Danny Simpson believes QPR’s 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough at Loftus Road on Saturday afternoon was Rangers’ best performance of the season so far.

Joey Barton and Charlie Austin scored the first-half goals which led to a comfortable win over Tony Mowbray’s side and kept Harry Redknapp’s team at the top of the table.

It was also QPR’s seventh consecutive clean sheet in the league, with goalkeeper Rob Green equalling the record for consecutive shut-outs set by Peter Springett in 1967.

And right-back Simpson said Redknapp’s side are beginning to play with the shackles off as their promotion challenge gathers an ominous momentum.

“I think that was probably our best performance of the season,” said Simpson. “We have been on an unbeaten run but today we played some great football, with some one and two-touch stuff in the middle of the park and we controlled the game.

“That’s what the manager has asked all season but today it clicked. We have great footballers in the team and today we showed that if we play the way we can then we will control the game against any team. We were having a lot of fun out there.

“Everyone was playing with a smile on their face but at the same time we were working really hard off the ball.”

Simpson was impressive going forward from right-back, with the former Newcastle man racking up the miles with his overlapping runs on the wing.

“I do check my stats, we get them on a Monday morning,” he added. “The manager said I ran some miles today so I’ll have a look on Monday. That’s what I’m in the team to do. Gary [O’Neil] is more of a central midfielder so he tucks in and I can overlap.”