After 18 months of “semi-retirement”, Ian Holloway's QPR return started with chaos but ended with a win against Norwich City.

Holloway was warmly welcomed back to Loftus Road and his side swotted aside a poor Norwich side, who only flickered into life in the final 20 minutes.

Holloway said: “To get that welcome, I had to steady myself in the tunnel before I came out. I didn't want to come out there with a tear in my eye.

“I really need to just go and lie down now. Compared to what I was doing, semi-retired, that was about four months work this week. I feel like I've been on one of those rides at Disneyland and it's terrific.”

Norwich had conceded eight in their two previous games and their defensive frailties were instantly on show from Jack Robinson's long throw as Nedum Onuoha bundled the ball in, only for the referee to award a penalty.

That was probably an outcome neither side wanted, as Martin Olsson was sent-off for a goal-line handball and Tjaronn Chery drilled the spot kick wide.

Undeterred, Rangers went ahead through Conor Washington and Sebastian Polter. Norwich responded late with Steven Naismith's header, but were very poor for a side with promotion aspirations.

Holloway added: “I've never seen an incident like that so early on. Has he sent him off, has he not? Has he scored, has he not?

“After that I was delighted for a spell. The second goal was a wonderful run and a wonderful ball.

“That third goal was vital. When they scored it, we stopped passing, we stopped using that extra man and no matter what I was shouting at them, we kept going deeper.

“Things must have been happening here that affected everybody, but never mind that. What's the score, we'll move on.”

Because the game was effectively 11 versus ten whistle-to-whistle, it is hard to know how many of Norwich's failings were down to their numerical disadvantage, and how many were just ineptitude.

However, they were disordered by the long-throw with a full side and the opening goal's individual contests were all won by QPR, as Chery's corner was nodded back across the goal by Polter and Washington turned it in at the back post.

Alex Neil had defenders on the bench but had instead shuffled the greenhorn Robbie Brady to left-back.

For Rangers' second the gap between him and Sébastien Bassong was so wide that, not only did Polter have a clean run at goal, he could have slapped two stone lions down and parked his car between them.

Instead, he collected Chery's exquisite through-ball and slotted it under John Ruddy.

After the break, Norwich eventually recovered a foothold. Jacob Murphy, the only Canary to trouble QPR all afternoon, cut in from the left-wing and curled a beautiful shot against the crossbar from 30 yards out, and then his cross was glanced across Alex Smithies by Naismith, but that was about all Norwich had.

Neil said: “When you lose a man after less than 30 seconds, all the work that we've done all week goes out of the window.

“It then becomes difficult, but we should deal with the first goal better. Regardless of whether we've ten men or not, it was individual battles in the box. We lose the first header and don't pick up the man for the second.

“I didn't really see the red card. I've seen it again on video and I still can't really make it out. When you're on a bad run these things go against you and we're on a bad run at the moment. Certainly that decision in the first 30 seconds doesn't help us.”

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