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Queens Park Rangers could hardly have asked for a better start to the Championship season, overcoming a difficult opening 20 minutes to beat Portsmouth 3-1 at Fratton Park, with Ilias Chair producing the sort of performance that reminded everyone just how good he can be at his very best. The victory was made all the more impressive by the circumstances, with Nicolas Madsen, Tariq Lamptey and Dennis Cirkin all unavailable, Boy Kemper forced off after just 20 minutes and Richard Kone left on the bench, while Julien Stéphan’s team selection initially raised plenty of eyebrows. With Madsen missing, Stéphan opted against starting either Jonathan Varane or Glen Kamara, instead moving Ronnie Edwards into midfield alongside Harvey Vale. It was hardly a conventional solution and Portsmouth took advantage early on, controlling the opening stages before Terry Devlin once again proved to be a thorn in Rangers’ side. The right-back, who scored in this fixture last season, produced another spectacular finish after QPR failed to clear a free-kick, his swerving effort from around 30 yards giving Pierce Charles absolutely no chance. Yet this QPR side showed something that was often missing last season, a reaction. Rather than allowing the early setback to derail them, Rangers gradually grew into the contest, with Edwards in particular improving despite being booked in the first half, while Vale began to find more space in his deeper role. His contribution to the equaliser was superb, lifting a delicate ball over the Portsmouth defence which Nicolas Schmid really should have come and claimed, allowing Chair to nip in and finish from close range. From there, Rangers suddenly looked a completely different side. Koki Saito’s goal came from a slick counter-attack, with Rumarn Burrell providing excellent hold-up play before Chair’s tidy through ball released the Japanese winger. Saito’s initial effort took a fortunate deflection off Devlin, but the move itself was exactly what Stéphan would have wanted, QPR exploiting the space left behind by Portsmouth and attacking at pace. Then came the moment that perhaps best summed up the difference in quality between this QPR side and last year’s team. Pierce Charles started the move with a superb diagonal ball into Kwame Poku, who fed Burrell before Amadou Mbengue surged forward from right-back. Burrell’s first-time lay-off found Mbengue in space and, rather than producing one of the inconsistent deliveries that occasionally frustrated Rangers last season, the Senegalese full-back delivered an excellent low cross into the box for Chair to finish and make it 3-1. For Charles, it was another reminder of why Rangers were so keen to bring him in. His distribution was excellent throughout, with his passing directly initiating both the first and third goals, while he also recovered from one second-half mistake which allowed Abu Kamara through by making an important save. There will inevitably be nervous moments with a young goalkeeper being asked to play out from the back, particularly when opponents deliberately try to press him, but the upside is already obvious, with Charles giving QPR a completely different dimension in possession. Mbengue was arguably just as impressive, producing one of his best performances in a QPR shirt at both ends of the pitch. His attacking threat was constant, his recovery pace proved valuable and his final ball for the third goal was exactly what Rangers have wanted to see more consistently from him. With Lamptey still to return, it may not be quite as straightforward as assuming the new signing walks straight into the right-back position after this display. The star of the afternoon, however, was undoubtedly Chair. Two goals and an assist represented a spectacular return to form for the Moroccan, who looked far closer to the player Rangers had been missing during the second half of last season. His role was particularly interesting, operating almost as a left-sided number eight with the freedom to drift across the pitch, find pockets of space and cut inside onto his favoured right foot. It suits Chair’s natural game perfectly, giving him the freedom to roam rather than pinning him to the touchline, and when he plays with this level of confidence he remains one of the most dangerous players in the Championship. The win also offered plenty of encouragement elsewhere. Jake Clarke-Salter and Jimmy Dunne were composed at the back, with Dunne enjoying a physical battle with Colby Bishop, while Kealey Adamson deserves enormous credit for stepping in at left-back following Kemper’s injury. Having struggled for quality and consistency in his natural position last season, Adamson was asked to perform a completely different role and barely put a foot wrong, finally getting his first win in his tenth appearance for the club. Glen Kamara’s debut was another particularly encouraging development. Introduced in the second half, the former Leeds midfielder immediately looked assured in possession, demonstrating the composure and positional intelligence that made him such an impressive player at Championship level previously. His experience should prove invaluable throughout the season, and his arrival looks even more significant when considering the makeshift midfield QPR were forced to use from the start here. Stéphan also deserves credit for the way his substitutes helped see the game out. Paul Smyth and Alfie Lloyd brought pace, pressing and energy from the bench, both contributing to the counter-attacking threat and going close to adding a fourth. Lloyd in particular was unlucky not to convert Vale’s low cross, while Smyth showed the sort of relentless work rate that makes him such a useful option late in games. There were still moments of concern, particularly in the second half when Portsmouth created opportunities to get back into the game, and Stéphan himself admitted afterwards that he was disappointed Rangers did not put the contest beyond doubt. Nevertheless, that is perhaps a welcome complaint to have after an away win of this magnitude. Portsmouth manager John Mousinho summed up his side’s collapse after conceding, admitting that they had been ‘completely dominant‘ early on before falling apart once QPR equalised, and that transition vulnerability was something Rangers exploited ruthlessly. Ultimately, this was an extremely encouraging opening-day performance. QPR were missing several important players, had to improvise in midfield, lost their left-back after 20 minutes and fell behind early, yet still found a way to completely turn the game around. Chair looked reborn, Charles immediately demonstrated the value of his distribution, Mbengue produced an outstanding display and Kamara showed why his signing could be so important. After the disappointment of last season’s collapse, winning at Fratton Park for the first time in 30 years was impressive enough. Doing it with a performance that showcased so many of the new qualities Stéphan has been trying to build into this QPR side makes it considerably more exciting. The Championship season could hardly have started much better for Rangers. The real test now is whether Rangers can follow this up against Bolton Wanderers. QPR return to Loftus Road on Saturday for their first home league game of the season, with Bolton arriving after an impressive 2-1 opening-day victory over Preston North End. With Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City to follow, Rangers have a chance to make a serious statement in the opening weeks of the campaign, but Saturday is where they need to prove that Portsmouth was the beginning of something rather than simply a brilliant opening day.