Michael Dacosta Gonzalez marked his return from injury with a goal as AFC Bournemouth were beaten 3-2 by fellow Professional Development League high-fliers QPR on Wednesday.

Dacosta Gonzalez, who had missed their past seven games after suffering a knee injury, came off the bench to score with a composed finish two minutes from time at Wimborne Town’s New Cuthbury.

Earlier, QPR had forged 2-0 in front thanks to goals from Nathan Jeche and Steven Bala inside the opening 21 minutes before Jonny Stuttle’s finely-taken goal halved the deficit five minutes into the second half

Rafferty Pedder restored the visitors’ two-goal lead seven minutes from time before Dacosta Gonzalez completed the scoring late on.

The visitors fashioned the first chance when Steven Bala’s header from Pedder’s tenth-minute cross was acrobatically saved by Mack Allan.

And just 60 seconds later, QPR opened the scoring when Nathan Jeche finished assuredly past Allan into the bottom corner after latching on to Pedder’s pass.

Bala doubled QPR’s lead in the 21^st minute when he arrived to meet Joseph Ajose’s low cross with a fierce drive from close range which gave Allan no chance.

QPR goalkeeper Harry Cant raced off his line to beat Stuttle to a Max Kinsey through ball before Kian Tydeman’s header from a Finn Tonks centre clipped the crossbar.

Dom Sadi, teed up by Karlos Gregory’s slide-rule pass, could only find into the grateful arms of Cant on the stroke of half-time.

Deep in first-half stoppage time, Allan got safely behind a low drive from Ajose after the QPR winger had turned in off the line.

Stuttle halved the arrears with a well-taken goal five minutes into the second half, the striker seizing on a defensive lapse before finishing with accuracy into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The Cherries were then thankful to Allan for scurrying across his line and diving full length to push Samuel Sackey’s skidding drive around the post.

An audacious effort from half-time substitute Dacosta Gonzalez bounced narrowly past the upright before Sadi slid in to meet Gregory’s cross, only to see his shot just clear the crossbar.

Another strike from Sadi following a burst down the right flank flew over the top before Allan threw himself to his left to claw away Pedder’s drive.

The Cherries appealed in vain for a penalty 11 minutes from time after Stuttle had gone to ground under a challenge by Henry Hawkins with referee Phillip Eddie unmoved. 

Pedder, arguably the Londoners’ best player, grabbed a deserved third goal with an unstoppable right-foot shot from the edge of the box seven minutes from time.

Dacosta Gonzalez set up a grandstand finish when he applied a crisp, left-foot finish to Noa Boutin’s low cross two minutes from time.

AFC Bournemouth: Allan, Tonks, Boutin, Brown, Kinsey (Williams, 64), Harris, Tydeman (Dacosta Gonzalez, h/t), Sadi, Stuttle, Landa, Gregory (Osborne, 80). Unused subs: Crisp (g/k), Holman.

QPR: Cant, Rendall, Leahy, Hawkins, Woodman (Evans, 71), Sackey (Tuck, 71), Ajose (Vaughan, 67), Murphy, Jeche, Pedder, Bala (Anthony, 57).