QPR 1 Chelsea 0

Last updated : 23 October 2011 By Paul Lagan

An ill-disciplined Chelsea side were humbled by their west London neighbours 1-0 at Loftus Road this afternoon.

Two sendings off and seven other yellow cards were testament to how the Blues were knocked out of their stride by workmanlike but very determined QPR.

A penalty strike by Heidar Helguson after he was bundled over by David Luiz set the tone for the afternoon where red cards were shown to Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba.

But it was the visitors who started the brighter - Daniel Sturridge's snap shot from a Drogba pass from edge of area, was well wide of Paddy Kenny' goal after just one minute.

Two minutes later and a deft chipped free-kick by Frank Lampard almost found the in-running Luiz in the QPR area, but the Brazil centre-back failed to control it and the all went for a goal kick.

But it was the defender at the other end who on eight minutes appeared to shove Heidar Helguson in the back needlessly.

Referee Chris Foy pointed to the spot and Helguson himself took the kick, a smart right-footer which Petr Cech, diving to his left could only push the ball on its way into the top corner of the nest to give the home side the lead.

Adel Taarabt did not appear to like the idea of Helguson taking the ball off him to take the spot kick and the two had words with each other. Chelsea responded well and following a corner, Lampard flashed a trademark long drive high over Kenny's goal.

But it got worse for the visitors after 33 minutes when Foy judged that Bosingwa pulled down Shaun Wright-Phillips when both were racing towards the Chelsea area.

The Portugal right-back was shown the red card. Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas then sacrificed Sturridge to bring on Branislav Ivanovic.

This was Chelsea's third sending off this season. Which soon became number four, when five minutes before half-time, Chelsea striker Didier Drogba was shown a straight red for a two-footed tackle on Taarabt. Despite with only nine men,

Chelsea almost grabbed an equaliser a minute after the restart. Excellent build-up play saw, Nicolas Anelka pass to Raul Meireles on the right, the midfielder sent over a first-time cross which was met on the head by Lampard just inside the Rangers' area.

But the ball was deflected away from the goal for a corner.

QPR should have put the game beyond the Blues on 54 minutes when Taarabt put Luke Young free but his right-footer across Cech was wide of the Chelsea goal.

John Terry tried his arm at a long-range effort on 55 minutes but the ball went wide, much to the relief of the 18,053 inside Loftus Road but not the 3,036 Chelsea supporters.

Luke Young squandered another chance on 65 minutes when he was sent clear. But his cross was easily snuffed out by Cech.

Chelsea had a shout for a penalty a minutes later when Lampard took a tumble following a challenge by Fitz Hall, but ref Foy played on much to the frustration of the England midfielder.

And again, on 71 minutes, when following an Ivanovic throw in, Helguson appeard to tug at Luiz's shirt in the penalty area - the only result was a Meireles yellow card for arguing with the ref.

Helguson should have put the game to bed with 15 minutes remaining but he somehow saw his left-footed volley from six yards go over Cech's crossbar.

Anelka had a wonderful chance to level on 79 minutes when he missed a point-blank header from six yards out.

The ball went straight to Kenny but had Anelka headed the ball down it would have been a goal.

The Blues still posed the greater threat to goal and Luiz was desperately unlucky with eight minutes to go, to see his overhead kick deflected away from goal from the luckless Lampard who inadvertently in the way.

Chelsea were the architects of their own downfall and now slip further behind leaders Manchester City.