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Football League Champions QPR ended the npower Championship campaign with defeat to Leeds United in front of a season's best crowd at Loftus Road.
On a day when R's skipper Adel Taarabt and the rest of the squad will collect Championship trophy, Rangers were unfortunate to be on the end of the 2-1 scoreline in front of the live BBC TV cameras.
Heidar Helguson Rangers in front after just 26 seconds, with Kasper Schmeichel unable to hold a Wayne Routledge drive.
But Leeds battled back in determined fashion to collect all three points and, after Max Gradel drew the visitors level in the 38th minute, Ross McCormack's deflected shot on 68 minutes stole the points for United.
The R's made two changes for the visit of Simon Grayson's Leeds to W12, with Clint Hill and Akos Buzsaky coming into the side at the expense of the injured Fitz Hall and Adel Taarabt.
With Paddy Kenny unable to shake off a shoulder injury sustained in the warm-up to last weekend's 2-0 win at Watford, Cerny kept his place in goal.
Bradley Orr, Matt Connolly, Kaspars Gorkss and Hill took up their places in Rangers' back four, behind defensive midfield duo Shaun Derry and Faurlin.
Routledge, Buzsaky and Tommy Smith were in attacking midfield.
Helguson led the QPR line up front.
Following an announcement from The FA prior to kick-off that QPR would not receive a points deduction over the transfer of Alejandro Faurlin in 2009, Loftus Road was a sea of blue and white, with R's fans waiving flags as they prepared to welcome their Champions.
It was quite something to behold, as was the roar from the Rangers faithful when QPR entered the field of play - graciously, it must be said, to a guard of honour from the Leeds players.
The R's took the lead after just 26 seconds.
Hill and Smith exchanged passes, before the latter squared the ball to Buzsaky in the box.
The Magical Magyar's stinging low drive was too hot for Schmeichel to handle and, when the ball fell into the path of Helguson from six-yards out, he made no mistake to tap home into an empty net.
'One nil to the Champions' bellowed out from the Loftus Road terraces - and the party was now in full flow.
The R's went close on 10 minutes. Faurlin opened his body from 25 yards before unleashing a rasping shot that forced a smart stop from Schmeichel, who tipped the ball wide.
Rangers had a certain swagger about their play and, on the half-hour mark, they could - and probably should - have extended their advantage.
Routledge's ferocious 30-yard drive was blocked by Schmeichel into the path of an unmarked Helguson from 12 yards, but the Icelandic striker was unable to react in quick enough time, miscontrolling before the ball fell back into the path of the keeper.
Moments later and the R's again went close, with Smith heading Buzsaky's corner from the right just over the bar from 10-yards out.
The visitors grabbed an unlikely equaliser seven minutes before the break.
Richard Naylor's long ball bounced in between Hill and Cerny and, as the Rangers shot-stopper rushed out of his goal to clear, Gradel nipped in to lob the onrushing keeper with an effort that looped into the back of the net.
There was little to separate the two sides in the opening ten minutes of the second period.
The R's had the first opportunity to note, with Buzsaky's bullet effort from 25 yards well held by Schmeichel.
Rangers fans had their first thing of the half to shout about in the 55th minute, with Taarabt introduced at the expense of Buzsaky to a rapturous reception from the QPR faithful.
Soon after, it was from the Moroccan Magician's corner that the R's went close.
Taarabt's centre cannoned off a whole host of bodies before the ball eventually fell into the path of Smith, whose header forced a fine fingertip save from Schmeichel.
Rangers found themselves behind on 68 minutes.
McCormack drove into the R's penalty area and unleashed a shot that took an unfortunate deflection off the newly-introduced Ramage, before the ball looped into the net past a stranded Cerny.
Warnock decided to freshen things up in attack in the 72th minute, bringing on Danny Shittu to replace Helguson - before throwing the big defender straight up top!
And it almost paid dividends, with Shittu getting on the end of a ball over the top of the Leeds defence before producing a weak effort - albeit from an acute angle - that was comfortably gathered by Schmeichel.
Derry went close with an effort close soon after, brushing aside one man down the right before his shot from 10 yards was blocked by Schmeichel, before the ball cannoned back off the R's midfield man for a goal kick.
QPR had their chances to claim a point - namely when, after an intricate Rangers move, Routledge put Smith through on goal down the left, who forced a smart block from Schmeichel.
And, from the resultant corner, the R's again went close, with Gorkss nodding Taarabt's corner just wide of the right-hand post.
The match ended in defeat for Warnock's troops, but it doesn't change the fact that Rangers will be strutting their stuff in the top-flight next term - and what an unforgettable season it really has been for the R's.
QPR: Cerny, Orr, Hill (Ramage 66), Derry, Helguson (Shittu 72), Buzsaky (Taarabt 55), Faurlin, Gorkss, Routledge, Connolly, Smith.
Subs: Putnins, Agyemang, Vaagan-Moen, Ephraim.
Goals: Helguson (1)
Bookings: Taarabt (73)
Leeds United: Schmeichel, Connolly, Naylor (Kisnorbo 80), Gradel (Watt 86), Kilkenny, Paynter, Howson, Johnson, Lichaj, O'Brien, McCormack.
Subs: Higgs, Bruce, Livermore, Bromby, Somma.
Goals: Gradel (38), McCormack (68)
Referee: Mr M Clattenburg
Attendance: 18,234 (1792)
www.qpr.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10373~52575,00.html
