Middlesbrough emphatically boosted their automatic promotion hopes by thrashing QPR 4-0 at Loftus Road.
David Strelec put Boro ahead before Alan Browne and Hayden Hackney added second-half goals, and Tommy Conway's 88th-minute penalty completed a resounding victory.
It moved second-placed Middlesbrough four points clear of Millwall in third, and five behind Championship leaders Coventry with 10 matches of the season remaining.
They went ahead in the 20th minute with a fortuitous goal that arguably should not have stood.
Riley McGree collected Hackney's clever pass and played a low ball in from the left towards Morgan Whittaker. The striker's first-time poke was off-target but ricocheted back to him off R's defender Rhys Norrington-Davies, and his second attempt hit the elbow of Strelec, who was standing near the goal-line, and went in.
Isaac Hayden had a header saved by Boro 'keeper Sol Brynn, but the visitors remained on top and went close to doubling their lead before the interval when Hackney sent an effort wide of the far post, and when Hackney's corner was flicked over the bar by Luke Ayling.
Boro continued to threaten after the restart, and 'keeper Joe Walsh denied Strelec at point-blank range shortly before Matt Targett volleyed wide of Walsh's right-hand post.
Rangers did then manage to put them under a spell of pressure, but the second goal arrived in the 68th minute.
After Jimmy Dunne's poor attempt to head Hackney's corner clear, Ayling's looping effort came back off the bar and Brown got in front of QPR striker Richard Kone to tuck away the loose ball.
The outstanding Hackney made it three with a superb goal four minutes later.
Conway played the ball in from the left and McGree's clever dummy allowed it to run to Hackney, who steered a fine strike beyond Walsh and into the far corner.
And Conway added a late fourth from the penalty spot after being bundled over in the box by young defender Tylon Smith, who had just come on for his Championship debut.
While Middlesbrough remain on course for the Premier League despite a strong challenge from in-form Millwall, Rangers' promotion chances have evaporated during a dismal recent spell.
They were in the thick of the race for the play-offs before losing their past three matches, failing to score a single goal and conceding 11 in the process - although they very nearly scored late on when Harvey Vale's curling shot hit a post.
QPR head coach Julien Stephan admitted his struggling team had simply been beaten by a better side:
"When you lose against a top, top team, you have to accept [it]. And they are better than us. This is the reality. They deserve their win," he said.
"They had more quality, individually and collectively. More quality with the ball and without the ball. I have to say that we lost against a better team than us. We will not face an opponent like this every time, but we need to be able to show more quality in possession.
"In the last three games we didn't score. In football if you don't score and are only in defensive positions it's very difficult to get a good result.
"Of course we are not happy. It's a difficult moment when you lose three games in a row and you concede many goals. But I want to protect my players, because I know them and I know they tried to give their best. We need to stay together."
Middlesbrough boss Kim Hellberg hailed Hayden Hackney and Luke Ayling after they played key roles in the victory at QPR:
"Hayden's a top player. He has everything and will end up being in the Premier League some day, hopefully with us," said Hellberg.
"The quality he has as a player is unbelievable - the way he drives with the ball and he is also working on his finishing.
"He's unbelievable to work with - such a pleasure and just a great guy for us to work with."
On Ayling, he added: "He was absolutely brilliant and has been in the last two games. So strong from him - how he plays on the ball, how he defends, two top, top performances from Luke.
"He's a big leader for us, together with a lot of the players. It's a very strong group with a lot of players that are setting an example every day at the training ground.
"With his experience and also his energy - he's a very energetic person - he does everything at the training ground to get better, and that's one of the things I like so much about him."
