Feeney is on hand to inflict new woe
QPR’s diabolical FA Cup record continued with defeat at home to Blackburn.
Jake Bidwell’s penalty – his first Rangers goal – reduced the deficit after Joel Lynch’s own goal and Liam Feeney’s simple finish.
But Rovers held on fairly comfortably to take their place in round four and inflict Rangers’ seventh defeat in their 10 matches since Ian Holloway’s return for a second spell as manager.
Incredibly, QPR have not won an FA Cup tie at the first time of asking for 20 years and have NEVER won in the competition under Holloway.
Holloway said: “I’m bitterly disappointed.
“We wanted to progress but we didn’t and that’s a huge frustration.
“We were absolutely awful in the first half. The lack of understanding was poor.”
Not since Trevor Sinclair’s famous overhead kick in a Fourth-Round tie against Barnsley in 1997 have the club won in the FA Cup without a replay.
And they were behind at Loftus Road after only eight minutes.
Keeper Matt Ingram produced a fine save to keep out Sam Gallagher’s header from Elliott Bennett’s left-wing cross but the ball rebounded off Lynch and into the net.
Rovers’ second goal, scored in the 58th minute, also came after the unlucky Ingram had saved from Gallagher.
The on-loan Southampton striker found himself through on goal and after Ingram dived to his right to parry Gallagher’s shot, Feeney was on hand to net his second goal of the season.
Bidwell gave his team hope three minutes later when he thumped home from the spot after Yeni Ngbakoto had been pushed over in the penalty area by Hope Akpan.
Rovers boss Owen Coyle said: “The aim was to be in the hat for the next round and win the game at what is a tough venue.
“There’s no doubt from start to finish that we were the better side and deserved the victory.
“I don’t think even the most die-hard QPR fan could argue against that.”
What had been a lacklustre FA Cup Third-Round tie very much came to life just after the hour, with Romelu Lukaku’s close-range finish in the 63rd minute cancelled out three minutes later by one from Musa.
Four minutes later, the Nigeria forward scored the winner with a cool strike as Everton – last season’s semi-finalists – were sent crashing out.
“I’m very pleased with our performance,” Foxes boss Claudio Ranieri said.
“We wanted to win and we wanted to go through in the FA Cup, which is an important competition.
“We lost to Everton at home on Boxing Day, so we wanted revenge. It was a good match because of course at the beginning Everton pushed a lot and wanted to score a goal but I’m very pleased with our performance before and after the goal.
“When we conceded a goal, everybody wanted to react immediately. After there were chances for them and us, but it was a very good performance.”
Certainly, this all-Premier League clash took time to warm up.
After Leonardo Ulloa glanced a header just wide of their goal in the fourth minute, Everton showed some early signs of threat as Lukaku and Enner Valencia each produced decent crosses that Ross Barkley and Seamus Coleman were unable to finish.
Foxes debutant Wilfried Ndidi had a shot blocked and Demarai Gray was thwarted by Toffees goalkeeper Joel Robles.
Musa was introduced to a contest that