point of view - but we started again and in the end could have scored more goals.

"We've won five out of six matches and that takes some doing given the teams we've played against, so I'm really happy.

"It's hard to believe it's just over a year since we took over here. It's not a straightforward job - it never is at QPR and hasn't been this season - but when you get a game and an atmosphere like that, it's all worth it.

"When you've been in the game as long as I have, you don't get carried away when you win games or when you lose them. I said the same after we lost to Millwall in midweek."

The Hoops could face a possible points deduction after the Football Association this week charged them with breaches of regulations relating to third-party ownership and agents over the signing of Alejandro Faurlin.

But Warnock added: "I've spoken to our legal people about it, I am very happy with what they've told me, and I've told the players that.

"I've read some of the newspapers and would love to say what I think, but I won't be saying anything."

Crystal Palace boss Dougie Freedman insisted he had no argument against the decision to send off skipper Patrick McCarthy.

He said: "We've no complaints at all. Unfortunately, Paddy gave the referee an opportunity to give a penalty and to send him off.

"Of course that was a turning point, especially in what was a close game that I thought was going to the wire.

"We had to defend for our lives in the first 40 minutes, but I felt once we got the goal it gave us a boost and we could have gone on from there.

"QPR are top of the league and are a very good side with Premier League players, but we gave them a run for their money.

"My players didn't complain. They never do. We dust ourselves down and go again, and we showed that again today.

"We've been playing like that for four or five weeks. We never give in, and that's the encouraging thing for me."