QPR Official Site
QPR vs Sheffield Utd
2 - 3
Date:
12/01/2010 Venue:
Loftus Road
Attendance:
5,780 Referee:
A Woolmer
QPR's late show proved immaterial in their FA Cup third round replay against Sheffield United, as the Blades came out on top in an entertaining affair in W12.
Despite the R's dominating for large periods of the first half, it was United who took the lead through Lee Williamson, who drilled home when free in the area.
After the break, the Blades increased their advantage to three goals courtesy of a quick-fire double.
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First, substitute Jamie Ward lashed home past Radek Cerny for number two, before he played provider for Richard Cresswell, who added a third.
Seemingly out of the tie, Rangers - in truth - did make a game of it late on, as Akos Buzsaky notched a penalty, before Damion Stewart nodded in a second.
But it was not enough, as United booked their place in the fourth round where they will play Bolton Wanderers.
Paul Hart named an unchanged side for the R's third showdown of the season against the Blades.
With new loan signing Cark Ikeme ineligible, Radek Cerny continued in goal, behind a back four of Gary Borrowdale, Stewart, Kaspars Gorkss and Peter Ramage.
Buzsaky and Wayne Routledge occupied the wide berths in midfield, with skipper for the night Mikele Leigertwood partnering Alejandro Faurlin in the centre of the park.
Jay Simpson - who scored in the original tie at Bramall Lane - was once again joined in attack by Patrick Agyemang.
Blades boss Kevin Blackwell was forced into changes, with Matt Kilgallon, Ward and Henri Camara making way for Marcel Seip, James Harper and Williamson.
As the tie commenced on a bitterly cold night in West London, Rangers had the first opportunity to find the back of the net in the opening minutes.
Ramage's long throw into the box caused confusion in the United ranks, and Simpson did well to take the ball down and poke it back to skipper Leigertwood on the edge of the area - who could only fire wide of the target.
Moments later, the R's were again on the offensive. After a neat ball was played to Routledge down the left-hand side, he played a square pass to Faurlin just short of the area, whose curling effort was superbly palmed away by Mark Bunn in the Blades goal.
In terms of chances created, QPR by now were in the ascendancy and soon after, only a fantastic low save from Bunn prevented Rangers from taking the lead.
Agyemang broke at pace down the left before playing a dangerous low centre into the six-yard box, which cannoned off the legs of Blades defender Andy Taylor towards goal.
Thankfully for United, however, Bunn was on hand to get down low to his right to tip the ball wide.
Soon after, passes were exchanged between Buzsaky, Routledge and Ramage before the latter crossed for Simpson, who was unlucky to see his header miss left of the target.
And the R's were made to pay for a series of missed opportunities midway into the first half, with Williamson firing United into the lead against the run of play.
Nick Montgomery's floated centre evaded every player bar the unmarked Williamson at the back post, who controlled the ball before firing low past Cerny and into the bottom corner.
Undeterred, Rangers tried to get back into the tie, as they created further chances to find the net.
First, Leigertwood received the ball in the United half before driving at goal and firing an effort just past the right-hand post.
That was before Routledge and Faurlin combined to play Simpson in on the edge of the area, who - under pressure from his marker - blasted wide of the target.
Moments later, a ball was played from deep to Buzsaky midway into the Blades half, and he did well to turn his marker before a driven effort missed just left of the goal.
A flurry of chances followed just before the break, as both sides missed good chances to add to the scoreline.
The Blades could - and probably should - have been two goals to the good, as Ched Evans missed a glorious opportunity to double the lead.
Harper's ball from deep was played over the top of the R's defence to the unmarked Evans, who beat the offside trap only to fire the ball onto the crossbar and over with only Cerny to beat.
At the other end, after his corner headed away, Borrowdale played the ball back into the area onto the head of Gorkss, whose header was blocked off the line by Derek Geary.
Just before the half-time whistle came, play soon switched to the opposite half, and when the ball fell kindly to Montgomery on the edge of the box, on the half volley he fired just over the bar.
The R's had the first chance of any note in the second half, as temperatures continued to depreciate at Loftus Road.
Buzsaky and Ramage exchanged passes before the right-back found Routledge down the right, who beat his marker only to fire a cross over several free and waiting QPR players in the box.
Soon after, Faurlin won a free kick 30 yards from goal before Buzsaky fired in an effort from the resulting set-piece, though Bunn was more than equal to the attempt.
At the other end, Harper's drilled centre from a corner-kick was met by the head of Cresswell, whose headed effort went just wide of the left-hand post.
Rangers were soon back on the offensive, namely when Routledge passed to Borrowdale, whose cross in turn bounced invitingly to Faurlin on the edge of the area, but his shot went just over the goal.
The game then sprung into life with three goals inside four minutes, as the Blades twice increased their advantage before QPR pulled a goal back.
United's second came through substitute Ward, who scored within a minute of his introduction into the tie - but not without some fortune.
Stephen Quinn found space down the left before sending over a cross into the area for the unmarked Ward, whose low effort that was straight at Cerny, crept under the keeper and into the goal.
Almost straight from the kick-off, QPR gave to ball away to Ward, who turned from scorer to provider as the Blades added number three.
Ward broke at pace down the right before squaring for Cresswell, and the United forward didn't pass on the opportunity of steering the ball into the net.
Introduced just a minute earlier, it was Taarabt who was involved in what turned out to be the first of two QPR goals in response.
Taarabt - with his first touch - found the ball in the area on the left before drilling in an effort at goal, which struck the hand of a United defender and left the referee with no option but to point for a penalty kick.
Buzsaky stepped up to take it, drilling his shot into the bottom left-hand corner and past Bunn.
Rangers tried their best to get further reduce the deficit in this third-round tie thereafter as they pressed late on, and QPR set up a grandstand finish by adding a second.
Buzsaky was the architect, curling a free-kick into the area that was met by the head of Stewart, who rose highest and nodded the ball into the net.
German almost took the game into extra time when his drilled effort from six-yards out looked destined to find the net, but Bunn reacted brilliantly to tip the ball away for a corner kick.
QPR: Cerny, Ramage, Stewart, Leigertwood, Routledge, Buzsaky, Agyemang, Gorkss, Faurlin (Taarabt 69), Simpson (German 80), Borrowdale.
Subs not used: McWeeney, Hall, Connolly, Balanta, Ephraim.
Goals: Buzsaky (71), Stewart (88)
Bookings: Gorkss
Sheffield United: Bunn, Montgomery, Morgan, Evans, Williamson (Ward 67), Harper, Taylor, Cresswell (Henderson 74), Seip, Geary (Walker 81), Quinn.
Subs not used: Bennett, France, Stewart, Little.
Goals: Williamson (19), Ward (68), Cresswell (70)
Bookings: Evans
Referee: Mr K A Woolmer
Attendance: 5, 780
www.qpr.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10373~51252,00.html
