QPR boss Chris Ramsey says there is still belief in the QPR dressing room that they can beat the drop despite falling to yet another defeat at Crystal Palace.

Five points from 12 top-flight matches makes grim reading for all those connected to Rangers, who on Saturday paid the price for their embarrassing first-half capitulation.

Wilfried Zaha, James McArthur and Joel Ward all struck as Palace ran amok as half-time approached – goals which proved decisive as the hosts ran out 3-1 victors, with Matt Phillips' goal of the season contender a mere consolation.

"I am very disappointed," Ramsey said.

"We had a spell where we could, at least after the first goal, stopped the flow and stopped the tide.

"There's nothing to explain it, apart from that we're in this position because of those key moments. We really need to do better in those situations."

QPR did rally after half-time but it was a matter of too little, too late due to their embarrassing first-half collapse.

"The opportunity for me was to come in and try the best to turn things around," Ramsey said.

"The squad is the squad, we're going to work with the players that we've got.

"I am hoping nine games is enough, that's all that I've got, so we'll go for it as best we can.

"The players believe in it. The players downstairs are disappointed, they're not bickering and moaning at each other.

"Yeah, some people are disappointed and some people are obviously voicing their opinions about how disappointed they are, but they're still unified, as you'll find.

"They're still unified in what we're trying to do and all we can do really is to keep fighting."

The visitors' only highlight on a miserable afternoon in south London was Phillips' outstanding long-range strike.

Just as the match was petering out, the winger took aim and rifled past Eagles goalkeeper Julian Speroni from 43 yards, earning applause from both sets of fans.

"To be honest with you, it was a great strike but a tap-in or a 40-yarder, it made no difference," Ramsey said.

"Two of their goals were tap-ins and I'd rather have two tap-ins than one of those."

While Ramsey found it hard to get excited about Phillips' goal, with Palace all-but assured victory when it went in, counterpart Alan Pardew was far more appreciative.

"No one was going to save that," the Eagles boss said. "That was a freak goal.

"From 25 or 30 years on a training ground, I can't remember seeing a better goal on the training ground let alone on a match day. It puts it into context.

"I remember David Beckham scoring the goal here (against Wimbledon in 1996) and from a technical point of view Phillips' one was better because it was a real, outstanding hit. He can be very proud of that."

It was not just Phillips rolling back the years, as Pardew heaped praise on Zaha and Yannick Bolasie after their electrifying displays.

"I wouldn't say they were the best wingers in the country, but they're exciting," he said.

"There's two flaws in their game, really. One – they don't score enough goals and two – being disciplined in their defensive duties.

"They are two areas we've worked hard on but their individual talent, the way they go past players and lift it over their heads, that's purely from within and what they've learned in how they've been brought up.

"They were fantastic, so exciting in the first half – a kind of throw back.

"(Former Palace boss and ex-Manchester United winger) Steve Coppell would have been pleased today – I hope he was watching because it was like a Steve Coppell game today."

Mobile app users, watch the highlights here.