Flavio Briatore thought that Queens Park Rangers was a restaurant when they were offered to him for sale, but his team have begun to serve up an appetising menu. There was nothing bit-part in the comprehensive dissection of Stoke City yesterday, denting their opponents’ ambitions of automatic promotion.

QPR’s performance was characterised by crisp, silky passing, intricate moves, intelligent counter-attacking and sharp finishing. Briatore’s dream of playing in the Champions League in the next four years may be outlandish, but they should be taken seriously as promotion contenders next season, on this evidence. They have beaten the top three teams in the Coca-Cola Championship since Luigi De Canio, the first-team coach, took over with his team next to bottom. “The players need that same mentality against the rest,” De Canio said.

Mikele Leigertwood’s first goal during a zestful opening period came moments after the midfield player had inadvertently deflected a free kick on to the underside of his team’s bar, the ball bouncing off Lee Camp, the goalkeeper, before being thumped off the line. Finding himself in space, Leigertwood’s first touch sat up nicely for him to drive from 30 yards into the corner of the net. He dispatched a loose ball for his second goal after Rowan Vine had been outmuscled in the area. “We showed we had the capacity and personality to seize the opponent on the back foot,” De Canio said.

Stoke’s chances of another comeback — they have overturned a deficit to win on more occasions than any other team in the division — evaporated when Andy Griffin was harshly sent off. Griffin was guilty of nothing but determination and aggression as he sprinted to meet a loose ball and one leg rode up to brush Hogan Ephraim. Andy D’Urso, the referee, may have been deceived by his positioning, because he galloped across to show the red card.

Ephraim and Patrick Agyemang combined shortly after the break for Akos Buzsaky to drill in a third. The nimble Martin Rowlands cajoled with clever passes, Buzsaky’s speed and crossing were a nuisance and Vine and Dexter Blackstock had chances to extend the lead.

For Stoke, Ricardo Fuller dribbled a shot to brush a post and Glenn Whelan curled a strike that Camp clawed wide. Tony Pulis, the Stoke manager, was at a loss to explain his team’s poor performance. “If I knew why we played that way I would be up in the sky managing God’s only team,” he said.

Queens Park Rangers (4-4-2): L Camp – M Mancienne, F Hall (sub: D Stewart, 78min), M Connolly, D Delaney – A Buzsaky, M Rowlands (sub: G Ainsworth, 81), M Leigertwood, H Ephraim – P Agyemang, R Vine (sub: D Blackstock, 75). Substitutes not used: M Pickens, K Lee. Booked: Mancienne.

Stoke City (4-4-2): S Simonsen – A Griffin, R Shawcross, L Cort, D Pugh – L Lawrence (sub: L Buxton, 62), S Diao (sub: P Gallagher, 55), G Whelan, R Cresswell – M Sidibe (sub: A Wilkinson, 46), R Fuller. Substitutes not used: R Hoult, J Parkin. Booked: Cresswell. Sent off: Griffin.

Referee: A D’Urso.

Golascorers: QPR: Leigertwood 12, 21, Buzsaky 56