Pace, movement, fluidity and imagination have not always been words immediately associated with Neil Warnock teams in times past, but his Queens Park Rangers side demonstrated it has all four in not so much beating as embarrassing Wolves. The first two goals, through Joey Barton and Alejandro Faurlín, came early, the last late through DJ Campbell, but there should have been many more.

In the circumstances it would be a shame, and it would be wrong, if the focus were to be on an episode involving Barton at the end of the match. Upended from behind by Karl Henry, a clear foul which the referee ridiculously deemed a clean tackle, the prone Barton was subjected to dog's abuse by the Wolves supporters. He responded by gesturing the scoreline, and at the final whistle was involved in an unedifying exchange of views with various Wolves players. Barton's capacity to attract incident continues to be extraordinary, but the midfielder did nothing wrong on Saturday, and with the ball, an awful lot right.

"How [Henry] didn't get booked for the tackle on Barton I'll never know, it's a tackle from behind and the linesman is two yards away – if he flags, everything that followed stops," said Warnock.

"But I'm glad Joey has got other things about him, or else I wouldn't have been able to sign him. He was my number one target, and I just kept hoping none of the top four [clubs] would want him, because I'm sure he could get in one or two of those sides.

"To my mind it was a complete performance away from home, and I thought we were unlucky not to score a few more. We just have to maintain that level."

If they do, Rangers are going to do more than just survive. The owner, Tony Fernandes, watching from Malaysia, tweeted that it was "like watching Brazil", and from the moment in the first minute when the Wolves goalkeeper, Wayne Hennessey, was required to produce an outstanding save to keep out Shaun Derry's header, they made Wolves look like selling-platers. It didn't take the visitors that much longer to go ahead. From near the byline Shaun Wright-Phillips mis-hit his cross but it bounced kindly for Barton to attempt a shot on the turn. The midfielder scuffed his effort, but the ball squeezed inside Hennessey's right-hand post.

Two minutes later Rangers doubled their lead. Richard Stearman's headed clearance picked out Faurlín, waiting around 20 yards from goal, and the Argentinian chested the ball down before volleying the ball crisply past Hennessey.

Mick McCarthy's side did summon a response of sorts, and Henry was unfortunate when his shot from 18 yards hit the outside of Paddy Kenny's left-hand post, but otherwise it was all Rangers, their bright inter-play and passing constantly exposing Wolves' rigidity. Time and again Wright-Phillips threatened to get in behind the Wolves backline, and both he and Barton missed good chances that would have made the game safe.

McCarthy made changes at half-time, taking off George Elokobi, dropping Stephen Ward to left-back, and bringing on Sam Vokes up front as well as Adlène Guedioura on the right side of midfield. They looked better for it – they could hardly look worse – and Roger Johnson headed over from a corner, but still they could not force Rangers goalkeeper Kenny to make a save.

It was only a matter of time before Rangers caught their opponents on the break as Wright-Phillips's drive from 20 yards beat Hennessey but rebounded off the post into the goalkeeper's arms. In the end it was Campbell, sliding the ball home after another fine run from the irrepressible Armand Traoré, who ensured the scoreline more accurately reflected the balance of play.

"They were outstanding, albeit that they were aided and abetted by our performance," McCarthy said.