Nottingham Forest 5 QPR 0

27 January 2010

A PENALTY from their former striker Dexter Blackstock compounded QPR's humiliation on Tuesday night as they slid to their worst defeat in three years.

Blackstock, who was controversially sold to Forest last year, made his old club pay for that bizarre boardroom decision as he stroked a first-half spot-kick past Carl Ikeme.

By then, Rangers were already 2-0 down to a Robert Earnshaw double and further goals after the break from Chris Cohen and James Perch ensured that they suffered their heaviest loss at their least happy of hunting grounds.

High-flying Forest, who are now unbeaten in 19 league games, started well, with skipper Paul McKenna going close before Earnshaw gave them the lead on 18 minutes.

Blackstock was pulled back on the edge of the box by Mikele Leigertwood and the Welsh international whipped the resulting free-kick beyond Ikeme.

Earnshaw doubled the home side's advantage just three minutes later, racing onto Paul Anderson's pass to score his second.

The dangerous Radoslaw Majewski brought a good stop from Ikeme and it was the Polish midfielder whose cross to Earnshaw brought about Forest's third goal just after the half-hour.

Kaspars Gorkss' challenge flattened Earnshaw and Blackstock stepped up to dispatch the spot-kick into the bottom corner.

Rangers had a brief glimmer of hope just after the interval, when Adel Taarabt set up debutant Nigel Quashie, but he fired straight at Lee Camp.

That hope was snuffed out almost immediately as Cohen strode into space and slammed a swerving drive past Ikeme to make it 4-0.

Damage limitation was now the Rs' focus and they might have pulled a goal back when Matt Connolly - who opened his account in their previous game at Blackpool - tested Camp with a powerful shot from the edge of the box.

But the visitors' miserable night - and their worst reverse since the 5-0 drubbing at Southend in 2007 - was completed 11 minutes from the end as they failed to clear their lines and Perch tapped home from close range.