Shaun Derry has spoken of his belief that Adel Taarabt can provide the spark to keep QPR in the Premier League this season.
GettyImagesAdel Taarabt had not scored in the Premier League for QPR this season before this weekend
Taarabt, 22, was on top form against Arsenal on Saturday, inspiring QPR to a 2-1 win over a Gunners side previously unbeaten in seven games.
The Moroccan international grabbed his first goal of the season, having been amongst the top-scorers in the Championship last year.
"Adel was outstanding," Derry told reporters. "It was a last-year performance from him, when he was incredible, and his goal was from the top drawer.
"Hopefully that will give him the confidence to score more vital goals and produce those type of performances between now and the middle of May."
Derry was at a loss to explain Taarabt's inconsistency this season, but believes that the youngster can turn it on from now until May.
"He's got such raw ability that he absolutely took the league by storm last year. I don't know why it's taken so long to reproduce it.
"There is a lot of responsibility on his shoulders after what he did last year. Everyone was looking for Adel to be the shining light.
"It's not been the case, just as it hasn't been the case with the new players that have arrived. But hopefully we can look back in May and say this was one of the highlights.
"It is all about mindset now, we need to focus on the task in hand. It is going to take some huge performances and great results to keep us in the Premier League."
Manager Mark Hughes was similarly praising of Taarabt's performance post-match, but knows that the playmaker must perform to his best more often.
"You cannot just flit in and flit out," Hughes said of his player. "He really understood he needed to do the defensive work well and the goal was really well taken.
"Adel is an undoubted talent, he just needs to harness it. If he listens to what myself and the coaches tell him, then he will be a top Premier League player. He just has to understand how he can use his ability to the best and he is learning very quickly."