Edin Dzeko, Yaya Toure and Joe Hart were all relieved men after the Blues maintained their five-point lead at the summit of the Premier League.
“It was perhaps the hardest away game of the season so far,” said Dzeko, whose goal just before half time levelled the scores.
“I was surprised by QPR but in a positive way, and they kept going right to the end.”
Hart, who made a couple of crucial saves in front of the watching England boss Fabio Capello, could hardly contain his excitement.
“That was a proper Premier League match,” he beamed. “Hats off to QPR. It was a great game and I loved every minute of it.
“We can play better than we did but we dug deep and we can be proud that we won that game and what we achieved. Not many teams will come here and win, especially in a night game.
“It was the first time I have played at Loftus Road and it was great - the fans, the atmosphere, the whole thing. We scored some fantastic goals and Joleon Lescott really stepped up in Vincent Kompany’s absence.”
The last word though went to Yaya Toure whose superb header decided the game and took his tally for the week to three.
“If you want to win league titles then these are the games in which you have to come out top,” he declared. “We are all so happy that we go into the break still five points clear and unbeaten, it is fantastic.
“Everyone is happy and working hard for each other and for the manager, and that is what you saw on the pitch at QPR. Joe Hart deserves praise too. He is a fantastic goalkeeper and makes great saves when he has to.”
