Sadio Mané grabs late winner as Southampton heap more misery on QPR

This was the sort of denouement that might convince Harry Redknapp he did the right thing to take a rest from management. Chris Ramsey, in temporary charge at Loftus Road following Redknapp’s resignation on Tuesday, does not suffer from the knee trouble that afflicts his predecessor but he was made to feel the cruel pain that can come with leading a team as QPR were floored by a stoppage-time goal from Sadio Mané.

Ramsey has been told that he will be at the helm at least until after Tuesday’s trip to Sunderland as the club continues to deliberate over a long-term appointment, a deal with Tim Sherwood not having been reached yet. With a bit more luck Ramsey could have been heading north on the back of a victory.

Rangers enjoyed some narrow escapes in the first half before tightening up in the second and would have taken a crucial lead if not for a wonderful save 15 minutes from time by Fraser Forster. But as they strived to crown an encouraging performance by claiming three points that would have lifted them out of the relegation zone, QPR were hit by a devastating late counterattack from Southampton, whose quest for a Champions League spot received a boost that Ronald Koeman believes could be critical.

“You have some key moments in a season and one of those was today,” said the Southampton manager, whose side are now third in the table, at least until Manchester United play West Ham on Sunday. “After the defeat of last week we had to show how we like to play football and to get a result. That’s the fourth away win in a row and that’s fantastic.”

The lineup that Ramsey chose showed his intention to inject more creativity into Rangers by bringing out the good side of enigmatic talents who had fallen out of favour with Redknapp. That applies most obviously to Adel Taarabt, who had spent most of the season in internal exile at Loftus Road after losing the faith of the former manager. Ramsey showed his trust in the player by awarding him only his second Premier League start of the season, one of four alterations to the Rangers side.

Southampton started better. Rangers have had a vexing tendency to sabotage themselves this season and Rob Green was nearly punished for a misjudgment in the sixth minute, but Mané shot wide from 30 yards with the goalkeeper inexplicably marooned outside his box. Taarabt, deployed just behind Charlie Austin, struggled to get involved but in the 10th minute he produced a flourish of trickery that took him past an opponent before he was fouled. That was a cue for the home crowd to air an old favourite: “Taarabt’s too good for you.”

As it turned out, there were no more reasons to reprise the song and Taarabt was replaced in the 63rd minute. “We did see glimpses of the brilliance that he has and I’m hopeful that when he becomes more conditioned he can show what he’s got,” said Ramsey.

Southampton were forced into a defensive reshuffle after the left-back Matt Targett went off with a head injury from a clash with Matt Phillips. The 19-year-old was taken to hospital for scans but Koeman said he had been assured the injury was not as bad as feared. Southampton adjusted well and remained the more dangerous, especially Mané, whose speed made him a constant menace. But José Fonte came closest to opening the scoring in the first half, volleying against the crossbar following a corner from James Ward-Prowse.

In the second period Rangers grew in solidity and confidence. Mauro Zárate curled a shot just over from 20 yards. In the 74th minute Joey Barton unleashed a strike from the edge of the area and Austin got a flick to it six yards out, forcing Forster into a superb reflex save.

In the third minute of stoppage time Southampton swept forward and worked the ball wide to Maya Yoshida on the left. He fed Mané, who held off a defender and fired into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Ramsey was left to perform a popular managerial routine and identify positives amid a big negative, one made potentially much worse by the sight of Austin leaving the ground on crutches. “It gives a lot of hope to the owners and fans to see that at least players are trying to their best to keep us in the division,” he said.