QPR 4-3 Bolton: Jay Emmanuel-Thomas hits late winner in thriller

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas smashed home an injury-time winner as QPR eased the pressure on boss Chris Ramsey by beating Bolton 4-3 in a thrilling game.

There were three goals inside the opening 13 minutes at Loftus Road, where Gary Madine and Liam Feeney scored for Bolton before Emmanuel-Thomas pulled one back.

Leroy Fer equalised just before half-time and Tjaronn Chery struck after 62 minutes, brilliantly steering a right-footed shot into the far corner of the net from near the left edge of the penalty area.

Substitute Wellington Silva, on loan from Arsenal, seemed to have rescued a point for Wanderers after darting in from the left and thumping an unstoppable shot into the bottom corner with five minutes remaining.

But Emmanuel-Thomas, from a similar position to Chery's earlier goal, sent a glorious effort past goalkeeper Ben Amos in the final seconds.

Home manager Ramsey, without top scorer Charlie Austin and under fire from fans following a poor start to the season, made four changes to his starting line-up and an awful start was the last thing he needed.

The diabolical defending which has marred QPR's campaign so far was evident again when Madine was left unmarked to head in Feeney's left-wing cross after eight minutes.

Worse followed for the hosts three minutes later when goalkeeper Rob Green was unable to hold Darren Pratley's shot and Feeney was on hand to score.

But Emmanuel-Thomas, making first league start since being signed in the summer, hauled the R's back into the game by heading in Chery's cross.

Amos had produced an early save to keep out Nedum Onuoha's header from Daniel Tozser's free-kick when the scoreline was goalless.

He did so again to prevent Onuoha making it 2-2 after the QPR captain was again found by a Tozser free-kick, and Gabriele Angella headed over from another Tozser free-kick four minutes before the interval.

QPR's equaliser arrived when Fer eventually bundled the ball in after Amos had saved his header from Matt Phillips' cross.

Forward Emmanuel-Thomas, playing because Austin and Jamie Mackie are both injured, was at the centre of much of QPR's best work.

Tozser, meanwhile, had been recalled along with defender Grant Hall and the fit-again Fer, with Alejandro Faurlin, James Perch and Massimo Luongo dropping to the bench.

Any hopes Ramsey had that the changes might lead to an immediate improvement were quickly crushed, but his team, while always looking vulnerable at the back, found a way back into the game.

After Chery put them ahead, Phillips should have made it 4-2 but side-footed wide after being put through by Fer.

And Sandro, on as a substitute for his first appearance of the season, saw a thumping shot pushed away by Amos before Silva fired past Green and Emmanuel-Thomas had the final word with his second goal of the match.

QPR manager Chris Ramsey:

"You want him (Emmanuel-Thomas) to score and to help us create, and see if we can get an adequate replacement for someone like Charlie Austin. He's a different type of player, but ultimately it's about scoring goals no matter how they come."

Bolton manager Neil Lennon:

"It's not good enough. Defensively we allowed too many headers, didn't stop crosses and were slack with the ball. After going a goal down we created very good chances, scored a very good goal and then with 30 seconds left we can't see the game out - that's my frustration."