Report | Queens Park Rangers 5 Swansea City 0

Swansea City were well beaten at MATRADE Loftus Road as Richard Kone’s hat-trick inside the opening 15 minutes set Queens Park Rangers on the way to victory.

The Swans had enjoyed excellent away form so far this season, but hopes of continuing that run were extinguished when Kone finished from close ranger after two minutes, soon added a header to double the lead, and then sealed his treble from the spot before a third of the opening half had been played.

Jimmy Dunne added a fourth for the R’s shortly before the break before rounding off the scoring late on as the visitors endured an afternoon where they were below the levels they have shown over the opening months of the campaign.

They had hit the bar through Adam Idah, while Idah, Melker Widell and Joseph Opoku forced saves from Pierce Charles in the Rangers goal, but the damage had been done in that opening 15 minutes.

The Swans had shown four changes from defeat to West Ham as Filip Lissah returned from suspension, with Stephen Eustaquio, Elijah Just and Melker Widell also coming into the visiting line-up.

But the Swans made a nightmare start as a ball in behind freed Paul Smyth into space and the winger laid the ball on a plate for Kone to turn home from close range.

They nearly responded immediately, Just nipping into capitalise on good pressing work by Eustaquio and feeding Idah. The striker set his sights from 20 yards and looked to have found the net, only for Pierce Charles to brilliantly tip the ball onto the bar.

Idah worked Charles again from a similar situation a few moments later, but instead the hosts went straight down the other end and doubled their lead with fewer than 10 minutes played.

Kone was the man to find the net again, coolly planting a firm header beyond Lawrence Vigouroux from Kwame Poku’s cross.

It proving a fast and furious contest, and Widell went close for the Swans as he firmly swept Joseph Opoku’s pass towards goal, with Charles again equal to the effort.

And Swansea’s frustration was compounded when Vigouroux was adjudged to have brought down Smyth, and Kone completed a hat-trick inside 15 minutes.

Ben Cabango had to make an excellent covering intervention to prevent Smyth adding to Swansea’s woes. 

Just scuffed an effort wide from distance and Widell headed over as Swansea sought a path back into the content before the interval. 

Instead they fell further behind, Dunne directing a header into the net from an inswinging corner in stoppage time.

Matos introduced Jenson Seelt and Jay Fulton in place of Stephen Welsh and Just, but the first chance of the second period went the way of the hosts and Smyth, who sliced a volley over the bar.

But the Swans did have a spell of pressure after that, one Widell cross being flicked away as Opoku closed in, before the Swede could not pick out a black shirt after getting into space on the left side of the area.

Glen Kamara came close to adding to the home side’s tally as low drive worried Vigouroux before bouncing just wide of the upright on an afternoon to forget for the visitors that was rounded off when Dunne turned in his second goal of the contest from close range.

Swansea City: Lawrence Vigouroux; Filip Lissah, Ben Cabango (captain), Stephen Welsh (Jenson Seelt 46), Josh Tymon; Marko Stamenic (Goncalo Franco 64), Stephen Eustaquio, Elijah Just (Jay Fulton 46); Joseph Opoku (Jisung Eom 64), Melker Widell, Adam Idah (Zan Vipotnik 74).

Unused Substitutes: Andy Fisher, Jeremy Monga, Tiago Parente, Ross Stewart.

Queens Park Rangers: Pierce Charles, Kealey Adamson, Jimmy Dunne (captain), Ronnie Edwards, Paul Smyth (Rayan Kalli 72), Bay Kemper (Dennis Cirkin 80), Kwame Poku (Karamoko Dembele 72), Glen Kamara, Harvey Vale (Koki Saito 73), Richard Kone, Jonathan Varane.

Unused Substitutes: Calum Ward, Liam Morrison, Dennis Cirkin, Isak Alemayehu, Justin Obikwu, Leon Scarlett.

Referee: Samuel Allison

Attendance: