QPR suffered only their second home defeat of a momentous season after party poopers Leeds grabbed a 2-1 win.
But Hoops still lift title after tribunal decision
Champions Queens Park Rangers suffered only their second home defeat of a momentous season after party poopers Leeds grabbed a 2-1 win at Loftus Road.
The Hoops, who were told they would not be deducted points over the Alejandro Faurlin affair shortly before kick-off, celebrated by making the perfect start through Heidar Helguson's tap-in with barely 30 seconds on the clock.
Leeds hardly managed to get the ball out of their own half in the first half hour but soon equalised out of nothing when Max Gradel poked home.
And it was the Yorkshire side who took maximum points after grabbing the winner midway through the second half when Hoops defender Kasper Gorkss turned home Ross McCormack's shot.
It was a blow for the jubilant home fans packed into Loftus Road expecting to finish the campaign with a stylish win.
However, the result was soon forgotten as the players returned onto the pitch to pick up the Championship trophy in a party atmosphere.
The victory proved in vain for Leeds as their slim hopes of grabbing a play-off place evaporated with Nottingham Forest's win at Crystal Palace.
Belated
An eventful day saw Neil Warnock's team finally get their hands on the silverware, a week after they clinched it, following the Football Association's announcement they would not be docked points over the alleged third-party ownership of Argentine midfielder Faurlin.
The club were found guilty of two of the seven charges facing them but fears of potential 15-point penalty were not realised.
It left the way clear for a belated promotion party which could not even be spoiled by the final day defeat.
The FA have been heavily criticised for not hearing the case until the final week of the season and then delaying the verdict - leaving the club sweating on the outcome long after they had secured promotion.
Yet somehow, their timing was impeccable as an hour before kick-off, the news from Wembley filtered through and suddenly Loftus Road was rocking.
Slim
It is not often a club like Leeds, with their own calamitous recent history and points deductions, becomes merely a sideshow.
But the Yorkshire side had in fact travelled south still harbouring slim hopes of a play-off place.
That looked even more unlikely after just 27 seconds, however, as a QPR team no longer playing under a cloud cut through their defence straight from the first whistle.
Akos Buzsaky burst forward and played in Tommy Smith, whose shot was saved by Kasper Schmeichel but fell to the feet of Heidar Helguson for a simple tap-in.
Faurlin, who has admirably gone on to play a pivotal role in Rangers' promotion despite the furore surrounding him, almost made headlines for the right reasons with a fierce 20-yard drive but Schmeichel palmed his effort away.
Even referee Mark Clattenburg looked like he was in no mood to spoil the party, turning a blind eye when last-man Matt Connolly tripped Billy Paynter with the striker about to charge through on goal.
But after 38 minutes Leeds found an equaliser when Max Gradel beat home goalkeeper Radek Cerny to a hopeful long ball and dinked it into the net.
Entrance
Rangers skipper Adel Taarabt was a conspicuous absentee from the starting line-up, but the mercurial midfielder made his entrance to huge acclaim 10 minutes into the second half.
Schmeichel then pulled off a fine save to keep out a Smith header on the hour mark.
But Leeds edged in front in the 68th minute when Ross McCormack's shot deflected off Kaspars Gorkss and left Cerny wrong-footed as it floated into the net.
McCormack also shaved a post while Rangers went closest to an equaliser when Smith was once again denied by Schmeichel.
Warnock's response was to throw centre-half and cult hero Danny Shittu into the attack.
It was a tactic unlikely to reap too many rewards in the Premier League next year - but at least they will be there.
