QPR won away from home thanks to goals in each half from Luke Freeman and Ebere Eze.

Brent & Kilburn Times: Queens Park Rangers' Luke Freeman clears under pressure from Bristol City's Jack Hunt (pic: John Walton/PA)Queens Park Rangers' Luke Freeman clears under pressure from Bristol City's Jack Hunt (pic: John Walton/PA) (Image: PA Wire/PA Images)

Although the home side hit back through Josh Magennis, Steve McClaren’s men returned to west London with all three points.

Rs made a bright start, with Nakhi Wells almost connecting with a cross and then heading a chance into the side netting, before Sammy Ameobi nodded wide of Joe Lumley’s goal from 10 yards at the other end.

Bolton’s Craig Noone booked for a foul on Eze on 14 minutes, with the young Rs striker sending the ball high over Ben Alnwick’s crossbar midway through the half, following a good run and cutback from Wells.

But Rs opened the scoring on 26 minutes after a fine flowing move, as the onrushing Freeman sidefooted home from close range following some good interplay between Wells and Eze in the build-up.

Bolton made a substitution on 35 minutes as Ameobi made way for Yanic Wildschut and went close to levelling in the last minute of the first half as Noone fired a superb chance wide from 10 yards,

The opening stages of the second half was largely non-eventful, but Bolton went close on 55 minutes as David Wheater headed narrowly over from a corner.

Rs doubled their lead moments later, however, as Freeman and Tomer Hemed combined well and the ball dropped for Eze, who beat his marker and smashed past Alnwick.

But Bolton halved the deficit with 21 minutes remaining when substitute Magennis won a free-kick on the edge of the box and then fired it through the hands of Lumley.

Hemed made way for Geoff Cameron soon after as Steve McClaren made his first change of the day and Wells fired a free-kick into the defensive wall on 76 minutes.

Lumley tipped a long-range shot from Pawel Plowski over the crossbar for a corner with nine minutes remaining, as Rs came under pressure and sent Josh Scowen on for Freeman in a defensive change to protect their lead.

And the visitors needed a great save low down from Lumley on 85 minutes to keep out a deflected shot from Christian Doidge, before Wheater headed wide from a corner in the last minute of normal time.

QPR: Lumley, Rangel, Leistner, Lynch, Bidwell, Cousins, Luongo, Freeman (Scowen 83), Eze, Wells (Smith 87), Hemed (Cameron 73).

Unused subs: Ingram, Baptiste, Osayi-Samuel, Wszolek.