Queens Park Rangers 1 Leeds United 3: Roofe fronts up with hat-trick in Leeds win

Former Oxford United striker Roofe bagged the second treble of his Whites career to take his seasonal tally to nine and make him United’s joint-top scorer for the current campaign with No 10 Samu Saiz.

Yet the 24-year-old was only moved into the lone striker role in the 38th minute when Caleb Ekuban limped off with a foot injury allowing Roofe to be switched from out wide to up front.

Roofe has always maintained that his best position is striker and head coach Thomas Christiansen is now likely to be without Ekuban for the immediate future.

Ekuban had only recently returned after breaking a bone in his foot during August’s 2-0 win at Sunderland and Christiansen fears the Italian has suffered the same injury.

Hamburg loanee striker Pierre-Michel Lasogga is currently sidelined with a calf injury, but could return to the squad for next Saturday’s clash with Norwich City at Elland Road.

Roofe, though, advertised his claims to stay up front in no uncertain terms at Loftus Road, but the forward said he would not be knocking on Christiansen’s door demanding to start there.

“It doesn’t work like that,” said Roofe. “I just keep my head down and keep working. Hopefully I’ve shown people that that’s my preferred position, but obviously wherever I get put I’m going to give 100 per cent. It’s another hat-trick ball for my mantelpiece at home to look at every day, but the main thing is the three points. I was happy with the one goal as long as we got the points.”

Roofe’s neat looping header from a Gjanni Alioski cross handed United a 63rd-minute lead and the striker doubled United’s advantage five minutes later following another fine delivery from Pawel Cibicki.

But a mistake from Whites goalkeeper Felix Wiedwald then set up a tense five minutes of added time as the German allowed a seemingly harmless delivery from Pawel Wszolek to bounce over his head and over the line. He immediately responded by producing a terrific save from Idrissa Sylla and Roofe then settled the contest once and for all when slamming home from Saiz’s pass in the final minute of added time.

The win put Leeds seventh and four points off the play-off places.

Asked how he felt after Wiedwald’s error, Roofe said: “We’re in it as a team and we still won the game.”

Queens Park Rangers: Smithies, Wszolek, Onuoha, Robinson, Bidwell (Sylla 71), Freeman, Luongo, Scowen (Hall 77), Chair (Osayi-Samuel 64), Smith, Washington. Unused substitutes: Lumley, Cousins, Manning, Wheeler, Sylla.

Leeds United: Wiedwald, Ayling, Cooper, Jansson, Berardi, Phillips, Vieira (Pennington 80), Alioski (O’Kane 70), Saiz, Roofe, Ekuban (Cibicki 38). Unused substitutes: Lonergan, Shaughnessy, Borthwick-Jackson, Anita.

Referee: Christopher Kavanagh.