Harry Redknapp left Old Trafford with plenty to ponder as Manchester United roared back to condemn QPR to the worst Premier League start any side has made after 13 games.
Rangers remain rooted to the foot of the table despite taking a second-half lead through Jamie Mackie.
Any hope Redknapp might have had of his new charges marking his installation as manager by recording their first win of the season evaporated with three United goals in a nine-minute burst.
Redknapp left four minutes from the end to contemplate what he has admitted is the biggest challenge of his managerial career.
At half-time, Redknapp would have at least been able to think he had something to work with. Rangers had a sense of purpose and stuck to their defensive duties, assisted by a lacklustre United display.
Then on 52 minutes, after Anders Lindegaard could only shove Kieron Dyer's low cross away from goal, Mackie finished off. Minutes later, Adel Taarabt curled a free-kick narrowly over.
Sir Alex Ferguson took immediate action, hauling off Paul Scholes and Young in favour of Anderson and Javier Hernandez.
The change took a while to have any effect, but eventually, United brought themselves level.
Wayne Rooney spoke yesterday about the goalscoring responsibility he has carried since Cristiano Ronaldo left. He cannot have expected Jonny Evans to have picked up the mantle: before this season, the Northern Irishman had only scored one United goal.
But he turned home Danny Welbeck's header from Rooney's corner for his third of the season.
If that goal was well received, the one Darren Fletcher got to put the hosts ahead from another Rooney corner triggered an emotional reaction from the Scot.
It was his first Premier League goal since the derby-day mauling by Manchester City. He has spent most of the intervening period battling a chronic bowel complaint that threatened his career.
Hernandez was soon tucking home his ninth of the season as QPR showed their brittle side again.
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