Newcastle United laid down a Championship marker as they blew away Queens Park Rangers on a sweltering night in west London in a victory so comprehensive that Rafael Benítez was forced to warn against complacency.

Two-nil up at half-time thanks to goals from Jonjo Shelvey and Ayoze Pérez, Newcastle went on to crush Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s side in a result that matched their biggest league away win and QPR’s biggest home defeat. Yet after the match Benítez remained poker faced, surely aware that the Championship has the capability to stymie his side yet.

“We have to make sure we concentrate for every game,” Benítez said. “It doesn’t matter if you get six goals, enjoy yourselves for a couple of days, sure, but then you have to focus on the next one. It’s a very difficult competition.”

Benítez was full of praise for his forward pairing of Pérez and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who ran a merry dance through QPR’s disorganised defence and highlighted the wealth of Newcastle’s attacking options. “I’m very, very happy with the strikers,” Benítez said. “Today was a difficult decision for me because Daryl Murphy was training very well and to play Mitrovic rather than Dwight Gayle was difficult but we have a good squad.”

Newcastle’s early play was notable for its assertiveness and physicality. In a contrast to many pre-match expectations, they muscled the home side out of possession on several occasions. In the eighth minute one such turnover sent Mitrovic free behind the exposed QPR captain Nedum Onuoha. Outrunning Steven Caulker, his cut-back found Shelvey whose shot deflected over Alex Smithies and into the net.

Time and again Newcastle laid waste to QPR’s right flank and in the 30th minute the lead was doubled. This time Matt Ritchie provided the run, squaring up against Onuoha before fizzing a beautiful low ball across goal. Pérez was sharpest to the ball and while Smithies saved his shot, the keeper could only palm the ball back to the Spaniard who did not need another invitation.

Within three minutes of the restart the game was over as Pérez was allowed to control a long ball on his chest and into the path of Shelvey. The England international was not in the Newcastle team at the start of this season but showed no doubts in his ability as he took a touch and curled a perfect 25-yard shot into the top corner.

Newcastle then ran rampant. Ciaran Clark scored the fourth, heading in at the far post from a corner. Minutes later the substitute Christian Atsu’s low shot was deflected into the path of Mitrovic who passed the ball into the net for his first goal of the season. The rout was completed by another sub, Grant Hanley, whose right-foot effort was again deflected past a beleaguered Smithies.

Hasselbaink did his best to put a brave face on the result afterwards, claiming his team had “lost together” and observing that his opponents had a “£100m squad”. But the Dutchman will not have been deluded that his team played well on the night and look in serious need of organisation. “We were very stretched and it was easy for them to counterattack,” he said. “It was easy for them to get in behind us even though we were quite deep. I might start looking at the videos tonight, because I know I’m not going to sleep.”