Steve McClaren said it would have been a "travesty" if his team hadn’t beaten Middlesbrough despite the odds favouring his old club. 

QPR had conceded three goals in their last three meetings with the promotion hopefuls and lost the last four league encounters. 

The Teesiders were also unbeaten in their last six matches away from home and the Rs were without a win in four but the omens proved to be inconsequential in the end. 

Nakhi Wells’ well-timed finish proved to be the decisive goal in Rangers’ 2-1 win and moved them up into 13th. 

"We deserved to win on the basis of the chances we created and the way we defended. It would have been a travesty had we not won, said McClaren. 

"We showed great determination, could have scored more goals and defended resolutely right to the end.

"We had chances to score more. It was a great performance by all the players. We had to defend for our lives. Some of our football, in a tooth-and-nail game, was very good.

"This team never says die. It comes back and, after our second goal, we had something to hang on to. We needed this win. The three points are a big bonus for us.”

Rangers went in front early on in the first-half thanks to winger Pawel Wszolek’s close-range finish and dominated Boro until the break. 

For all their good play, the Rs found themselves level just after the restart after George Saville lashed a volley past Joe Lumley from the edge of the box. 

Boro weren’t level for long however as Wszolek turned provider on the hour mark and set Wells up nicely to cut inside from the right and steer the ball home with his left foot. 

Wszolek might have thought twice after another opportunity saw him smash the ball wide when a pass to an unmarked Wells would have been the better option. 

McClaren’s side held on for the win which moves them up into 13th and level on points with 10th placed Birmingham City.