As Queens Park Rangers plot their escape from the relegation zone, they would do well to remember their Bonfire Night performance against Manchester City.

The R's nearly shocked the league leaders, fighting to a 3-2 defeat that at the time seemed to signal a promising Premier League campaign. Little has gone right for the Hoops since that fateful night, but it should serve as inspiration for what they can do against any club.

With Liverpool visiting Loftus Road this week, here's a useful history lesson.

QPR's prime time debut was carried live on ESPN, with the supporters still riding high on the season's pinnacle moment - the 1-0 victory over Chelsea two weeks prior. A lively crowd shuffled in and got to work singing, giving David Milner and Mario Balotelli a noisy Shepherd's Bush welcome.

The little club that could was rocking and ready to show the world that they were to be taken seriously now that they'd fought their way back to the top flight. There was no question City were the better club, so what was there to lose by going after them with everything the R's had? Warnock's men did just that, playing an aggressive and open game. Armand Traore slashed up the left side creating opportunities. Young was a force on the right wing, pressing high and delivering some solid crosses, but also paid for his aggression when he was caught out by a Dzeko breakaway that led to City's first goal. Jay Bothroyd had his best performance for the Hoops, heading the first goal to give the home side an early lead and deflecting the second that Heidar Helguson tucked home. Bothroyd worked well in the centre-forward role, aiding Helguson and Mackie up top, in a formation that should have been used more to extract better results from him.

After the visitors went ahead on the strength of David Silva's 52nd minute strike, the R's battled back and put City on their heels, culminating in the second goal. With the pace and intensity QPR displayed, the crowd was sniffing an upset before Yaya Toure's 73rd minute header cut the mood back down to size. Rather than rolling over, QPR dug deep and forced some late efforts that nearly put them level once more. In the end it was a defeat, but a strong performance against a powerhouse club that seemed to set them in good stead heading on in the season. The bounce they took with them eventually fizzled out, leading to more upheaval and turnover in the squad, but there was an energy that night that is badly needed once again.

The key to the City match was a combination of daring and gritty play, with a full-throated Loftus Road behind the team. The best hope for QPR on Wednesday night will be for the supporters to make the stadium a fortress again, and for the well-paid hitmen that have been brought in to recapture some of the spirit that was shown in November.

No one has given QPR much of a chance at survival with the difficulty of their remaining schedule, and they deserve that prediction with their declining form in the last few months. With better strikers on board and Hughes' impact on the team's style starting to take shape, there is still potential for points to be earned in the coming weeks. Beating Liverpool will be no easy task, and a review of the last meeting at Anfield underscores how dangerous this match can become. Despite a seemingly tame 1-0 scoreline, QPR were massively outplayed and saved from a thrashing by some superlative saves by Radek Cerny and some inexplicable misfires from the Reds. One minor fact also plays into QPR's favour - they have the best goal difference of the current relegation candidates. A vital part of the run-in will be avoiding the kind of five goal walloping that Wolves endured against United last week. With only ten fixtures remaining, the R's have to pray for some luck and give everything they've got left to try and nail down some points before it's too late.

Come on you R'ssssss.

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