Match ends, Queens Park Rangers 0, West Bromwich Albion 2.
West Brom boss Slaven Bilic compared teenage defender Nathan Ferguson to England international Declan Rice after his goal helped the Baggies beat QPR and go top of the Championship.
Ferguson, 18, was given time to stride forward and beat Joe Lumley with a speculative 30-yard shot for his first senior goal, with Matheus Pereira's free-kick putting the game beyond the hosts, who had Yoann Barbet sent off for bringing down Hal Robson-Kanu.
"Nathan has a mentality that reminds me of Declan Rice," said Bilic, who managed the midfielder at West Ham.
He told BBC WM: "He's only 18 on paper, but his mind is 25 or 27 - he's not a kid. He's only a kid in a positive way in that he's not afraid to take the ball forward and have a shot.
"It's our job to keep him humble but there's no doubt that he has an extremely bright future and a great career in front of him."
The Baggies came to life after shading a forgettable first half, with QPR keeper Lumley atoning for Ferguson's opener by thwarting Charlie Austin, Grady Diangana and Kyle Edwards as the visitors asserted their dominance.
But Slaven Bilic's side were out of sight as Pereira's free-kick went through a powderpuff QPR wall and in.
"This is the best performance that we played so far. Straight from the start we were on the front foot. They didn't have a sniff," Bilic said.
"We were a bit nervous - we were getting in great situations but were rushing it.
"In those situations you maybe need one moment of individual brilliance and we got that with Nathan. We were pure class afterwards."
Mark Warburton's Rangers had been looking to secure five consecutive league wins for the first time since 2004, but failed to even register a shot on target, with Ilias Chair wasteful in the first half after beating two players in the box and Jordan Hugill heading over late on.
In fact, Ferguson's opener was the game's first meaningful effort, with the R's defence backing off the impressive young full-back, whose effort should arguably have been stopped by the diving Lumley.
Substitute Robson-Kanu was in on goal when Barbet tangled with him and was dismissed, with Brazilian midfielder Pereira joining 18-year-old Ferguson in scoring his first goal for the Baggies.
The margin of victory would have been wider had the overworked Lumley not been able to claw away former Wales striker Robson-Kanu's header late on.
QPR boss Mark Warburton:
"I think we showed too much respect. They're a very good team, a talented team with big expectations and we knew what we faced, but we didn't get out of second gear in the first half.
"We started the second half well and then conceded a really soft goal. To concede a goal like that, the whole dynamic of the game changes.
"Maybe their budget is multiples of ours and the expectations are there, but we've shown in recent weeks that we can go home and away and play good football and hurt teams."
Line-ups
QPR
Formation 5-3-2
- 1Lumley
- 2Kane
- 5CameronBooked at 22mins
- 37Leistner
- 29BarbetBooked at 82mins
- 14Manning
- 10EzeSubstituted forOsayi-Samuelat 70'minutes
- 12BallSubstituted forSmithat 85'minutes
- 19Chair
- 9Hugill
- 21WellsSubstituted forPughat 77'minutes
Substitutes
- 3Wallace
- 6Smith
- 7Pugh
- 11Scowen
- 20Osayi-Samuel
- 23Masterson
- 32Kelly
West Brom
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Johnstone
- 2FurlongBooked at 16mins
- 6Ajayi
- 5Bartley
- 36Ferguson
- 8Livermore
- 19Sawyers
- 10PhillipsSubstituted forEdwardsat 71'minutes
- 12Costa PereiraSubstituted forKrovinovicat 87'minutes
- 29Diangana
- 15AustinSubstituted forRobson-Kanuat 61'minutesBooked at 89mins
Substitutes
- 3Gibbs
- 4Robson-Kanu
- 7Krovinovic
- 9Zohore
- 21Edwards
- 23Bond
- 27O'Shea
- Referee:
- Geoff Eltringham
- Attendance:
- 13,959
Match Stats
- Possession
- Home46%
- Away54%
- Shots
- Home5
- Away15
- Shots on Target
- Home0
- Away7
- Corners
- Home4
- Away6
- Fouls
- Home21
- Away10
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Queens Park Rangers 0, West Bromwich Albion 2.
Post update
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Joe Lumley.
Post update
Attempt saved. Kyle Edwards (West Bromwich Albion) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Darnell Furlong with a cross.
Post update
Darnell Furlong (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Ryan Manning (Queens Park Rangers).
Booking
Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) is shown the yellow card.
Post update
Offside, West Bromwich Albion. Filip Krovinovic tries a through ball, but Hal Robson-Kanu is caught offside.
Post update
Attempt missed. Jordan Hugill (Queens Park Rangers) header from the centre of the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Ryan Manning with a cross.
Substitution
Substitution, West Bromwich Albion. Filip Krovinovic replaces Matheus Pereira.
Post update
Attempt saved. Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Darnell Furlong with a cross.
Post update
Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Post update
Foul by Ryan Manning (Queens Park Rangers).
Substitution
Substitution, Queens Park Rangers. Matthew Smith replaces Dominic Ball.
Goal!
Goal! Queens Park Rangers 0, West Bromwich Albion 2. Matheus Pereira (West Bromwich Albion) from a free kick with a left footed shot to the bottom right corner.
Dismissal
Yoann Barbet (Queens Park Rangers) is shown the red card.
Post update
Hal Robson-Kanu (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Yoann Barbet (Queens Park Rangers).
Post update
Foul by Jake Livermore (West Bromwich Albion).
Post update
Toni Leistner (Queens Park Rangers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.