The champions twice trailed during a pulsating encounter, but Sergio Aguero scored two superb goals to rescue a point for the mis-firing Blues who at least showed plenty of character during an at times testing 90 minutes.
QPR had set out to rattle from the beginning with crunching challenges and high press tactics clearly unsettling a very nervy looking City.
So fragile is the confidence in defence at the moment that the champions were fortunate to escape a bizarre 60 seconds when Charlie Austin twice had the ball in the net only to have each effort disallowed with less than 10 minutes on the clock.
The first, a firm header planted past Joe Hart from eight yards, was offside by a country mile, but from the resulting free-kick, Hart slipped as he attempted a short pass and touched the ball two times in quick succession as it rolled to the edge of the box where Austin planted it firmly past the England No.1.
Hart immediately claimed he’d touched the ball twice and was lucky the eagle-eyed Mike Dean had already spotted the infringement and while Austin was still celebrating, the goal was again rubbed off
...QPR 2 City 2...
Full of belief, QPR continued to fly in with strong challenges, racking up yellow cards as they went along and City had no real response, looking uncomfortable on the ball and forced into making unnecessary mistakes.
It seemed inevitable QPR’s efforts would eventually pay off and only a superb save from Hart denied Austin again on 14 minutes.
Then, finally, it came. Vargas cut inside of one challenge before sliding a pass into the middle for Austin to shoot first time past Hart into the bottom corner and send Loftus Road wild – ironically, he looked as though he may have been a fraction offside.
It was hard to see how the Blues could stem the tide and regain their usual composure with the rain bucketing down and a partisan home crowd on their backs, but Yaya Toure’s 20-yard howitzer reminded Rangers that they were up against a class act.
Five minutes later, City clawed back level and it was the genius of Aguero who created something out of nothing as he collected Eliaquim Mangala’s 50-yard pass with one touch before pushing the ball forward, checking inside and beating Robert Green with a low shot.
QPR claimed he’ handled the ball along the way, but although it had struck his arm, there was little he could have done about it and it hadn’t been intentional.
Hart made two move stunning saves within 30 seconds before the break – both from Austin shots – and though the flag was raised for the second effort, Hart has no idea as he instinctively kept out the QPR man.
Joey Barton appeared for the second-half – the first time he’d faced City since his red card in 2012 during THAT game against QPR and the controversial midfielder made a point of tapping Aguero’s hand before kick-off – an apology more than two years in the making
...QPR 2 City 2...
City were quick out of the blocks and within a minute Aguero was inches from connecting with Jesus Navas’ cross and five minutes later Aguero fed Samir Nasri who threaded a pass across the face of the goal only for the sliding Yaya Toure to miss by inches.
In an enthralling game – a superb advert for all that is good about the Premier League – Rangers continued to ask questions of the Blues’ defence who, at times, grimly clung on through a mixture of good defending and fortune.
Edin Dzeko replaced Fernandinho past the hour-mark but then was replaced himself as he picked up what looked like an ankle injury within four minutes as this high-octane encounter refused to plateau.
Then City’s stop-start performance took a severe turn for the worse when the hosts regained the lead on 75 minutes as Austin’s cross was deflected past Hart by Martin Demichelis, but it wasn’t a complete shock as the Hoops had been steadily building up a head of steam.
The Blues response was almost instantaneous as Barton’s header back from distance was intercepted by Aguero who rounded Green, but was forced just too far wide and Richard Dunne cleared off the line.
Then James Milner struck the bar and Yaya Toure and Bacary Sagna went agonisingly close as City did everything but equalise, but when the chips are down, there’s one man who always seems to come to the party and on 83 minutes Aguero made it 2-2.
Yaya Toure’s superb chip found Kun on the run but he still had to round Green (again) and then plant the ball into the net past the three flailing QPR defenders in the six yard box for his 13th of the season.
Then Milner almost teed up Yaya Toure for a dramatic late winner, but the Ivorian saw Barton hurl his body in the way of what looked like a certain goal and, finally, the referee called a halt to proceedings with a draw probably just about the right result.
