QPR boss Mark Warburton was pleased with his side’s tenacious 4-2 win against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, turning around a “tough” run of form and salvaging a turgid first half at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

The Hoops hadn’t beaten Rovers since 1999 and were feeling more recent pressures after a 3-0 midweek loss to Cardiff — despite holding 72 per cent of the possession — and a 0-2 defeat to West Brom.

But, with a goal in the first half from striker Nakhi Wells and from Eberechi Eze, Bright Osayi-Samuel and substitute Jordan Hugill in the second, Warburton was gratified that his side had remained positive after recent woes.

After the match he gave his players all the credit for their turnaround, saying: “They’re doing all that [themselves]. They’re working hard every day.”

He said: “We respected Blackburn, they have a very good team with Downing, Graham, Armstrong’s pace on the flanks and width … They do what they do very well, so we contained them, grew into the game and we deserved the victory.”

Despite the win Warburton lamented his team’s inability to keep a clean sheet, still the only club in the Championship besides Luton without one this season, but joked: “If we win 4-2 every game, from now until May 2, I’ll buy you as many beers as you want.”

The game quickly settled into a less than scintillating pattern after the whistle. Blackburn’s attacking force of Dack, Rothwell, Graham and Armstrong — the latter a bright spot throughout his 200th club appearance — was repeatedly frustrated by a physical Hoops defence led by towering captain Toni Leistner.

With neither keeper particularly troubled after 30 minutes, QPR opened their account as Osayi-Samuel headed Ryan Manning’s cross to Burnley loanee Wells, who easily slammed in his sixth league goal of the season.

Mowbray dragged off Graham at the half for recent midfield signing Lewis Holtby, later saying he’d hoped to “give [QPR] some more problems” for fear of a cagey 1-0 affair.

But Blackburn’s marauding wing-backs Elliott Bennett and Amari’i Bell opened up plenty of wide space for Wells and the talented Eberechi Eze, who had a penalty shout moments after the second half resumed before he scored a tap-in to make it 2-0.

Rovers thought they’d pulled one back with 55 minutes gone as Derrick Williams connected with a Holtby cross, but were denied by the linesman for offside. Dack kept Rovers’ hopes alive though, jockeying into the QPR box and drawing Yoann Barbet who clattered into him from behind — slotting the resulting penalty bottom right.

But QPR all but sealed three points just five minutes later as Osayi-Samuel scored his second of the match, cooly turning on the ball and converting after Josh Scowen drove through the Rovers midfield.

He was brought straight off to rapturous applause for West Ham loanee Mark Hugill, who consistently showed up Rovers down the left wing. The substitute barely pushed one wide after a solo run on Christian Walton before heading home an outstanding Ryan Manning cross to make it 4-1.

Rovers took a late consolation as Bennett drilled a low cross into the centre of the box for Adam Armstrong, who deserved his 50th club goal after bearing the lion’s share of Blackburn’s attack.

After the match Rovers boss Tony Mowbray credited QPR’s discipline but rued his side’s missed opportunities.

He said of QPR: “They’re good at what they do. They sit lots of men behind the ball and then they break and today, when we exposed our defenders we got found out a little bit …”

“We scored two, could have had a few more I think, but ultimately you can’t lose the goals that we did and that’s what cost us the game.”