ONE way or another this game was always going to be about Charlie Austin.

The Loftus Road clash between two of the teams occupying the Premier League relegation zone was, paradoxically, also a battle between two of England’s most in-form strikers.

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In the blue and white corner was Austin, prolific for the Clarets for two years, with 45 goals in 90 games, before leaving for QPR at the start of Burnley’s promotion-winning season last term.

Austin scored 28 times in 40 games the year before he left Turf Moor, but his absence wasn’t felt as keenly as it could have been as Danny Ings and Sam Vokes picked up the baton and scored the goals that took Burnley back to the top flight.

Ings scored 26 times last season, has four in the Premier League so far this year, and is now a regular for England Under 21s.

In the end the spoils went to Austin and the Hoops, simply because their best moments in and around the area fell the way of the 25-year-old, while Burnley’s didn’t fall to Ings.

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Like most of Harry Redknapp’s side, Austin struggled to get himself into the game, until he set up Leroy Fer’s opener just after the half time interval.

As the clock ticked down during the second period, with the Hoops desperately clinging on to their lead in face of a barrage of Burnley pressure, Redknapp wanted to withdraw Austin.

The striker pleaded with his boss to stay on, and what followed was surely the most eventful three minutes and 56 seconds of the former brickies career.

Robbie Fowler once scored a Premier League hat-trick in just over four minutes. It took Austin less than four to complete a hat-trick of another sort.

First he was booked for a late and rash tackle on Trippier.

Then came the moment he will want to remember. One chance, one goal. Putting the game beyond his former club.

Too many players opt not to celebrate against their old employers these days. Not for Austin, he milked his moment, but the joy was short-lived.

Within 140 seconds he had flung an arm into Michael Keane’s face. Out came a second yellow card, and off he went.

Aside from the Austin show, the Clarets will feel bitterly disappointed to have left West London empty handed.

Before the game Redknapp pointed out that Burnley had finished ‘miles above us’ last season, and that the ‘nucleus’ of both teams remained the same.

Nonsense.

From when the sides drew 3-3 at Loftus Road in February, only three QPR players started on Saturday, Rob Green, Richard Dunne and Joey Barton. For Burnley eight remained, and it would have been 10 but for the enforced absences of Michael Duff and Sam Vokes.

Ben Mee was the only change made by Clarets boss Sean Dyche from Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle, replacing the injured Stephen Ward.

While QPR signed Steven Caulker, Jordan Mutch, Leroy Fer, Rio Ferdinand and Sandro to strengthen their squad ahead of their Premier League return, for a combined fee of around £30million, the £3million purchase of George Boyd is one of the few signings made by Dyche, but he was irrepressible in a first half dominated by the visitors.

Ashley Barnes had already shot over, and Green had recovered from spilling a Dean Marney cross to make an excellent save from Arfield, when the goal appeared to be gaping, before Boyd had his first chance, scuffing a shot wide from a low cross from Mee.

But a scrappy opening half was illuminated by two moments of world class football just before the half hour.

Boyd collected the ball 25-yards from goal on the left hand side, and unleashed a sensational swerving shot, that Green flung himself across his goal to touch the ball on the post.

During the interval the Clarets must have been wondering how they weren’t ahead.

Five minutes after the break they were wondering how they were behind.

Zamora and Austin linked up on the left to engineer the former Claret some space on the left of the area. He played Fer in and his shot struck the outstretched Mee, and looped over the stricken Heaton. It was cruel luck.

Despite the setback Burnley continued to create the better openings, and Boyd was at the heart of them. His cross-shot was almost turned into his own net by Dunne, before the former Hull man wasted his best chance of the afternoon, blazing over from 15 yards on his left foot .

As Burnley have already found out this season if you don’t take your chances you will get punished, and when it’s a former favourite dishing out the punishment, the pain can be even worse.

The Chilean pair of Vargas and Mauricio Isla. , summer loan signings for QPR from Napoli and Juventus respectively, created the chance and Austin finished from 10 yards.

Two minutes later he had his head in his hands as he trudged down the tunnel, but it was too late to give the Clarets a way back into the game.