Cody Drameh and Liam Millar scored their first Hull City goals as the Tigers secured a third successive victory by beating Queens Park Rangers.
Drameh’s sweet strike and Chris Bedia’s tap-in put the visitors two goals ahead before Nicolas Madsen’s emphatic penalty halved the deficit before half-time.
Millar restored the two-goal cushion with 19 minutes remaining – the Tigers’ 10th effort in three matches.
Xavier Simons, Kasey Palmer and Millar were recalled for the midweek trip to the capital, with Óscar Zambrano, Marvin Mehlem and Abdüş Ömür dropping to the bench.
Sean McLoughlin was making his 100th league appearance in City colours, while Hoops boss Martí Cifuentes was celebrating signing a new long-term contract 24 hours earlier.
Kick-off was delayed due to an issue with the net and only the heroics of Ivor Pandur prevented QPR from scoring in the same goal as Rangers laid siege in the opening exchanges.
Sam Field’s crisp 20-yard volley was parried by the Croatian custodian, who reacted sharply and spread himself superbly to block Lucas Anderson’s follow-up header at his near post.
Koki Saito slalomed into Tigers territory, gliding across the 18-yard line and angling a right-footed drive towards the bottom corner, only to be repelled by the right palm of Pandur.
Jimmy Dunne’s speculative half-volley was watched wide as City came through the opening seven-minute onslaught unscathed.
Palmer passed up an opening when powering over the top with options around him and Anderson’s attempt, after twisting and turning to create an angle, found a similar fate.
Somewhat out of the blue, City went ahead on 25 minutes when a short corner broke for Drameh 20 yards out to arrow the sweetest of strikes unerringly into the bottom corner.
The Tigers made it two 11 minutes later after tenacious play from Simons and Drameh allowed Coyle to cross low for Bedia, left alone in the area, to apply the simplest of finishes.
QPR were given a lifeline a minute before the break when Coyle was penalised for handball from Anderson’s free-kick and Madsen rifled an unstoppable penalty in off the bar.
Possession
52%Shots
15Shots On Target
6Corners
6Fouls
111
0
Cards
3
0
Saito showcased his skills at the start of the second half, standing up a cross that Žan Celar glanced wide before skipping infield and bending a shot against the outside of the post.
Tim Walter reacted to the home pressure by bringing on Zambrano and Mehlem for Slater and Palmer in a double change before the hour.
A couple of City chances followed as first Millar manoeuvred down the left before his deflected cross from the byline was nodded over by Mohamed Belloumi with keeper Paul Nardi stranded.
The shot-stopper was a spectator again as Zambrano set his sights from the edge of the box but his drive rolled inches past the post.
The third goal City had been threatening arrived on 71 minutes when Millar drove infield and his first shot was blocked but his second wrong-footed Nardi and nestled in the bottom corner.
There could have been a fourth but Coyle’s delightful centre was headed agonisingly wide by Simons from close range and Belloumi’s effort from Millar’s outside-of-the-boot cross was blocked brilliantly by Nardi.
Belloumi again and substitute Mason Burstow were thwarted by Nardi in added time, with Ryan Giles and Ömür also entering the fray in the final stages on a successful night.
Attendance: 13,407 (678 Hull City supporters).
QPR: Nardi, Hevertton Santos, Cook, Dunne, Paal, Field, Madsen (Lloyd 83'), Dembélé (Chair 74'), Andersen (Smyth 65'), Saito (Dixon-Bonner 83'), Frey (Celar 45')
Subs: Walsh, Fox, Ashby, Bennie.
Hull City: Pandur, Coyle, Jones, McLoughlin, Drameh, Slater (Zambrano 58'), Simons, Palmer (Mehlem 58'), Belloumi (Ömür 93'), Bedia (Burstow 86'), Millar (Giles 93')
Subs: Burns, Alzate, Rushworth, Kamara.
Watch extended highlights of QPR 1-3 Hull City on Tigers+
