QPR head coach Julien Stephan called Middlesbrough “the best team we’ve played this season” after his side lost 3-1 on Teesside.
It was a sobering afternoon after four wins in their previous five, but Frenchman Stephan had no complaints about the result.
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“We have to be honest and say that is probably the best team we have faced since the start of the season,” Stephan told BBC Radio London.
“Especially in the first 60 minutes, they played technically, collectively, physically very, very well and they were stronger than us – I think they deserved the win and it was a logical result.
“We scored one goal and we had more opportunities to score another one but in the end they deserved their win.”
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But the challenge that Stephan has issued his players is to see if they can raise their levels over the next few months to those shown by Boro.
He added: “We will play against them again in March at home and let’s see in the next three months if we are able to improve in order to compete because we know they will be playing for promotion.”
