The top two teams in the Championship locked horns at Turf Moor today as Burnley welcomed Queens Park Rangers to Lancashire.
Burnley went into the match on a run of six straight wins in the league and they made it seven thanks to a Danny Ings brace that ended QPR's unbeaten start to the season.
Read how it all unfolded in our minute-by-minute updates below.
Afternoon all! It's the biggest game of the Championship so far this season as the top two collide at Turf Moor.
Burnley have been building up to this game all week and we particularly like this poster from their Twitter feed:
Anyway, no time to waste so let's get to the team news...
BURNLEY XI: Heaton; Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Mee; Kightly, Marney, Jones, Treacy; Vokes, Ings
QPR XI: Green; Simpson, Dunne, Hill, Assou-Ekotto; Barton, Kranjcar, Henry, Hoilett, O’Neill; Austin
SUBS! And the two benches today:
BURNLEY: Cisak, Lafferty, Stock, Long, Stanislas, Noble, Edgar
QPR: Traore, Phillips, Onyewu, Jenas, Chevanton, Murphy, Faurlin
Burnley confirm on their Twitter page that Scott Arfield, who scored the winner at Ipswich last week, is out with a groin injury. He's replaced by Keith Treacy on the wing for the Clarets. QPR, meanwhile, are unchanged from last week but do name new signing Oguchi Onyewu on the bench.
Briefly away from this match, just look at what a busy afternoon it is on SM today. The tweet below is a screeshot of our live scores box on the right of this commentary. Plenty going on!
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There's been two matches already in the Championship today and both were Yorkshire derbies. Barnsley and Wednesday played out a 1-1 draw in the South Yorkshire clash before Huddersfield came out on top 3-2 in a thrilling West Yorkshire clash against Leeds.
Anyway, back to Lancashire and Turf Moor. Click here to see the latest table going into this huge clash at the Championship's summit. Burnley are two points clear at the top but have played one more game than second-placed QPR.
Burnley have won six games in a row while QPR are unbeaten in 11 games. The hosts haven't lost at home, QPR haven't lost away. Pretty impressive, eh?
The spotlight this afternoon will be on the two attacks. Burnley's front two of Danny Ings and Sam Vokes have been brilliant this year while QPR's top dog in attack is Charlie Austin, who moved to West London from Burnley in the summer.
KICKOFF! QPR, in their blue-and-white home kit get us underway. Fantastic atmosphere at Turf Moor for this huge game.
Forgot to do my prediction beforehand so I'll get it in now quickly. I fancy QPR because of their superior talent and am backing Redknapp's men to win 2-0.
UPDATE! Blimey, Stoke take an early lead at Manchester United as Peter Crouch scores in the fourth minute. Remember, the red live scores box to the right of this commentary is where you'll keep up with all the scores from up and down the country.
Burnley right-back Trippier has been the best full-back in the league this year. He loves to get forward and has just delivered a cross that was well held by Green.
Ings beats Dunne in the air and looks to collect his own flick-on but Dunne does really well to keep the ball in and then clear.
First shot of the game comes from an unlikely source as Henry drills low and powerfully from the edge of the Burnley box. It's straight at Heaton who makes a simple save.
UPDATE! First goals in the Championship come at the Madejski and Huish Park as Reading take the lead against Millwall while Yeovil surprisingly lead against Forest.
CHANCE! Almost a freak goal for Burnley as Henry plays a careless backpass towards Green that Ings easily intercepts. The number 10 looks to round Green but he is dispossessed by the keeper.
CLOSE! Ings skips past a pair of challenges to win Burnley a free kick about 30 yards out. Trippier takes it in Cristiano Ronaldo fashion and dips it straight at Green. The QPR keeper can't hold onto it and the visitors are able to scramble it clear, just.
WHAT?! @OfficialQPR on Twitter: "It appears that the @BurnleyOfficial mascot has been sent off! #BURvQPR"
UPDATE! Leicester lead Bournemouth and Blackpool lead Blackburn as two more goals go in elsewhere. David Nugent and Thomas Ince the scorers.
After a frenetic start to the match, there feeling now is one of calming down the tempo. If the game remains level into the second half, you have to feel that both sides will take up the mentality of not wanting to lose, rather than wanting to win.
Today's referee is Andy Haines and he's just let off Marney for a late, late tackle on Hoilett. Could have easily been a booking.
YELLOW! We do have a card now though as Barton is shown yellow for tripping up Marney. Burnley now have a free kick in a great position to the right of the area.
Jones curls it over but there's no claret shirt at the back post so QPR clear.
QPR have just conceded on their official Twitter feed that Burnley have been the better side in the opening half an hour. Neither keeper is yet to make a real save and the game is becoming bittier and bittier.
Burnley work the ball neatly down the left but it comes to nothing as Dunne cleans up at the back.
YELLOW! Jones becomes the first man in the book for Burnley and that's his fifth of the season so he'll have to sit out the next game.
Joey Barton is a lucky, lucky boy as he clearly uses his arm to block Trippier's pass forward. I think if he hadn't been booked earlier then he might have seen yellow there. Clear handballs like that usually warrant an instant booking.
YELLOW! Haines dishes out the third booking of the game as Hoilett goes in with a high foot on Trippier. Harsh from the ref but QPR's consistent fouling is angering the home fans.
UPDATE! Derby take the lead against Birmingham through Jamie Ward while it's now 1-1 between Bournemouth and Leicester as Marc Pugh equalises for the Cherries.
YELLOW! Another booking for QPR as Dunne clatters into Shackell, who was making a rare burst forward. It's been very dirty from the visitors so far.
Ha ha! You know how I mentioned earlier about the Burnley mascot being sent off. Apparently it's because he tried to give the linesman some glasses:
YELLOW! A fifth booking of the first half as Treacy is carded for a foul on O'Neil.
Hoilett's shot is blocked before Barton blasts low from a long way out, with the ball flashing a yard or so wide.
HALF-TIME: BURNLEY 0-0 QPR
Goalless it remains after 45 minutes at Turf Moor then. Burnley have without a doubt been the better side but haven't created too much to really threaten Rangers.
Click here to see all of the half-time scores from the Premier League, Championship and Leagues One and Two.
To sum up that first half, Burnley have been the better footballing side, with QPR playing dirty. Burnley's mascot, Bertie Bee, has also been sent to the stands after trying to give the linesman some glasses!
Scroll down a few posts to see a picture of Bertie in a cell of sorts at Turf Moor. How odd!
The most surprising result elsewhere is at Huish Park where rockbottom Yeovil are beating Forest 3-1 at the break. Would be a huge three points for Gary Johnson's side if they convert it.
STATS! It's very even in terms of the numbers at Turf Moor. Both sides have had four shots and one on target each. QPR are edging the possession with 54% of the ball.
Neither side has an outstanding substitute to bring on. QPR's most attacking player on the bench is Matty Phillips as strikers Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora are both injured. Burnley's biggest threat is likely to be Junior Stanislas. No changes being made at the break though.
KICKOFF! The Clarets get the second half underway at Turf Moor. To be honest, I think both sides would be content if the game finished as it is now.
Kightly cuts inside from the left and fires at goal but it's blocked away by a diving blue-and-white shirt in front of him.
Here's a shot from the first half of Trippier and Hoilett battling for possession:
QPR's physio races onto the pitch after a robust challenge from Mee on O'Neil. The veteran midfielder is OK to continue though.
I really am expecting one of the managers to make a change soon. The game needs freshening up as it's been a very stale second half.
UPDATE! Bolton break the deadlock at the Reebok against Ipswich while Leicester are back in front against Bournemouth.
GOAL! BURNLEY 1-0 QPR (INGS)
Ings and Vokes have been brilliant all season and they've just linked up superbly to break the deadlock at Turf Moor. Ings played it into his strike partner who then reversed it back for the number 10 who took a touch before poking home expertly. Great goal.
QPR SUB: A first change of the match rom Redknapp as Jermaine Jenas replaces Karl Henry in the centre of midfield.
Redknapp is soon to make a double substitution and throw everything at this game.
QPR SUBS! On comes Matty Phillips and Javier Chevanton for O'Neil and Kranjcar.
Marney whips over a low cross that beats Ings by a yard or so. So close to a second.
YELLOW! Cynical tug back from Simpson stops Kightly getting away and that's a clear booking.
As things stand in the Championship, QPR are dropping down to third behind behind Leicester, with Burnley going three clear at the top. This will be a seventh straight win for the Clarets.
Hoilett beats Trippier down the left before picking out Austin in the middle. The former Claret takes a touch before his volley is blocked.
BURNLEY SUB: David Edgar comes on for Marney, who has picked up an injury.
Into the final five minutes we go. If Burnley see this out, you have to congratulate them for a win that really proves they mean business in the Championship this year. On paper, QPR's side is far better but Burnley have been better in real life.
PENALTY TO BURNLEY! BARTON TRIPS UP INGS!
GOAL! BURNLEY 2-0 QPR (INGS, PEN.)
The Clarets do more than see it out, they double their lead as Ings sends Green the wrong way from 12 yards. QPR's unbeaten record in the league is over. The penalty was a little harsh as it seemed that Ings was more crowded out than actually fouled. Either way, the hosts certainly deserve this win.
Sean Dyche must be delighted and this picture shows that jubilation:
FIVE minutes of added time have been indicated. It's a party in Burnley tonight.
QPR are doing very little here to suggest that they are going to grab a consolation. A disappointing afternoon for them but they will still be up there come the end of the season. No doubt about that.
FULL-TIME: BURNLEY 2-0 QPR
As I mentioned earlier, three points for Burnley from their seventh straight win in the league moves them three points clear at the top of the table. QPR drop to third. Click here for the full table.
Find all of today's scores and results by clicking here.
Anyway, that's all we've got time for here on SM this afternoon. A phenomenal win for Burnley as they reinforce their status as Championship contenders this year. I recommend that you now head over to our El Clasico coverage for Barca vs. Madrid.
