Manchester City 3 QPR 1: Head boy Dzeko to the rescue again as Tevez hits 50th as champions shrug off gritty R's

Edin Dzeko is not the most popular or exciting member of Manchester City’s super-squad but he will always be selected by Roberto  Mancini to play QPR.
Less than four months ago, Dzeko, who was linked with Liverpool in one of the more bizarre transfer deadline-day rumours on Friday, headed an injury-time equaliser against Rangers that rescued City’s fading title challenge with seconds to spare.
And on Saturday the Bosnian beanpole was at it again, nodding in at exactly the same end of the ground to safeguard an important City  victory just 98 seconds after the  Etihad Stadium had been rocked by a Rangers equaliser.

Going ahead: Manchester City's Yaya Toure scored for City in the first half

MATCH FACTS:

Man City: Hart, Zabaleta (Toure 74), Kompany, Lescott, Kolarov, Silva (Milner 81), Toure, Rodwell, Nasri (Razak 89), Tevez, Dzeko.
Subs Not Used: Pantilimon, Sinclair, Clichy, Balotelli.
Booked: Kolarov, Rodwell.
Goals: Toure 16, Dzeko 61, Tevez 90.
QPR: Green, Bosingwa, Ferdinand (Onuoha 67), Nelsen, Da Silva, Wright-Phillips, Granero (Cisse 85), Park, Faurlin (Dyer 72), Zamora, Johnson.
Subs Not Used: Murphy, Derry, Mackie, Hoilett.
Booked: Zamora.
Goals: Zamora 59.
Referee: Chris Foy

With Sergio Aguero injured and Mario Balotelli about to face eye surgery, Dzeko’s importance has never been higher.
He even broke into a rare smile when his shot was diverted past Robert Green by partner-in-crime Carlos Tevez for a third City goal in injury time that maintained their unbeaten start to the season and left QPR’s much-changed team still seeking their first win.
Along the way, there were plenty of milestones for the home team against their former manager Mark Hughes. Mancini won in his 100th Premier League game, Dzeko’s goal was City’s 200th in that time and Tevez’s late strike was his 50th  Premier League goal for the club.
Not that the hard-to-please Italian was jumping with joy. ‘We played well in the first half but we have one problem at the moment, we aren’t taking our chances,’ he said. ‘It is important we improve because we can’t concede a goal in every match. But it was important we got the three points.’
Coach David Platt backed up his manager’s view. ‘We weren’t ruthless enough,’ he complained. ‘Last season we closed games off really early. When you go 3-0 up you gain confidence and deflate teams. But we aren’t getting that second goal.’

Fairing home: Toure gets the ball past Rob Green through a crowded penalty area

Hughes was just disappointed his team had not kept the score at 1-1 for longer. ‘I could sense apprehension in the stadium at that point. It was a real body blow to concede so quickly after scoring ourselves,’ he admitted. ‘But we can take a lot of positives from the game. We were in the backyard of the champions.’
Rangers have so many players, having signed 12 in the summer window, there was no room for Adel Taraabt or Clint Hill on the bench, while DJ Campbell cannot be fitted into the 25-man Premier League squad and will be sent out on loan.
They were not overly ambitious yesterday but were solid enough to suggest they will not be involved in another relegation ding-dong this season.

Ouch! Pablo Zabaleta challenges Queens Park Rangers' Park Ji-Sung

Esteban Granero, a £9 million  capture from Real Madrid, looked good in the middle of the park and goalkeeper Green was his usual mix of decent and dodgy. This could be his last game for a while, however, following the arrival of Brazil’s Julio Cesar from Inter Milan.
None of the five players signed by Mancini on deadline day, including £16m midfielder Javi Garcia featured, but there were things for the Italian to enjoy, including the Yaya Toure-Jack Rodwell partnership in midfield. But there also much for Jose Mourinho, the coach of Real Madrid, to work on as he watched on ahead of their Champions League showdown in 16 days’ time.

Free header: Bobby Zamora heads QPR level

City’s defending at set pieces was poor and veteran Rangers defender Ryan Nelsen twice had chances to equalise at 2-1.
City rattled up six corners in the opening 16 minutes. From the sixth, they scored after Tevez’s shot was blocked by Bobby Zamora and Toure connecting with a rising shot past Green from the rebound.
City fans were aware they had also led 1-0 at half-time of their title-decider in May but were then shocked by two QPR goals to trail 2-1 before the late drama. So there was plenty of anxiety when Tevez was denied by Green, Pablo Zabaleta hit the underside of the crossbar and then Rangers levelled when Andy Johnson dispossessed David Silva and his shot was parried by Joe Hart into the path of Zamora to score.

Jumping for joy: Andy Johnson celebrates with Zamora after his goal

Take that! Zamora celebrates his goal in front of the QPR fans

Any nerves were settled when Dzeko scored almost immediately. Aleksandr Koloarov sped down the left and from his cut-back, Tevez nipped in before Anton Ferdinand and crossed for his strike partner. With Green rooted to his line, the  6ft 3in striker easily converted with his forehead.
Nelsen then screwed a shot wide from Nedum Onuoha’s knockdown as City, unbeaten at home in the league since December 2010, began to creak.
But in virtually the final attack, Dzeko shot, Tevez stuck out a leg and the ball shot past a startled Green to give the final scoreline an unjust gloss.
Champions sometimes get what they don’t completely deserve.

Winner: Edin Dzeko celebrates scoring his side's winning goal

Making sure: Carlos Tevez celebrates his goal in stoppage time

Nelsen then screwed a shot wide from Nedum Onuoha’s knockdown as City, unbeaten at home in the league since December 2010, began to creak.
But in virtually the final attack, Dzeko shot, Tevez stuck out a leg and the ball shot past a startled Green to give the final scoreline an unjust gloss.
Champions sometimes get what they don’t completely deserve.