John Carver:

"I'm not so sure about 'bottled it'. We had a 10-minute mad spell in the game. In the first half we were in control not under any threat, but then we shot ourselves in the foot again in that 10 minutes after half-time. It was in our hands today and we could have put it to bed today.

"I thought for a spell when the first goal went in one or two dropped their heads. Then he (Leroy Fer) hit a raker. I was thinking about changes just before they scored.

"I thought the way they changed their system, the two wide guys came in narrower, and they kept on playing it to the front men. Our two wide guys Cabella and Perez were too high.

"We dealt with that in the first half but in the second half QPR kept on picking up second balls and it was difficult in the midfield to win the ball, so we were talking about changing it.

"We had a plan to bring Cisse on at half-time but because we were winning there was no need to do that. We came again, made changes and had good chances from Dummett and Cisse.

"It could have been a Clint Hill handball but we don’t get them. We didn't give up on it, we had a go and I can't fault the lads for their effort again in a hot, warm climate. They were hot conditions and we kept going and going and going, but it wasn't good enough.

"This (Sunday) is now the biggest game this football club has had for a long, long time. One of the biggest in the club’s history. 

"I want the same atmosphere as against West Bromwich Albion a fortnight ago because it could be the fans who get us across the line and keep us in the Premier League. They were in full voice against West Brom and it made a difference.

A lot of people will say: ‘Why should they?’ Because they want this team in the Premier League. If it gives us that extra five or 10%, then great. We’ll have our postmortem after that once we have stayed up.

"Let’s not forget it’s a huge football club and you have to have that personality to deal with wearing the shirt. But only time will tell. At least it’s still in our hands, and if they want it enough, they can do something about it.

Newcastle matched their worst-ever Premier League run of ten games without a win on Saturday, as yet another opportunity to save their own miserable skins was wasted.

Hull City's defeat at White Hart Lane the same afternoon meant that United needed only to turn their half time advantage into a full time victory in order to send the Tigers down. Breaking an eight hour scoring duck on the road thanks to a decidedly fortunate strike, the signs looked good against an already-relegated side who were booed off by a discontented home support at the interval. 

Playing on a ground where they'd won their last four matches and facing a side winless in any of their last ten home games since December, what was described by John Carver as a "mad ten minutes" saw hopes of victory spectacularly dashed however.

Minutes John? months, surely?

United were once again found lacking discipline, endeavour and talent, utterly powerless to help themselves once falling behind to the only side in the division who were more woefully out of form and shipped six goals without reply in their previous outing.

Their apparently meek acceptance of our fate is possibly the worst thing - apart from the glaring lack of talent on show - and with one game left, it's still in our own hands. Unfortunately....

A spectacular Leroy Fer strike ultimately gave the home side the win but Newcastle were fortunate to take a 24th minute lead when Riviere slipped and struck the ball off his standing foot to register his first Premier League goal of the season.

Ex-Magpie Joey Barton then dealt a knockout blow to his own goalkeeper Green when accidentally kneeing him in the head, causing him to leave the field after just 34 minutes - surely another small event in our favour, given that former Reading 'keeper Alex McCarthy had played just twice for his latest club and conceded three goals in each game? 

No, we barely went near his goal all afternoon. Typical.

Fabricio Coloccini did give McCarthy the chance to save just before half-time when he should have headed home from point blank range after Daryl Janmaat's shot had deflected into his path, but 

The break gave Rangers a chance to regroup while the Magpies emerged in a state of confusion - not knowing whether to stick or twist after enjoying the all-too-rare luxury of an interval lead.

United were given a warning when QPR - who had made their final two substitutions at the interval - almost scored in the 47th minute but Matt Phillips's effort at the far post was somehow deflected wide by a well-timed block from Jonas Gutierrez.

Charlie Austin then went close but Carver's side failed to heed the warning and allowed Phillips to level, converting an Austin cross with a close range header. And worse was to follow just seven minutes later when Fer's rocket beat Krul all ends up

That induced the familiar panic that has seen us tailspin into our current predicament, Papiss Cisse and Rolando Aarons replacing Riviere and Ryan Taylor - the latter whose set piece delivery was again lamentable, but who retained his place due to the apparent untrustworthiness of Mehdi Abeid. 

Only Carver will know why Vurnon Anita was relegated back to the bench after what for him was a reasonable display against West Bromwich Albion, while the pathetic Remy Cabella made way for Sammy Ameobi, who wasn't much better and struggled with the confines of the Loftus Road pitch.
 
There were chances to salvage what would still have been a precious point, Hill clearly manhandling Cabella to the ground and then legally deflecting Cisse's goalbound effort over the bar. As has so often been the case though, we failed to build up a head of steam and force something to break - Rangers seeing out the game with little effort and looking as likely to add a third as concede.

And the day had a fitting conclusion when Cisse lined up a free-kick in a great position during added time, only to harmlessly chip the ball into McCarthy's arms. That final chance to prevent a sixth successive away defeat sets up a nervy last against West Ham at St. James' Park next Sunday.

Anything other than a win would allow Hull to catch us by beating Manchester United, although two defeats for the mackems at Arsenal (in their game in hand on Wednesday) and Chelsea could still mean a point would see us safe, should our current inferior goal difference of five be expunged.

With Villa and Leicester now assured of their top-flight status for another season, it comes down to a three-way survival battle on the last day of the season between us, the mackems and Hull. 

Sound familiar? It didn't end well in 2009, when a single goal loss at Villa took us down, one point behind Hull (who lost 0-1 at home) and two behind the mackems (beaten 2-3 at home to Chelsea).

The Red Devils return to Humberside on Sunday looking to make it eight wins out of eight against the Tigers in the Premier League. In a fifteen year managerial career meanwhile, the Old Trafford old  boy in charge of Hull has never beaten his old side. Yet.

It was a home loss to West Ham that relegated us in 1989 and Big Sam would like nothing more than to repeat that feat on his former employers, in what may yet be his final game in charge of the Hammers. Kevin Nolan may also have something of a grudge against the current administration....