Watford fell to a 1-0 defeat against Queens Park Rangers in Chris Wilder’s first match at the helm of the club at Loftus Road.

The home side would be the first to make a dent in the scoreline as Tim Iroegbunam got Gareth Ainsworth’s Rs off to the perfect start, placing the ball into the bottom corner under significant pressure from Hamza Choudhury just outside the six-yard box.

Despite consistently impressive work from João Pedro, who was a nuisance for the QPR defenders throughout the opening period, Rangers took a 1-0 lead into the break. After the interval, the Hornets showed a marked improvement on their first-half efforts, but QPR’s game management frustrated Watford and allowed them to hold onto their slender lead.

With only 10 matches to go in the Sky Bet Championship, Watford won’t have long to wait until their next fixture as they head back to Vicarage Road to face Birmingham City on Tuesday evening (March 14, 7.45pm KO).

Recently-appointed Watford Head Coach Wilder made two changes to the starting XI that featured against Preston North End last time out, with Mario Gaspar and Keinan Davis coming in for James Morris and Henrique Araújo respectively.

It was a feisty atmosphere inside a tightly-packed Loftus Road, with both the home and away ends providing the backing track to a hotly-anticipated fixture.

The opening stages of the encounter saw the ball in the air more often than not, with neither side able to gain a foothold of possession. When Watford’s creative players were able to bring the ball down however, João Pedro was able to exhibit his quality, forcing the on-rushing QPR defenders to take him down.

When the Brazilian won a set-piece before the 10-minute mark, Imrân Louza delivered an enticing, looping cross to the back post that was nearly met by João Pedro, but the ball was too powerful.

The home side would eventually start to build momentum, and following a surging run from Iroegbunam, the attacking midfielder was able to roll the ball into the far corner of the net under pressure from the Hornets’ backline.

Looking to respond to going a goal down, João Pedro won another free-kick after a neat one-two with Davis, but this time the ball was located just outside the box and in dangerous territory. Louza, who had blasted one into the top corner against Blackpool earlier this campaign, was unable to recreate his goalscoring heroics and found his strike blocked by the QPR wall.

Buoyed by their opener, QPR continued to cause the Hornets problems with the home crowd lifted entering the final period of the first half. Iroegbunam went in search of his brace, but found the target blocked by Lyndon Dykes who nearly found the back of the net himself, inadvertently deflecting the ball wide.

With the opening period closing, Watford’s talisman João Pedro won a third free-kick and despite Louza bending it around the wall, QPR’s shot-stopper Seny Dieng was able to comfortably gather the ball. At the interval, QPR took a deserved one-goal lead.

Watford returned from the break unchanged, but reinvigorated, as Wilder’s Hornets looked to improve on their performance during the first 45 minutes. Ismaïla Sarr and João Pedro were more direct as they were supported by the overlapping Wesley Hoedt and Ryan Porteous.

Louza and Sarr combined well down QPR’s right-hand side, leading to the Senegalese winger trying his luck from a tight angle. Although his strike went wide, the travelling support appreciated the step up in tempo.

The Hornets had most of the possession as the clock crossed the 60-minute mark, but they were left frustrated by a resilient QPR defence that allowed for little room to manoeuvre.

For spells the match was taking place in QPR’s half, with the ball camped in the Rs’ defensive third. Louza and Davis both went close with headed chances inside the box, but each effort lacked the power required to beat Dieng.

During an attacking chance, Sarr pulled up with an injury and was substituted by Britt Assombalonga, with Porteous replaced by Yáser Asprilla as Wilder hoped for a change of fortunes.

Heading into the final 10 minutes, Gaspar and João Pedro both had potential chances to level the game, but the Spaniard had his effort saved and the Brazilian had his penalty appeals ignored. Despite seven minutes of additional time, the Hornets were unable to find that all-important leveller.