Middlesbrough 2 QPR 3

Willock’s 76th-minute strike settled a hugely entertaining, if chaotic, encounter, that saw Boro establish a deserved lead against 11 men, only to collapse dramatically when their opponents were left at a man disadvantage following Moses Odubajo’s dismissal for two fouls on the impressive Isaiah Jones.

Odubajo’s red card came just two minutes after Jonny Howson’s somewhat unfortunate own goal had cancelled out Uche Ikpeazu’s early opener from the penalty spot, but also came just six minutes before QPR claimed the lead for the first time thanks to a Lyndon Dykes goal that was largely the result of some poor goalkeeping from Joe Lumley.

Even then, Boro looked the likeliest winners when Matt Crooks rifled a fine finish into the roof of the net to make it 2-2, but having danced his way through the opposition defence on countless occasions previously, Willock clearly had other ideas.

With brother Joe watching on from the stands, 23-year-old Chris, another product of Arsenal’s academy, received the ball from Stefan Johansen and rolled a low finish past Lumley’s right hand.

Even ten minutes of injury time were insufficient to enable Boro to mount another comeback, so Neil Warnock was left to rue his side’s defensive indiscipline. Even at this early stage of the season, it felt like a potential three points that had definitely got away.

Not, however, that it had looked that way early on. Boro were playing their second home game in the space of five days, and having finished Saturday’s 2-1 win over Bristol City with the wind in their sails, Warnock’s side picked up where they had left off in the early stages of last night’s game.

Just six minutes had gone when they were rattling the woodwork, with Djed Spence teeing up Howson for a 20-yard drive that ricocheted off the base of the left-hand post. Jones fired in a follow-up effort that was blocked by Jordy de Wijs on the line, but while Crooks was unable to bundle home a second rebound, the danger to the QPR defence had not disappeared.

Ikpeazu nodded the ball goalwards after the visitors failed to deal with the resultant corner, and as Dael Fry prepared to head in from the corner of the six-yard box, he was hauled away from the ball by a tug from Dykes.

Referee Stephen Martin immediately pointed to the penalty spot, and having opened his Boro account at the weekend, Ikpeazu drilled a powerful shot down the middle to make it two goals in three league games since his summer move from Wycombe Wanderers. So much for Boro’s stats team telling Warnock that the 26-year-old does not score.

Ikpeazu was a thorn in the side of the QPR backline throughout the first half in particular, throwing himself into a series of physical challenges with an undisguised relish, but also providing moments of more unexpected finesse in and around the 18-yard box.

With Jones, unquestionably the find of the summer following last season’s loan spell at Scottish side Queen of the South, tearing up and down the left-hand side and the equally energetic Spence patrolling the opposite flank, Boro created a number of opportunities to extend their advantage.

Grant Hall, playing against his former employers, headed wide at the back post after Paddy McNair floated a corner into the six-yard box, and Ikpeazu drilled a low shot straight at QPR goalkeeper Seny Dieng on the stroke of half-time after stepping inside his marker.

QPR’s attacking threat was initially more limited, although with Ilias Chair pulling the strings in his free midfield role, the visitors could never be completely discounted.

That they failed to seriously test their former goalkeeper Lumley before the interval was largely due to the impressive defensive-midfield work carried out by Howson, who never seems to have a bad game, and McNair, who as Warnock so rightly says should surely be playing in the top-flight.

Dykes hooked a 13th-minute volley into Lumley’s midriff after Willock crossed from the left, but the visitors’ only other first-half effort of note came shortly after the half-hour mark and saw Chair create a pocket of space on the edge of the area before firing in a strike that was parried away.

Boro deserved their half-time lead, but it disappeared within three minutes of the restart as Howson’s own goal sparked a chaotic eight-minute spell that featured two QPR goals and a red card for the visitors.

Howson was unfortunate to fire the Londoners level, sliding towards his own goal in a desperate attempt to prevent Lee Wallace’s low cross from reaching Dykes, but only succeeding in diverting the ball past a helpless Lumley.

QPR’s joy was shortlived as just two minutes after achieving parity, Mark Warburton’s side were reduced to ten men.

Odubajo had been booked in the first half for chopping down Jones, but the QPR wing-back clearly hadn’t learned his lesson as he received a deserved second booking for an even more cynical foul on the Boro winger. Odubajo clearly bundled Jones over as he broke towards the 18-yard box, and his dismissal was fully warranted.

His departure should have been the cue for Boro to pour forward in an attempt to reclaim their lead, but instead, the hosts found themselves behind just six minutes after they had been handed a numerical superiority.

Willock released Dykes into the right-hand side of the area, but with Dael Fry forcing him out wide, the Scotland international looked to have little chance of scoring when he fired in a shot from an extremely acute angle.

Lumley should almost certainly have kept the ball out, but the summer signing was left frustrated as Dykes’ shot squirmed through him and ended up in the back of the net.

Suddenly, the game was see-sawing from one end to the other, and with all semblance of defensive organization having been abandoned by both teams, Boro levelled with 18 minutes remaining.

Jones’ belligerence saw him twice win the ball back from close to the byline, and after he rolled the ball into Crooks’ path, the summer signing from Rotherham rifled a superb strike into the roof of the net. Like Ikpeazu, Crooks was claiming his second goal in the space of two games and silencing the critics who had questioned the wisdom of his signing.

Surely, having restored parity, Boro would kick on against ten men? Not quite. Instead, their defence parted once again as they conceded a third goal just four minutes after Crooks’ strike.

It was another poor goal from a defensive point of view, with Fry standing off Willock and inviting the QPR forward to roll in a shot from inside the area.

Even then Lumley should arguably have saved, but the ball curled beyond his right hand.