Flashback 10 Year today...QPR come from behind to beat Liverpool 3-2 with a last minute winner
The Match Reports
qprreport.blogspot.com/2012/03/end-is-nigh-maybe-not-compilation-of.htmlJacob Murtagh/Chronicle - Hughes urges QPR to build on Liverpool win
MARK Hughes reckons QPR's dramatic victory over Liverpool could be a defining moment in their season.
Jamie Mackie's injury-time winner saw Rangers recover from 2-0 down to earn the points and climb out of the relegation zone.
And boss Hughes has urged his troops to build on their shock success.
He said: “It’s huge in terms of the belief and what we can take out of it.
“It could be a defining moment – we have to make sure it is. You hope for nights like this when things go for you. It’s a great night for everybody.
“It was important to get a goal back and from that point we sensed the build-up of momentum. The fans were fantastic – they sensed what was happening.
“I think everyone senses the emotion and the significance of this result. Hopefully people will look back and say ‘That night was the turning point’.” Fulham Chronicle
Jacob Murtagh/Chronicle
QPR boss defends Joey Barton after midfielder targeted by boo-boys
MARK Hughes leapt to the defence of skipper Joey Barton after he was booed off during QPR's 3-2 victory over Liverpool.
The midfielder was substituted just after the hour mark after a dismal display with the Rs trailing 1-0 at Loftus Road.
His replacement, Jamie Mackie, went on to score an injury-time winner to complete a stunning comeback for the hosts.
But boss Hughes insists his captain won't be affected by the tough treatment from his own fans.
He said: “Joey wasn't having the best of times. It wasn't happening for him so I decided to take him off.
“There might have been a few who felt the need to boo him.
“But he's strong and won't let it affect him. He's a big part of what we're doing.” Fulham Chronicle
Dave McIntyre/West London Sport
QPR manager Hughes defends Barton
Manager Mark Hughes defended Joey Barton after the controversial midfielder was booed off by the home fans during QPR’s win against Liverpool.
Barton’s stock among the Loftus Road faithful has been steadily declining in recent weeks and he was barracked as he was substituted with Rangers trailing and seemingly destined for another defeat.
They fought back after Barton’s withdrawal and his replacement Jamie Mackie netted a dramatic late winner.
“Joey wasn’t having the best of times and a few maybe felt the need to boo him,” said Hughes.
“He’s very strong and it won’t affect him. He’ll play a big part in what we’re trying to do for the rest of the season. Tonight just wasn’t his night.
“Jamie when he comes on always gives you huge energy and I felt we needed that momentum.
“In fairness to Joey he’ll always want the ball and doesn’t hide. It just wasn’t happening for him.”
Hughes also revealed that Armand Traore, who was taken off at half-time, has a hamstring problem which does not look serious and will be assessed on Thursday. West London Sport
QPR OFFICIAL SITE - HUGHES: 'A GREAT NIGHT'
Posted on: Thu 22 Mar 2012
Mark Hughes heaped praise on his comeback kings, as Jamie Mackie's 90th minute strike sealed a remarkable 3-2 victory against Liverpool.
Trailing 2-0 to goals from Sebastian Coates and Dirk Kuyt, Rangers stunned the Carling Cup winners with three goals in a 13 minute purple patch.
Shaun Derry (77) started the comeback with his first goal in QPR colours, before Djibril Cisse drew the R's level four minutes from time.
Mackie - a replacement for Joey Barton early in the second half - completed the comeback at the death, to life the roof off Loftus Road.
Speaking exclusively to
www.qpr.co.uk, Hughes said: "It's a great night for us.
"It's just the beginning for us. We know there are huge challenges that lie ahead, but this will give us an incredible lift."
He added: "At 2-0 down against a very accomplished side you think the game is beyond you.
"I thought their goal came against the run of play, so we made a few changes and thankfully it worked out for us.
"We had huge performances all over the pitch.
"The first goal from Shaun gave us incredible belief.
"He epitomised everything we were about in the comeback.
"I thought he was outstanding and really understood what we wanted him to do.
"Jamie always gives you everything and he did that when he came on. He kept a clear head for the goal, but in fairness to him, he's a top finisher, so I expected him to score and thankfully we did."
Hughes continued: "Each and every player gave me everything - Paddy made some outstanding saves at key times and he deserves huge credit for that.
"It probably won't make the headlines in the morning, but his saves were vital in the overall outcome of the football match.
"We started really slowly.
"We showed them too much respect and we looked like we were lacking confidence.
"But we steadily worked our way back in the game and in the end we weren't to be denied.
"We need to build on this now.
"The players understand what we're trying to do.
"We prepare meticulously week in, week out, and we've got our rewards in bucketloads tonight."
Hughes also praised the impact the Rangers supporters made throughout the 90 minutes, commenting: "The atmosphere was something special - the noise was incredible.
"The fans can see that we're progressing.
"They stuck by us all night long, even when things weren't going our way.
"We've given them something to shout about tonight, but we need to continue with this momentum now." QPR
Dave McIntyre/West London Sport
QPR boss celebrates ‘defining moment’
Delighted QPR manager Mark Hughes believes his team’s stunning fightback against Liverpool could prove to be a turning point in their fortunes.
Rangers looked dead and buried at 2-0 down but scored three late goals, with Jamie Mackie’s injury-time winner giving them an incredible victory.
Mackie netted QPR's winner.
It was only their second league win under Hughes, who declared: “It’s huge in terms of the belief and what we can take out of it.
“It could be a defining moment – we have to make sure it is. You hope for nights like this when things go for you. It’s a great night for everybody.
“It was important to get a goal back and from that point we sensed the build-up of momentum. The fans were fantastic – they sensed what was happening.
“I think everyone senses the emotion and the significance of this result. Hopefully people will look back and say ‘That night was the turning point’.”
The victory was a major boost to Rangers’ survival hopes – especially given their daunting run-in to the season.
Liverpool are one of several leading sides they will face before the end of the campaign, but Hughes remains confident they will get enough points to stay in the top flight.
“People write us off but they do that at their peril, because I know what we’ve got in the dressing room,” he said. West London Sport
PAUL DOYLE/GUARDIAN
Mark Hughes hails astonishing comeback by Queens Park Rangers
• Kenny Dalglish at loss to explain collapse
• QPR haul themselves out of relegation zone
Mark Hughes proclaimed the beginning of a successful battle against relegation after his Queens Park Rangers team performed an extraordinary late comeback to beat Liverpool 3-2 and clamber out of the bottom three.
QPR were dominated for long periods and conceded two goals in the second half before stunning Kenny Dalglish's side with three strikes in the final 13 minutes, with the decisive goal coming from Jamie Mackie in stoppage time. It gave the club their first win in two months, took them two points clear of the relegation zone – albeit having played a game more – and infused them with fresh optimism.
"It could be a defining moment of the season," said Hughes. "We have to make sure that it is. It's huge in terms of what we take out of the game. We were not to be denied in this game and showed desire, determination, drive and all the qualities that you need to get out of the situation that we're in. We could look back at this match at the end of the season and say that was when it all started to change for us."
Hughes admitted that he feared his side were on course for another defeat when Liverpool went into a deserved two-goal lead thanks to goals from Sebastian Coátes and Dirk Kuyt. However, Shaun Derry cut the deficit with a goal in the 77th minute to give Rangers new belief before Djibril Cissé and Mackie completed the turnaround. "At 2-0 you expect a team of the quality of Liverpool to close the game out and you thought maybe it was beyond us but we got a goal back and the momentum built," said Hughes. "The fans sensed it and were fantastic and we basically just rode the wave."
Dalglish was at a loss to account for his side's sudden collapse. "I can't explain it," he said. "There are no answers but we have to find answers." He rejected the suggestion that his team switched off mentally once they established a two-goal lead, preferring to invoke the pluck and luck of the home team, who enjoyed a stark reversal of fortune since their last outing, when they lost at Bolton after the officials wrongly ruled that a Clint Hill shot had not crossed the line. "The players never got what they deserved," said the Liverpool manager. "It's not a lack of concentration, give QPR some credit.Maybe the luck they never got at Bolton, they got it here."
One QPR player whose joy may have been tempered was the captain Joey Barton, who was booed off when replaced by Mackie in the 62nd minute following an inconsequential performance. Hughes insisted the hostility from the home support would not faze Barton. "In fairness to Joey, he wasn't having the best of times but heis a big enough personality to always demand the ball and want to be involved. But it wasn't happening so I decided to take him off."
Barton conceded via Twitter that he had been "awful" but criticised the fans for booing.
"Worst I've ever played in my career," he wrote. "But we WON.......and that's the most important thing. Onwards and upwards.
"Disappointed with fans booing, were [sic] meant to be in it together. They won't break me, guaranteed. I've been through much worse.
"Enough of the negative **** anyway. What a ******* result, great spirit shown by the boys and loyal fans tonight. Not the bells that booed."
Barton later posted: "Form is temporary, class is permanent." Guardian
Dave McIntyre/West London Sport
Boss Dalglish stunned after Liverpool defeat
Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish was almost lost for words after his team were beaten by QPR at Loftus Road.
Rangers were 2-0 down before three late goals gave them a dramatic victory and boosted their survival hopes.
Dalglish admitted: “I don’t think anybody saw it coming. The way we started the game was fantastic, with the passing and movement. The thing that was missing was a bit of luck in front of goal.
“At the start of the second half we got the goals and you couldn’t see them getting a goal.
“There’s not much more we can say. I’ve not got any answers for what happened. I can’t explain it.” West London Sport
LIVERPOOL OFFICIAL SITE
Kenny's QPR verdict
Kenny Dalglish felt Liverpool were desperately unlucky in suffering a late 3-2 defeat to Queens Park Rangers.
Goals from Sebastian Coates and Dirk Kuyt put the Reds into the lead at Loftus Road, but Shaun Derry and Djibril Cisse drew the hosts level before Jamie Mackie scored an injury-time winner.
Dalglish conceded the next few days would be spent trying to find answers to why Liverpool let slip a two-goal lead, but felt the application of his players could not be faulted.
"I don't think anybody saw it coming," the boss told his post-match press conference. "I'm sure there was a fair bit of feeling before the game about how we'd approach it and how the players would react to qualifying for a semi-final.
"But I think the way they started the game was fantastic with the passing and the movement. The only thing that was missing was a bit of luck in front of goal.
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Kenny's QPR verdict
"We came in (at half-time) at 0-0, but it could have been three or four easily.
"We started the second half and got the goal - a great goal for Seb. Then Dirk touched one in and to be fair you couldn't even see them (QPR) getting a goal.
"But maybe the luck they never got at Bolton 10 days ago, they got tonight in the last 20 minutes.
"There is not much more we can say. We need to find answers and make sure we're going to learn from it.
"For most of the game we were dominant. We were really creative, thoughtful and professional, but they've walked away with three points."
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Asked if he felt the Liverpool players concentrated for 90 minutes, Dalglish said: "I think they did, yes.
"It's not a lack of concentration. You've got to give them (QPR) a bit of credit as well.
"We were so constructive in so many parts of our game tonight, but (from) a set play, a cross and then right at the death they've scored.
"We never got what we deserved, but it's a tough life I suppose."
Meanwhile, Dalglish confirmed Liverpool will need to assess the fitness of Martin Kelly and Charlie Adam after the pair picked up knocks at Loftus Road.
"It's just a kick he got on Sunday," the manager said of Kelly. "Charlie just twisted his knee a little bit, so we'll need to see how he is as well."
Author: @jimmyricewriter at Loftus Road Liverpool Official Site
Dave McIntyre/West London Sport
Mackie’s last-gasp winner stuns Liverpool
Jamie Mackie netted an injury-time winner as QPR boosted their survival hopes by staging an incredible late comeback at Loftus Road.
Sebastian Coates’ spectacular scissor-kick and Dirk Kuyt’s tap-in seemed to have condemned them to another defeat.
But three goals in the final 14 minutes left Liverpool stunned and gave Rangers only their second league victory under manager Mark Hughes.
Shaun Derry headed in Adel Taarabt’s corner before substitute Taye Taiwo crossed from the left for Djibril Cisse to head home an 86th-minute equaliser against his former club.
And Mackie – on as a substitute for Joey Barton, who was booed off – raced on to Luke Young’s header and smashed past keeper Jose Reina to send the home fans wild with delight.
It was the most unlikely of recoveries given that Rangers were second-best for much of the game.
Derry scored his first QPR goal.
Liverpool were all over them for most of the first half and an error by Nedum Onuoha presented the Merseysiders with an early chance to go ahead.
Luis Suarez found himself through on goal after Onuoha missed the ball, but the striker was denied by a smart save from keeper Paddy Kenny.
Having struggled to venture out of their own half, Rangers almost equalised in bizarre circumstances.
In attempting to volley away Armand Traore’s left-wing cross, Liverpool defender Jose Enrique belted the ball behind him and inches over his own bar.
That at least offered Hughes’ side some encouragement and they ended the half strongly, with Cisse shooting narrowly wide from 25 yards.
But they were unable to maintain that momentum and went behind nine minutes after the restart, when Bobby Zamora’s goal-line clearance to deny Kuyt was met by a blistering 15-yard volley from Coates.
QPR rallied after Mackie was brought on to replace the dismal Barton, but any prospect of a comeback appeared to have been extinguished when Liverpool doubled their lead.
Suarez turned away from Onuoha and fired against the post and although Kenny was able to keep out Stewart Downing’s follow-up, he was powerless to prevent Kuyt tapping in the loose ball.
The failure of Rangers’ expensive transfer policy has probably been best summed up by the stirring performances of stalwarts Clint Hill, Mackie and Derry this season.
And it was Derry, who worked tirelessly throughout, that gave them hope when he got his first goal for the club.
Rangers thought they had hit the jackpot when Cisse then levelled, but they ended up with all three points after Enrique failed to clear his lines and Mackie nipped in to score. West London Sport
London 24/Ian Cooper - QPR stun Liverpool with dramatic comeback
Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand celebrates their victory over LiverpoolQueens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand celebrates their victory over Liverpool
Djibril Cisse had promised to show his former employers no mercy - and the Rs’ striker was as good as his word as he inspired a stunning comeback from QPR against Liverpool on Wednesday night.
Former Liverpool star Cisse’s 85th-minute header paved the way for the most dramatic of winners for Jamie Mackie, who slotted the ball underneath Pepe Reina with moments to go.
That goal sparked absolute pandemonium at Loftus Road, as Mark Hughes’s side leapt above Bolton Wanderers and out of the Premier League drop zone.
Shaun Derry had earlier given the Rs a sliver of hope, heading in his first goal of the season to make it 2-1 after Sebastian Coates and Dirk Kuyt had given Liverpool a seemingly insurmountable lead.
It was an extraordinary climax to what had been a largely mundane Rangers performance, but this result will give the west Londoners genuine hope that they can escape relegation this season.
Luis Suarez should have given the visitors a third-minute lead, capitalising on a mistake by Nedum Onuoha and sprinting clear, but the Uruguayan was denied by a fine save from Paddy Kenny.
The Reds forced nine corners inside the opening 15 minutes - which all came to nothing - and they might have been made to pay at the other end had Djibril Cisse kept his 20-yard drive on target.
Martin Skrtel headed a corner over the crossbar, but Rangers were gradually settling after Liverpool’s vibrant start, Pepe Reina doing well to tip away Luke Young’s dangerous deflected cross.
Cisse drilled a shot from 25 yards which whistled a whisker wide of Reina’s left-hand post.
The final minutes of the half - in contrast to the first - belonged to QPR, but the most they could muster was a speculative shot from Samba Diakite which flew over the crossbar.
Liverpool took the lead on 53 minutes from an unlikely source; Rangers failed to clear their lines from a corner, and Sebastian Coates lashed a scissors-kick volley past the helpless Kenny.
Mark Hughes responded to that goal by hauling off his skipper Joey Barton, who was roundly booed by the QPR fans as he departed the pitch, who in turn cheered for his replacement Jamie Mackie.
Dirk Kuyt then played in Stewart Downing with a chance to double Liverpool’s lead, only to see his shot well-saved by Kenny, however, the Reds were soon to add to QPR’s misery.
Suarez twisted his way into the penalty area and fired a shot across Kenny which bounced off the post. Downing picked up the rebound only to also be denied, but Dirk Kuyt tapped in the rebound.
That lead was quickly halved as Rangers finally fought back. The otherwise quiet Adel Taarabt swung in a corner, and Derry climbed high to head into the bottom corner.
Loftus Road sensed a comeback, and they were to get one. Four minutes from time, Taye Taiwo sent a cross from the left, and Cisse was left un-marked to head past a startled Reina.
Better was to follow. A pass forward was totally misjudged by Jose Enrique, and Mackie burst through on goal to fire the ball underneath Reina, to seal the unlikeliest of victories.
At the final whistle Loftus Road was rocking - perhaps to the sound of Premier League survival. London 24
PAUL DOYLE/GUARDIAN
Jamie Mackie scores last-gasp winner as QPR sink Liverpool
Stewart Downing of Liverpool squeezes between Shaun Derry and Nedum Onuoha. Photograph: Andrew Winning/REUTERS
This was the sort of feat that fuels successful relegation fights. Queen Park Rangers were deservedly two goals down with time ticking away yet stormed back to plunder their first win in two months. It was a display of unquenchable spirit above all else and propelled Mark Hughes's team out of the bottom three. Liverpool, by contrast, surrendered any lingering hopes of finishing in the Champions League places with a curiously meek collapse. José Enrique's inexplicable tumble that allowed Jamie Mackie in for the stoppage-time winning goal summed up the visitors' haplessness in the last quarter of a contest that they had mostly dominated.
This was the first labour of QPR's Herculean 10-task run-in, with clashes against the top four among those looming after the duel with Kenny Dalglish's team. Hughes was able to field his strongest line-up as he sought to arrest a six-match winless streak, with his new signing Samba Diakité returning to the team after serving the suspension he incurred for getting sent off in his debut against Fulham last month. That was just one of a litany of blunders that helped account for QPR's lowly position in the table.
It initially look like more errors would undo Rangers here, as in the second minute Joey Barton wasted a promising attacking free-kick for the home side and enabled Jay Spearing to launch an immediate counter-offensive. A slip by Nedum Onuaha helped clear Luis Suárez's path to goal but Liverpool fans were again left to lament the striker's shabby finishing skills as he shot straight at Paddy Kenny, who got up quickly to smother the rebound.
Liverpool did not begin like a side who believed a top-four finish was beyond them and continued to apply fierce pressure. Martin Skrtel went close with a header from a corner in the seventh minute and two minutes later another corner led to Anton Ferdinand having to scoop a Dirk Kuyt shot off the line. QPR were like rabbits' in the visitors' headlights.
Not until the 15th minute did they muster a shot, and that was a token long-range effort by Djibril Cissé that rolled wide. To their credit, however, QPR gradually got to grips with the triumvirate of Steven Gerrard, Charlie Adam and Spearing in central midfield. The visitors found it increasingly hard to open the hosts up and QPR began to exert pressure of their own. They almost took the lead in freakish fashion on the half-hour, when Enrique perpetrated his starting mistake of the evening and nearly walloped an Armand Traoré cross into his own goal. It whizzed just wide, as did a thunderous 25-yard drive from Cissé two minutes later.
Liverpool had to rejig their defence when Martin Kelly departed injured, Jamie Carragher switching to right-back to accommodate the substitute Sebastián Coátes in the centre. Liverpool's response to Rangers' relative resurgence was strangely passive, as they retreated deep and incited more pressure. They finished the first period entrenched in their own box.
Dalglish sought to reintroduce some dynamism to his midfield by replacing Adam with Jordan Henderson at half-time and he also pushed Kuyt closer to Suárez up front. Liverpool were soon in the ascendancy again and QPR had to defend frantically. They did so successfully until the 54th minute, when Coátes showed that there was at least one Uruguayan on the pitch who could finish emphatically: after Bobby Zamora cleared a Stewart Downing shot off the line, the ball rebounded to the centre-half who returned it into the net with an acrobatic volley from 16 yards.
"That was a once-in-the-lifetime strike from a 6ft4 centre-back," marvelled Hughes. While that technique was immaculate , some of QPR biggest names were offering little. Adel Taarabt did not unfurl his tricks until late on and Joey Barton's display was so inconsequential that he was jeered off when being replaced by Jamie Mackie on 62 minutes.
Downing would have doubled Liverpool's lead in the 71st minute if not for a fine save by Kenny but one minute later the goalkeeper's best efforts were not enough. Suárez conjured space on the left of the box and his cross-shot bounced off the post and out to Downing, who sidestepped two defenders before firing a shot that Kenny beat into the path of Kuyt, who poked the ball in from five yards.
Then began a QPR fightback that both Hughes and Dalglish admitted they did not see coming. Shaun Derry landed the first blow with a fine header from a Taarabt corner in the 77th minute before Cissé met a splendid Taye Taiwo delivery from the left with an equally fine header to draw the teams level in the 84th. Now Liverpool were reeling and they could not even hold out for a point, Enrique's slip presenting Mackie with the chance to fire into the net from 10 yards and ignite wild celebrations among home fans who suddenly believe they may be watching Premier League matches again next season. Guardian
LIVERPOOL OFFICIAL SITE
Late goals leave Reds frustrated
A brilliant goal from Sebastian Coates was little consolation as Liverpool surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 to Queens Park Rangers.
The defender might never forget his first strike in English football, an acrobatic volley to open the scoring at Loftus Road, but after Dirk Kuyt made the score 2-0, the hosts mounted an incredible comeback to boost their chances of Barclays Premier League survival.
Shaun Derry, Djibril Cisse and Jamie Mackie all fired in the final 14 minutes and the Reds left West London feeling robbed.
The Liverpool team included Luis Suarez and Martin Kelly, both of whom had recovered from knocks that forced them from the pitch against Stoke City. They and the rest of the players donned t-shirts during the warm-up with messages of support for Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba as he continues to recover from a cardiac arrest.
The action then commenced and it was Liverpool who seized the initiative, a mistake from Nedum Onuoha allowing Suarez to charge unobstructed towards Paddy Kenny. But for once a player whose unpredictability is perhaps his greatest asset was outwitted, and the goalkeeper saved.
Anton Ferdinand then had to rescue his teammates, who'd been unlocked by a Kelly throughball that presented Stewart Downing with a chance.
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QPR 3-2 LFC: 11 mins
In the opening nine minutes Liverpool were awarded seven corners, the last of which dropped to Kuyt at the back post. A goal looked likely but again Ferdinand was the obstructer with a block which left him winded and requiring treatment.
The hosts could not cope with their opponents' passing, crisp and decisive as it was, and they could not cope with Suarez as he turned, shimmied, dragged and generally caused havoc.
But the goal did not arrive, and from that fact QPR seemed to find hope.
Cisse - witnessed strolling through Shepherd's Bush before the game wearing a silk mac - created half chances here and there, while Pepe Reina was nearly left helpless by a mis-hit clearance from teammate Jose Enrique.
Kenny Dalglish had to reshape his defence, replacing the injured Kelly with Coates. Jamie Carragher shifted to right-back to accommodate the Uruguayan, and he and his colleagues were absorbing increasing pressure as half-time approached.
There was more bad news for Dalglish during the break when it became apparent that Charlie Adam, subject to a heavy tackle immediately prior to the teams coming in, would need to be withdrawn. His adversary, Armand Traore, suffered the same fate, with Taye Taiwo and Jordan Henderson the replacements.
The second half began with another spate of Liverpool corners, and it was number 14 that finally produced a goal on 54 minutes. And what a goal. You will wait a long time to see a better finish by a centre-back than the sharpest of scissor-kicks executed from the penalty spot by Coates after the ball had been ricocheted from the line.
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Coates (53)
A minute later Downing drove a shot that goalkeeper Kenny could not handle but at least managed to get in the way of. Our England winger would later be played one-on-one by Kuyt only to be denied by Kenny - but Liverpool would not be denied a second for much longer.
Suarez beat two defenders on 72 minutes before hitting the post; Downing pounced but his shot was saved. Finally Kuyt proved clinical with a prod beyond QPR's excellent stopper.
It was a long way back for QPR now but, with nothing to lose, they surged. A back-header from Derry following a corner ensured the final 14 minutes would be frantic.
And so it proved. On Sunday it was former Red Peter Crouch who scored against Liverpool, now it was Cisse's turn, heading a Taiwo cross beyond Reina on 86 minutes.
The winner came in injury time when an Enrique error left substitute Mackie with only Reina to beat and he made no mistake.
Liverpoolfc.tv journalists' man of the match: Luis Suarez Liverpool Official Site
QPR OFFICIAL SITE
Jamie Mackie's dramatic second-half stoppage time winner stole victory for QPR, who came from two goals behind to record a remarkable victory at Loftus Road.
On a night that R's fans won't forget in a hurry, it looked as though Liverpool would be taking all three points back to Anfield after Sebastian Coates and Dirk Kuyt put the visitors two goals to the good in the second half.
Rangers, however, had other ideas - and after Shaun Derry pulled a goal back for the home side 13 minutes from time - Djibril Cisse was on hand to put the Hoops on terms on 86 minutes.
And the drama wasn't finished there. Substitute Mackie capped the unlikeliest of comebacks, with his 90th-minute strike pulling the R's out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.
Mark Hughes made two changes to his Hoops side from last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Bolton Wanderers, with Luke Young and Adel Taarabt replacing Clint Hill (back) and Shaun Wright-Phillips respectively.
Paddy Kenny was in goal for QPR, who deployed a 4-4-2 formation.
Young, Nedum Onuoha, Anton Ferdinand and Armand Traore lined up in defence.
R's skipper Joey Barton began from the right-hand side of midfield, with Derry and Samba Diakite in the middle. Taarabt, meanwhile, operated out wide on the left.
Cisse - who scored his second goal in just three Rangers appearances at the Reebok Stadium 11 days ago - partnered Bobby Zamora in attack.
Fresh from their victory over Stoke in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup on Sunday, the visitors began with a real sense of purpose.
It took only four minutes for Kenny Dalglish's side to fashion their first attempt on target - that thanks to a defensive mistake from the home side.
It was a chance that Liverpool really should have taken. Onuoha misread a Charlie Adam pass which put Luis Suarez in the clear, but the Uruguayan hot-shot was to be denied by a fine low stop from Kenny.
Five minutes later, Steven's Gerrard zipped slide-rule pass freed Stewart Downing in the box, only for Derry to produce an excellent sliding intervention to stop the England wide-man from getting a shot away.
Rangers had to defend for their lives early on. Indeed, they had Ferdinand to thank for a brave block to thwart Kuyt from close range on ten minutes, after Gerrard's corner eventually fell into his path.
But the R's would finally fashion their first attempt of note on the quarter-hour mark.
Zamora and Cisse combined wonderfully well, exchanging passes before the latter pulled an effort wide of the left-hand post.
At the other end, Martin Skrtel went close with a header nine minutes later, after meeting Adam's corner.
There was a heart in mouth moment for Dalglish's men shortly after. Traore out-paced his marker down the left before his subsequent cross forced a miscued clearance from Jose Enrique that only just went past upright.
Despite Liverpool's early dominance, Rangers got better as the half wore on.
Cisse went exceptionally close to putting the R's in front in that improved period of play, crashing an effort inches wide of the right-hand post after evading the challenges of Adam and Jay Spearing.
The French striker would also produce the first attempt of the second period, with his effort from distance forcing a comfortable low save from Pepe Reina just a minute after the half-time break.
But it was Liverpool who would strike first thanks a sensational effort from substitute Coates.
Gerrard's corner eventually led to Downing seeing his shot cleared off the goal-line, before Coates was first to the loose ball to thunder a sublime volley into the roof of the net.
Downing would also go close for the visitors three minutes later, seeing his rasping drive gathered at the second attempt by Kenny.
The Reds' opener prompted Hughes into a change on 62 minutes, bringing on Mackie to replace Barton.
Though it was Liverpool who would go closest following the substitution.
Downing saw his shot - that appeared to be creeping into the bottom right-hand corner - superbly tipped around the post by Kenny.
The Merseysiders would soon double their advantage on 72 minutes.
Suarez's effort crashed off the post, before Downing's subsequent shot forced a fine low save from Kenny.
Kuyt was then first to react to the loose ball, racing in to slide home a Liverpool second.
But Rangers ensured there would be a grandstand finish, halving the deficit on 77 minutes.
Taarabt's corner from the right found Derry at the back post, who rose highest - albeit on the stretch - to head home from close range.
Staggeringly, the R's put themselves on terms with just four minutes left on the clock.
Taye Taiwo's centre from the left was of perfection to find the head of Cisse, who stole in to nod QPR level.
Loftus Road was rocking - but there were scenes still to come that will live long in the memory, after Rangers capped an outstanding comeback in second-half stoppage time.
A ball from deep put Mackie in the clear and he kept remarkable calm, driving into the box before expertly sliding the ball past Reina for the winning goal.
QPR: Kenny, Diakite, Derry, Taarabt, Traore (Taiwo 46), Barton (Mackie 62), Young, Cisse (Buzsaky 88), Ferdinand, Onuoha, Zamora.
Subs: Cerny, Gabbidon, Bothroyd, Wright-Phillips.
Goals: Derry (77), Cisse (86), Mackie (90)
Liverpool: Reina, Enrique, Suarez (Carroll 82), Gerrard, Kuyt, Downing, Spearing, Carragher, Adam (Henderson 46), Kelly (Coates 34), Skrtel.
Subs: Doni, Aurelio, Shelvey, Flanagan.
Goals: Coates (54), Kuyt (72)
Referee: Mr H Webb
Attendance: 18,033 (3068 away) QPR
