Three days after Queens Park Rangers had eliminated them from the League Cup, Liverpool beat the same opponents 4–1 at Anfield in the First Division on 8 March 1986. Steve McMahon scored twice, with Ian Rush and John Wark providing the other goals.
Kenny Dalglish returned to the starting side after missing the cup match with a groin injury. His influence was central to Alec Johnson's contemporary Daily Mirror account, which described the player-manager's quick turns and one-touch passing. QPR's Michael Robinson offered a succinct assessment: “Dalglish made them a super team again.”
Rangers had initially threatened another difficult afternoon for Liverpool. Leroy Rosenior scored after seven minutes, but McMahon equalised in the nineteenth. Rush put Liverpool ahead ten minutes later, and Wark scored shortly before half-time to establish a 3–1 lead.
McMahon added his second with fifteen minutes remaining. Craig Johnston had replaced Wark shortly beforehand; Dalglish completed the match.
The victory brought Liverpool three league points before a crowd of 26,219. QPR's cup progress remained intact: their 2–2 draw at Anfield on the Wednesday had completed a 3–2 aggregate semi-final win. Dalglish's next assignment was an FA Cup quarter-final against Watford at Anfield.