Coventry manager Mark Robins hailed his “outstanding” duo of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer after a 3-0 Championship victory at relegation-threatened QPR.
Hamer scored one of the goals and set up the other two for Gyokeres, whose brace took the striker’s tally for the season to 20.
It took the Sky Blues up to sixth in the table ahead of play-off rivals Blackburn playing at home to Hull on Saturday evening.
Sweden international Gyokeres has shown signs of fatigue during a busy period for club and country, but he was far too good for QPR’s shaky defence.
Robins declared: “I thought Viktor was back to his best. He looked outstanding.
“He’s been a little bit tired since coming back from international duty but he’s got his energy back and behind him Gustavo was outstanding with his energy, desire and willingness to run.
“He (Hamer) was really good between both boxes but also his goal and his assists were there for everybody to see. He was absolutely incredible.”
The win was Coventry’s first in four matches and leaves them very much in the promotion race with four matches remaining.
Robins said: “To be talking about us and the play-offs and being in the top six at this stage, it’s an incredible job that the players and staff have done, and the supporters.
“We’ve got four games left and you can smell it (the play-offs). It was there before but in terms of being in the top six now, at this point without Blackburn playing just yet, it’s been a really good day’s work.
“We’ve got some tough games coming up but the players will be buoyed by that win. Whatever happens, it’s exciting stuff.”
QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth was left mystified by more appalling defending from his team.
Their shortcomings at the back have been a major factor in a slide down the table which has left them in serious danger of dropping into League One.
And Gyokeres’ early opener, which came after Kenneth Paal had given the ball away, means Rangers have conceded a goal in the opening 10 minutes in five of their past six matches.
Ainsworth said: “We’re too easy to score against and once the goal goes in we’re too fragile.
“We then start looking around, going into individual mode and we’re not a team then and that’s tough to take.
“I thought we were OK and not out of it totally until the second goal. That goal is so disappointing because we are wide open at the back.
“It’s not as though we haven’t worked on that in training. Why we sometimes don’t replicate what we do in training is a mystery.
“We’re wide open, we really are. We’re gung ho in the 70th minute and once the second goal goes in, that takes us out of the game.”
Rangers, who were top in October, have won just one of their past 20 matches – their only win in their nine games since Ainsworth took over.
Ainsworth added: “It’s hard. But I came in with open eyes.
“There’s a hell of a lot to change here, but I can’t do it in the period of time I’ve got until the end of the season.
“I’ve just got to try and manufacture teams that gets results.”
