Gary Waddock seems almost certain to be appointed as Queens Park Rangers manager on a permanent basis but a humiliating home defeat graphically illustrated the size of the task which lies ahead.

Goals from Kenny Lunt and substitute David Vaughan gave struggling Crewe a deserved Coca-Cola Championship victory and condemned Rangers to their second home defeat in the space of four days.

Caretaker-manager Waddock has been in temporary charge at Loftus Road since Ian Holloway was placed on gardening leave in February.

But having made an initially encouraging start to his spell as caretaker chief, Waddock has now not managed to conjure a victory from Rangers in their last six games.

The Loftus Road club have denied Waddock has already been handed the reins on a permanent basis and on this form it is perhaps just as well.

Rangers, who also slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Stoke on Wednesday, were dreadful again as Dario Gradi's perennial strugglers kept alive their slender survival hopes.

The hosts claimed an injury-time goal through Gareth Ainsworth but the points had long since been secured by Crewe.

Waddock's men initially began brightly but after Lee Cook played Paul Furlong in with a neat pass, the veteran striker lost his footing when well placed inside the box.

Crewe seem all but certain to relinquish their Championship status this season but their commitment to playing attractive football remains firmly intact.

Unchanged for the sixth successive game, Gradi's men soon gained a foothold on proceedings and in Steve Jones they possessed a player quick enough to trouble any defence.

Jones embarked on a strong run down the left flank and fired in a dangerous low cross which required Danny Shittu to avert danger at the near post.

With a quarter of an hour on the clock Jones again broke free down the left but his delivery again failed to beat the first defender.

Rangers midfielder Steve Lomas fired wildly over from the edge of the box midway through the opening period and seconds later Lunt's vicious 20-yard strike forced Paul Jones to parry.

Furlong was guilty of missing two chances, and the Railwaymen took advantage by stealing ahead six minutes before the break.

Jon Otsemobor's throw-in from the right was expertly flicked by Rodgers into the path of Lunt, who strode forward to coolly sweep the ball home left-footed from 12 yards into the bottom corner.

Crewe's small sprinkling of fans jumped for joy and were off their seats again seconds after when Lee Bell broke clear before Jones raced off his line to make a vital interception.

Not surprisingly, Rangers began to exert greater pressure but their impotence in attack was horribly exposed after 55 minutes when Ainsworth failed to convert a cutback from Mauro Milanese.

Rangers continued to pummel the Crewe defence but the visitors defended like demons and claimed a killer second goal on the counter-attack after 74 minutes.

Substitute Vaughan collected possession on the left-hand side of the penalty area and fired home a low diagonal left-foot shot into the bottom corner from 14 yards to effectively secure the points.

Ainsworth volleyed home from six yards deep into injury time but the boos were soon ringing out around Loftus Road at the final whistle.

Teams

QPR Jones, Bignot (Langley 64), Evatt, Shittu, Milanese,Ainsworth, Bircham, Lomas, Cook, Furlong (Moore 74), Nygaard.

Subs Not Used: Cole, Santos, Bailey.

Booked: Bircham, Evatt.

Goals: Ainsworth 90.

Crewe Turnbull, Otsemobor, Bougherra, Foster, Billy Jones,Bell, Lunt, Grant, Taylor (Varney 89), Rodgers (Vaughan 60),Steve Jones.

Subs Not Used: Tomlinson, McCready, Higdon.

Goals: Lunt 39, Vaughan 73.

Att: 12,877

Ref: S Tanner (Somerset).