Hull City 1 QPR 2: Joe Gelhardt beauty is the major highlight as Tigers' homesickness continues in Championship loss

The blast of warmth on a cold January night was afforded the latter. For the hosts, a beauty late on from debutant Joe Gelhardt was as good as it got, in another ultimately disappointing occasion in East Yorkshire sadly.

It was a night when City's deficiencies at both ends of the pitch were there to see, aside from Gelhardt’s one piece of delectable quality - a superb lob from 20 yards to set up a frantic finish - in his maiden Tigers start.

The Leeds United loanee previously appeared from the off in a Championship game back in August 2023.

After competing well enough in the first period, City lacked ruthlessness to take advantage on the restart and QPR made them pay with strikes midway through the half from Kenneth Paal and substitute Koki Saito, whose effort was a cracker.

You have to go back to late September for the last time Hull won two games in a row.

Autumn - and most of the first half of the campaign - was hard for Rangers, but since succumbing at Elland Road in November, they have lost just once in 13 league matches. They are now spying a play-off push as opposed to the relegation fight Hull are in.

On a night when two more signings were reportedly watching on from the stands in Lincoln Henrique and Eliot Matazo to follow on from the capture of Kyle Joseph, City again drew a blank at home. They have used several more players at league level this term than they have points on the board in late January and that is not a good sign.

Alongside Gelhardt, it was also a milestone evening for Harry Vaughan.

You had to go back to April 2023 for his previous league start on home soil for the Tigers.

A weaving run which ended in QPR keeper Paul Nardi being forced to make an alert save at his near-post in the nick of time to keep out his effort provided a first-half highlight for Hull, whose supporters were quick to name-check Vaughan in the opening 45 minutes - a clear sign that they approved of the decision to go with him.

Paul Smyth was the chief instigator of trouble for Hull down Rangers’ right from the visiting perspective on a night when keeper Carl Rushworth was not entirely convincing, but in truth, there was little goalmouth incident in the first half.

Vaughan had his moments out wide in fairness - and his link-up with Gustavo Puerta was encouraging enough - but Gelhardt was a little quieter on the opposing flank.

Hull were lively enough early on, but some loose play enabled QPR to afford themselves a toehold in the game and he went close twice in quick succession through an unlikely source in ex-Sheffield Wednesday defender Morgan Fox.

His crisp low shot deflected just wide and soon after, his glancing header got a touch off a City player and clipped the post.

Vaughan’s vim continued on the restart, but Gelhardt plainly needed something to open up. It almost did, but he waited a split-second and the chance was blocked, with Regan Slater latching onto the loose ball and firing just wide.

Not long after, Gelhardt headed over after Nardi failed to deal with a corner.

At the other end, City then survived a big scare when Rushworth saved at point-blank save to deny Smyth with Kieran Morgan’s follow-up flying into the side-netting.

Shortly after, the hosts weren’t so fortunate.

tThe hosts were caught on their left and the ball broke in the box for Paal. After Alfie Jones made an excellent block on the line, the Rangers man stayed alive to the loose ball and converted at the second attempt amid consernation, with Alzate failing to clear.

Soon after, Matt Crooks and Mason Burstow were called for, but it soon got significantly worse.

Brilliance from Saito totally bamboozled Drameh and he applied the coup de grace with a stunning shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle.

Gelhardt made it interesting out of nothing really, but the R’s held out.

Hull City: Rushworth; Drameh, Burns (Jacob 82), Jones, McLoughlin, Slater, Alzate, Puerta (Crooks 68); Gelhardt Joao Pedro, Vaughan (Burstow 68). Substitutes unused: Pandur, Simons, Smith, Amrabat, R Coyle, Myers.

QPR: Nardi; Dunne, Edwards, Fox, Paal; Varane, Field; Smyth (Ashby 75 (Colback 92), Morgan (Madsen 75), Chair (Saito 57); Kolli (Lloyd 56). Substitutes unused: Walsh, Colback, Frey, Dizon-Bonner, Bennie.

Referee: B Speedie (Merseyside).

Attendance: 19,280