League round-up: Warnock's words of warning inspire QPR

Kaspars Gorkss, Queens Park Rangers' Latvian defender, scored twice as the Championship frontrunners made their best start to a season for 63 years. The 3-0 defeat of Doncaster Rovers was their seventh win in an unbeaten eight-match run without a goal conceded at home in four games.

Rovers had the better of the first 45 minutes. "At half-time I told three or four of my major players they were a bit short and needed to step up," Neil Warnock, the QPR manager, said, "and they did." After the break QPR revealed a cutting edge Rovers had lacked when Gorkss fired in a 35th-minute rebound, Adel Taarabt fired in an 81st-minute penalty and seven minutes later Gorkss headed in Taarabt's corner. QPR have opened up a six-point lead.

Second-placed Cardiff City came from a goal down to beat 10-man Millwall 2-1 thanks to Andy Keogh's late header to a Jay Bothroyd centre. Scott Barron gave the Lions a 10th-minute lead, but Bothroyd levelled 14 minutes later. Five minutes before the break Liam Trotter felled Darcy Blake and was sent off; Peter Whittingham might have made Cardiff's win simpler, but David Forde saved his penalty.

Danny Graham opened Watford's account after only 17 seconds against Middlesbrough as the Hornets followed last week's 6-1 humbling of Millwall with a 3-1 defeat of Boro to go third. Jordon Mutch made it 2-0, Graham fired in his second after 20 minutes.

Scunthorpe United celebrated Ian Baraclough's rise from caretaker to full-time manager by holding Ipswich Town to a 1-1 draw. Roy Keane's side slip to fourth. Norwich City fared worse, losing 2-0 at home to a Hull City side that had not won away for 27 games, Robert Koren and Tom Cairney scoring for the Tigers. Reading's Zurab Khizanishvili was sent off just past the hour at home to Barnsley, but the 10 men more than held on, Jimmy Kébé, Ian Harte and Hal Robson-Kanu scoring as the Royals won 3-0.

Nottingham Forest took advantage of Swansea City's wretched away form to record a first home victory of the season, Lewis McGugan on target twice in a 3-1 win. Burnley dropped points at home for the first time in a 0-0 draw with Bristol City, Graham Alexander missing from 12 yards for the first time in 19 Clarets penalty kicks. Preston are off the bottom thanks to a 2-1 win at Coventry, their first away points of the season, while Derby County won at home for the first time this season, Albert Bueno scoring twice in a 5-0 defeat of Crystal Palace, who had James Vaughan sent off at 1-0.

League One

Francisco Sandaza's dramatic late winner saw Gus Poyet's Brighton beat Oldham Athletic 2-1 to go top.

League Two

After beating Liverpool at Anfield in midweek, Northampton Town carried that form into the League, Billy McKay and Ben Tozer scoring in the 2-0 defeat of visitors Bradford City.

Europe

Mainz 05 continued their dazzling Bundesliga run with a 2-1 victory at Bayern Munich and remain top of the table with six wins out of six. In Spain Real Madrid were held 0-0 at promoted Levante, but Barcelona coasted to a 3-1 win over 10-man Athletic Bilbao. Marseille prepared for their trip to face Chelsea by beating Sochaux 2-1, but Lyon lost 1-0 to the French League leaders Saint-Etienne.