FOOTBALLChampionship
Queens Park Rangers 5-0 Swansea City: Championship Match Report
Richard Kone scores a hat-trick in 13 minutes 2 seconds, the fastest in the EFL this season, and captain Jimmy Dunne adds two more as QPR thrash second-placed Swansea City at Loftus Road.
In this report
RICHARD KONE the Ivory Coast striker bagged a first half hat-trick inside 13 minutes and 2 seconds to give Queens Park Rangers the ideal start, with the Hoops leading 3-0 inside fifteen minutes in heavy stormy rain in W12. Captain Jimmy Dunne added two goals, a header and a right footed shot, to complete the rout of the Welsh side who were 2nd in the Sky Bet Championship at the start of play. The R's have now scored nine goals in their last two home games, conceding only once, and are starting to make Loftus Road a fortress.
Queens Park Rangers hosted second placed Swansea City at Matrade Loftus Road Stadium on a stormy afternoon. QPR came into the game off the back of a 0-3 away defeat against Birmingham City at St Andrews last Saturday. Before that they had won 4-1 at home against Derby County, and drawn with West Ham United at the London Stadium 1-1, Preston North End at home 2-2 and West Bromwich Albion away at the Hawthorns 1-1.
Swansea City came to West London off the back of four wins against Millwall 1-0 away, Norwich City 2-1 at home, Lincoln City 2-1 away and Burnley 3-1 at home. Last time out they lost 0-1 at home to West Ham United.
Timeline of key events
- 2'
1-0 Kone. - slots home unmarked inside the penalty area after a fast counter attack and a pass from Paul Smyth
- Soon after
Adam Idah right footed shot tipped onto the crossbar by Pierce Charles
- 9'
2-0 Kone. - header from a Kwame Poku left footed cross
- 13'
Melker Widell shot saved brilliantly by Pierce Charles
- 14'
Vigouroux booked for fouling Paul Smyth, penalty awarded
- 15'
3-0 Kone (pen). - hat-trick completed in 13 minutes 2 seconds, the fastest in the EFL this season
- 16'
Kone booked
- 34'
Elijah Just booked for a foul on Jonathan Varane
- 38'
Widell header over from close range
- 45+1'
4-0 Dunne. - header from a Harvey Vale corner
- Half time:
Queens Park Rangers 4 Swansea City 0
- 46'
Welsh off, Jenson Seelt on and Just off, Fulton on for Swansea City
- 54'
Marko Stamenic booked
- 59'
Paul Smyth booked
- 64'
Stamenic and Opoku off, Goncalo Franco and Eom Ji-Sung on for Swansea City
- 72'
Smyth, Vale and Poku off, Kolli, Saito and Dembele on for QPR
- 74'
Idah off, Vipotnik on for Swansea City
- 80'
Kemper off, Cirkin on for QPR
- 86'
5-0 Dunne. - right footed shot from very close range into the bottom right corner, assist by Richard Kone from a set piece
- 87'
Kone off, Alemayehu on for QPR
- Full time:
Queens Park Rangers 5 Swansea City 0
At the start of play Swansea City were 2nd with 23 points from 11 games and seven wins. QPR were 9th with 17 points from 11 games and four wins.
The last three matches between the two sides were QPR 1 Swansea City 2 in W12 in April 2026, a 1-0 QPR away win at Swansea City in October 2025, and QPR 1 Swansea City 2 in W12 in April 2025.
QPR manager Julien Stephan started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Pierce Charles in goal, then a back four of Kealey Adamson, captain Jimmy Dunne, Ronnie Edwards and Boy Kemper, then two holding midfielders in Jonathan Varane and Glen Kamara, then three attacking midfielders in Kwame Poku, Harvey Vale and Paul Smyth with Richard Kone up top. Queens Park Rangers made two changes with Richard Kone and Glen Kamara coming in for Jake Clarke-Salter and Ryan Kolli.
Swansea City manager Vitor Matos started with a 4-3-3 formation with Lawrence Vigouroux in goal, then a back four of Filip Lissah, Ben Cabango the captain, Stephen Welsh and Josh Tymon, then three midfielders in Elijah Just, Marko Stamenic and Stephen Eustaquio, then three attackers in Melker Widell, Adam Idah and Joseph Opoku up front. Swansea City made four changes from the last match with Melker Widell, Elijah Just, Filip Lissah and Stephen Eustaquio coming in for Jay Fulton, Goncalo Franco and Mark Yeo.
Queens Park Rangers kicked off the first half wearing their traditional blue and white hoops with the visitors Swansea City in a changed strip of all black.
QPR took the lead in the second minute after a fast counter attack saw Paul Smyth find Richard Kone unmarked inside the Swansea City penalty area and the QPR striker slotted the ball home to make it 1-0.
Swansea City responded with an Adam Idah right footed shot which Pierce Charles tipped onto the crossbar and the Hoops survived. The rain continued to pour down in W12 with the latest storm to hit the capital.
QPR went 2-0 up in the ninth minute after another solid attack which ended with Richard Kone heading in a Kwame Poku left footed cross to double the lead for the R's.
In the 13th minute a fast counter attack by Swansea City saw a Melker Widell shot saved brilliantly by Pierce Charles. QPR came forward again through Paul Smyth and he was fouled by Lawrence Vigouroux and referee Samuel Allison pointed to the spot. Richard Kone slotted the ball home to make it 3-0 and complete a hat-trick on his return to the side.
Richard Kone's hat-trick came in 13 minutes 2 seconds which was the fastest in the EFL this season.
In the 34th minute Elijah Just was yellow carded for a foul on Jonathan Varane. In the 38th minute Melker Widell headed over from close range. QPR continued to press for a fourth goal before the interval and it came in the 45th+1 minute from a Harvey Vale corner which Jimmy Dunne headed home to make it 4-0.
QPR led 4-0 at half time. Swansea City kicked off the second half 4-0 down. Both sides made substitutions in the second half but it was QPR who remained in control with a fifth goal, and a second for skipper Jimmy Dunne, coming in the 86th minute through a right footed shot from very close range into the bottom right corner from an assist by Richard Kone following a set piece situation to make it 5-0 and seal a comfortable victory that saw QPR go inside the play off zone.
QPR rose to 8th spot with the 5-0 win whilst Swansea City remained in 2nd place. QPR go to Southampton next at St. Mary's whilst Swansea City host Blackburn Rovers next at home.
Match statistics
| Metric | Queens Park Rangers | Swansea City |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 5 | 0 |
| Yellow Cards | 2 | 3 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Half Time | 4 | 0 |
| Attendance | Not given | - |
Possession, shots, passing and fouls: official match data issued in the press box. Expected goals: third party provider, as published. Saves counted at the ground and verified against the team sheet.
Match details
- Competition
- Sky Bet Championship
- Venue
- Matrade Loftus Road Stadium, London
- Attendance
- Not given
- Referee
- Samuel Allison - Assistant Referees: Daniel Leach, Matthew Gunn-Smith - 4th Official: Sunny Singh Gill
- Queens Park Rangers (4-2-3-1)
- Charles - Adamson, Dunne (c), Edwards, Kemper (80, Cirkin) - Varane, Kamara - Smyth (72, Kolli), Vale (72, Saito), Poku (72, Dembele) - Kone (87, Alemayehu). Unused: Ward (G), Morrison, Obikwu, Scarlett
- Swansea City (4-3-3)
- Vigouroux - Lissah, Cabango (c), Welsh (46, Jenson Seelt), Tymon - Just (46, Fulton), Stamenic (64, Goncalo Franco), Eustaquio - Widell, Idah (74, Vipotnik), Opoku (64, Eom Ji-Sung). Unused: Fisher (G), Monga, Parente, Stewart
Editorial judgement, not a statistic
William Powell's standout players
Richard Kone (Queens Park Rangers) - Hat-trick in 13 minutes 2 seconds, the fastest in the EFL this season, and an assist for the fifth
Jimmy Dunne (Queens Park Rangers) - Captain who scored a header and a close range finish
Kwame Poku (Queens Park Rangers) - Provided the cross for the second goal
Pierce Charles (Queens Park Rangers) - Tipped an Idah shot onto the crossbar and saved well from Widell
Selected by William Powell at the ground.
William Powell
Senior Editor · FWA Life Member · Sports Journalist since 1987
William Powell is CUVA Sports' senior editor and lead correspondent, covering football and cricket at the highest level for nearly four decades. A Life Member of the Football Writers' Association, his writing combines deep tactical knowledge with the narrative flair of the best sports journalism.
