Coventry City 1-0 QPR: Bobby Thomas heads a late winner for Coventry

With both sides starting the evening four points outside the division’s top six there was an opportunity for them to close the gap, but the respective goalkeepers were in top form.

Koki Saito fired an early shot over the Coventry bar before Nardi pulled off the first of his heroics.

Matt Grimes – making his first league start for the home side since moving from Swansea in January – lined-up a shot from just outside the box which the Rangers custodian saved at full-stretch, before scrambling to block Ellis Simms’ follow-up.

The Frenchman then saved from Jack Rudoni after he had been picked out by Victor Torp’s cut-back, before Dovin was forced to save from Paul Smyth at full-stretch at the other end.

Michael Frey should have given QPR the lead seven minutes into the second period as Kenneth Paal’s pass found him with only Dovin to beat from six-yards, but he could not find his way past the Swede.

Nardi then did well to readjust his feet and save after Luis Binks deflected Torp’s shot towards the bottom corner.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto did have the ball in the net for Coventry only for the effort to be ruled out for offside, before both sides had late appeals for penalties turned down by referee Will Finnie.

Thomas ended-up having his shirt pulled off him by visiting captain Steve Cook and then Alfie Lloyd went down under a challenge from Binks with the official unmoved on both occasions.

In a frantic finish Nardi had to save at the feet of substitute Ephron Mason-Clark. But he was finally beaten as he was left stranded by a deep Rudoni corner to the far post where Thomas was left to climb above everyone and head into an empty net.

Coventry move up to eighth place in the table and are now just one point outside the play-off places.