Parker delights in Fulham's resolve, Warburton feels his QPR were robbed

Scott Parker praised his players for digging deep after going a goal down in the derby at QPR to recover and win 2-1 – and for proving they could do it without Aleksander Mitrovic.

Their 23-goal striker is suspended for three games for violent conduct at Leeds at the weekend and having lost their opening two games since the Championship restart, the signs were ominous when they trailed after less than a minute at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

But they regrouped to win it with goals from Harry Arter and Cyrus Christie.

“While it's disappointing to lose Aleksandar, other players are going to have to step up,” said the Fulham boss. “He's definitely going to be a big loss for us in the next few games. How we work, everything is around him. So to the players coming in, it's a big responsibility now.

"We had to shuffle things around a bit here and obviously the result was key. But I don't think my team have deserved what we've got out of the first two games.

"The performance and the way we've played in the last two games, I've been really pleased with. We showed real character. To go a goal down as early as we did was very disappointing. It was poor on our behalf and sloppy.

"But not to drop our heads and be the team to really take it to QPR, get control of the game and have real impetus was pleasing."

Rangers boss Mark Warburton felt his side had thrown away a game that was there for the taking.

“We've given away three points,” he said. “It was a very, very strong display - intensity, desire, quality. We had to maintain it in the second half and did that but we didn't get the rewards.

"There's one team in it in the second half, we've hit the bar and gone close, but we've let in two soft goals shot from distance. I have huge respect for Scott Parker and Fulham, but I don't see how that has happened.

"We should have saved both goals, simple as that, and I'm trying to think of when Liam Kelly had another save to make.

"When you play like that, the more you play like that, the belief's got to grow. And if we play like that week in week out, we'll be in a good place come the end of the season.”