Stoke moved up to 15th place, six points clear of the drop zone, while QPR will be relegated on Monday if Aston Villa beat Manchester United.The Moroccan almost shaved the post with two early long-range strikes then ignored well-placed team-mates to his left and right before blazing wastefully wide. It was no surprise when the second goal arrived 15 minutes before full-time. After Robert Huth's header had struck a post, Crouch was pulled down by Hill as he looked to convert the rebound and referee Chris Foy pointed to the spot.Livewire striker Loic Remy apart, QPR looked a disjointed unit in a match which provided ample evidence as to why they are in such a dire predicament.Nonetheless, they were almost gifted an opener when Rob Green fumbled Walters's shot and looked on in relief as the ball bounced away to safety.Too often players shot when they should have passed and vice versa, while in conceding the opening goal shortly before the break the home side reprised a habit that has cost them points up and down the country.Just as they had against Everton, QPR fell behind just before half-time. Marc Wilson dispossessed Andros Townsend and fed Jerome, who eluded Chris Samba with some neat footwork and pulled the ball back for Crouch to put away only his second goal since September.Stoke had entered the match on a desperate run that had seen them slip into relegation contention, but Crouch's opener injected much-needed confidence into their play and they comfortably held on for a first away victory since 1 December.
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