Saints 2-3 QPR
History repeated itself at St Mary's, as Rangers came back from a goal down to clinch all three points against managerless Southampton.
Following last season's comeback victory on the South Coast, the R's again left the home faithful stunned, as a brace from Patrick Agyemang and a sublime Martin Rowlands goal wiped out Darren Powell's first minute strike.
The victory - Rangers' first on their travels since the turn of the year - again owed much to Agyemang, who enhanced his ever-glowing reputation with a deadly double; his second of the season against the Saints, following his two goal salvo in early October for former Club Preston North End.
To compound the hosts' woes, skipper Youssef Safri was shown a straight red card in the closing stages for a reckless challenge on Agyemang and although Stern John bagged a late second for the hosts, it was Rangers' day - and deservedly so.
With one eye on Tuesday's fixture against Burnley at Loftus Road, Luigi De Canio rested international duo Damion Stewart and Akos Buzsaky after their midweek ventures abroad.
As a consequence, the R's First Team Coach recalled Matthew Connolly and Kieran Lee to the starting XI, while Saints old-boy Dexter Blackstock was again resigned to a place amongst the R's substitutes.
Southampton's temporary managerial duo of John Gorman and Jason Dodd opted for the pace and power combination of Bradley Wright-Phillips and John in attack, while former Rangers loanee Inigo Idiakez was named on the Saints bench.
In a carbon copy start to last season's fixture at St Mary's, Rangers fell a goal behind inside the opening exchanges.
There was barely a minute on the clock when a mix up in communications between Lee Camp and Connolly saw the former skid out of his penalty area with the ball firmly in his grasp.
From the resultant free-kick, the unmarked Powell reacted quickest to meet Adam Hammill's teasing set-piece, firing the ball home from inside the six-yard box.
Undeterred, Rangers soon found their feet, with Rowan Vine testing Saints custodian Kelvin Davis in the sixth minute.
At the other end, John tried his luck from distance with a volley that flew well wide of Camp's right hand post, before Hogan Ephraim's weak prodded effort was easily gathered by Davis.
It was livewire skipper Rowlands who came closest to putting the R's on terms midway through the half though, when his stunning 25-yard volley flew inches past the stanchion.
Rangers continued to pose the greater attacking threat as the half progressed, with Damien Delaney stooping to head Ephraim's corner wide on the half hour.
Wright-Phillips squandered a golden opportunity to double the hosts' advantage when he fired straight at Camp, but if the Saints faithful thought that miss was guilt-edged, what followed sixty seconds later was simply unbelievable.
Ephraim's weak back pass was seized upon by Hammill and when he squared the ball for John, the Trinidadian hit-man inexplicably fired the ball into row Z, from little more than eight yards out.
Rangers' response to their reprieve was simply emphatic though.
Ephraim robbed Hammill out wide and when he slid the ball into Vine, the former Birmingham City striker did fantastically well to evade two strong challenges, before sliding a neat pass into the path of the roaming Rowlands, who finished with aplomb, slipping the ball beneath Davis.
It was a remarkable team goal and no less that the R's deserved for their first half display.
Buoyed by their equaliser, the R's went in search of a second goal, and they were rewarded on the stroke of half-time, thanks to yet another piece of textbook finishing from in-form Agyemang.
Ephraim played provider this time, sending in an inviting far post cross, which Agyemang - with the confidence of a player enjoying the richest goalscoring form of his career - volleyed past the exposed Davis.
De Canio replaced the hardworking Lee with Buzsaky at the break, while Saints managerial duo Gorman and Dodd introduced fans favourite Marek Saganowski at the expense of Hammill.
Buzsaky's first major contribution saw him pick up a fifth booking of the season - and a resultant one-match suspension - for a foul on Saganowski.
But that mattered little moments later, as Rangers - albeit slightly against the run of play - added a comical third.
Camp's long pump forward caused mayhem in the Saints half and when Jermaine Wright opted to knee the ball back to Davis, the keeper was in no man's land and Agyemang had the simplest of tasks, cheekily flicking the ball home for his seventh goal in just five league outings.
Southampton's frustrations were there for all to see and when Safri scythed down Agyemang with a knee high challenge 12 minutes from time, referee Mr Taylor had little alternative than to show the midfielder a red card.
As the clock ticked down, chants of 'there's only one Ray Jones' reverberated around St Mary's in recognition of the late strikers' winner at the same stadium last season, and despite John pulling a goal back in the dying moments, Rangers were good value for their victory.
Southampton: Davis, Thomas (Viafara 53), Powell, Wright-Phillips (Lallana 68), Wright, Surman, Hammill (Saganowski 46), Euell, Safri, John, Davies.
Subs: Bialkowski, Idiakez.
Scorers: Powell 1, John 90
Bookings: Powell 63
Red Cards: Safri 78
QPR: Camp, Delaney, Mahon, Mancienne, Rowlands, Connolly, Agyemang (Blackstock 79), Lee (Buzsaky 46), Ephraim (Leigertwood 83), Vine, Rehman.
Subs: Stewart, Pickens.
Scorers: Rowlands 39, Agyemang 45 & 60
Bookings: Buzsaky 58, Delaney 69
Red Cards:
Referee: Mr A Taylor
Attendance: 22, 505
