Post by Macmoish on Aug 14, 2010 16:11:11 GMT
QPR Official Site
Three goals in 12 first-half minutes saw the R's complete a stunning away day victory against Sheffield United.
On the back of their 4-0 trouncing of Barnsley last weekend, QPR were dominant for large spells of the fixture in the Steel City against the Blades, with Hogan Ephraim slotting home in the 11th minute following Adel Taarabt's sublime pass.
Ephraim turned from scorer to provider eight minutes later, feeding Jamie Mackie at the back post from the left-hand side, who expertly nodded home Rangers' second.
And, when Heidar Helguson was felled in the box for a penalty kick after Ephraim's teasing cross was spilled by keeper Steve Simonsen, Taarabt stepped up to complete an outstanding afternoon for QPR.
Neil Warnock made five changes to the R's side that was defeated in midweek against Port Vale.
Paddy Kenny was in goal for QPR, behind a backline of Bradley Orr, Fitz Hall, Kaspars Gorkss and Clint Hill.
Alejandro Faurlin and Shaun Derry operated just in front of the defence, with Mackie, Taarabt and Ephraim further forward.
Frontman Helguson led the Hoops attack.
The atmosphere inside Bramall Lane was electric as the teams made their way on to the field, and the noise levels rose a notch more when Blades skipper Chris Morgan decided to switch ends, leaving Kenny with the task of keeping goal in front of a barrage of abuse from the home fans.
Kenny, of course, completed a summer switch from United to QPR, and the Blades fans were making their thoughts on the move quite clear.
However, Kenny and his R's team mates settled well in the opening ten minutes - so much so that they raced into a first-half lead on 11 minutes.
It was a slick passing move that created the goal, with the lead up just as good as the finish that followed it.
Derry received possession midway into his own half before playing the ball up to halfway for Taarabt.
The Moroccan international took the ball in his stride before driving forward and putting Ephraim through on goal with a telling pass down the left.
Midfielder Ephraim's first touch was near-perfect - and so was his finish, cutting in from the left before striding into the area and rolling the ball past Simonsen in the Blades net.
It was a goal that gave Rangers a certain confidence as well as a swagger, and just nine minutes later, they were two ahead.
Orr played a beautiful cross-field ball from right-back to the left-hand edge of the penalty area for Ephraim.
Again, the midfielder's touch was superb, before Ephraim dinked a ball back into the box and onto the head of Mackie, who stole in delightfully to nod an effort back across the goal and into the opposite corner at the back right-hand stick.
The R's were rampant, and unbelievably, they were three goals up on 23 minutes.
It'll come of no surprise to know who was again involved - Ephraim. The R's winger was enjoying a fruitful, to say the least, afternoon, and when his lashed cross was too hot for Simonsen to handle, Helguson looked certain to follow up and tuck the ball away.
Helguson's touch was rather heavy as he took the ball away from the target, and as the striker went to retrieve the ball, Simonsen clipped his legs as he went down to catch it.
The referee pointed to the spot and Taarabt netted his second penalty in successive matches, sliding the ball into the bottom-right hand corner of the goal.
The home fans were understandably upset at trailing by such a steep margin, urging their team forward at every possible opportunity.
Kenny had to be alert soon after and produced a quite stunning save to keep the three-goal margin.
Good work from Montgomery down the left-hand side saw him play a pinpoint cross on to the head of Cresswell, who forced a splendid save from Kenny as the keeper tipped the ball over for a corner kick.
As the teams re-emerged for the second half, moments later the R's were forced to replace Hall, who had gone down with an injury, meaning Peter Ramage came into the fray.
Soon after, QPR almost added a fourth goal on the counter attack.
Rangers broke at pace through Taarabt and Ephraim, and when the latter of the two found the ball out wide on the right, he squared back to Faurlin on the edge of the box, whose shot was blocked to safety.
Halfway through the closing period, the R's freshened things up by introducing Leon Clarke for Taarabt, who was greeted with a rapturous applause from Rangers' travelling army.
The second half was a period of few chances, with the R's in particular looking to keep things as tight as possible to preserve their three-goal cushion at Bramall Lane.
Mikele Leigertwood replaced Ephraim on 82 minutes, and the QPR midfielder - who was arguably the pick of the R's bunch - was deservedly given a standing ovation from the field.
The final change of the afternoon had the desired effect, with Rangers holding out for three precious and undoubtedly well-earned points.
Sheffield United: Simonsen, Montgomery, Morgan, Ertl, Britton, Evans (Bogdanovic 68), Taylor (Kozluk 76), Cresswell, Ward, Bartley, Quinn (Yeates 76).
Subs: Aksalu, James, Chapell.
Bookings: Montgomery (14), Bartley (47)
QPR: Kenny, Orr, Hill, Derry, Hall (Ramage 50), Taarabt (Clarke 69), Helguson, Faurlin, Mackie, Gorkss, Ephraim (Leigertwood 82).
Subs: Cerny, Connolly, German, Parker.
Goals: Ephraim (11), Mackie (20), Taarabt (pen 23)
Bookings: Faurlin (45), Ephraim (75)
Referee: Mr K Woolmer
Attendance: 22, 651
www.qpr.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10373~52680,00.html
Three goals in 12 first-half minutes saw the R's complete a stunning away day victory against Sheffield United.
On the back of their 4-0 trouncing of Barnsley last weekend, QPR were dominant for large spells of the fixture in the Steel City against the Blades, with Hogan Ephraim slotting home in the 11th minute following Adel Taarabt's sublime pass.
Ephraim turned from scorer to provider eight minutes later, feeding Jamie Mackie at the back post from the left-hand side, who expertly nodded home Rangers' second.
And, when Heidar Helguson was felled in the box for a penalty kick after Ephraim's teasing cross was spilled by keeper Steve Simonsen, Taarabt stepped up to complete an outstanding afternoon for QPR.
Neil Warnock made five changes to the R's side that was defeated in midweek against Port Vale.
Paddy Kenny was in goal for QPR, behind a backline of Bradley Orr, Fitz Hall, Kaspars Gorkss and Clint Hill.
Alejandro Faurlin and Shaun Derry operated just in front of the defence, with Mackie, Taarabt and Ephraim further forward.
Frontman Helguson led the Hoops attack.
The atmosphere inside Bramall Lane was electric as the teams made their way on to the field, and the noise levels rose a notch more when Blades skipper Chris Morgan decided to switch ends, leaving Kenny with the task of keeping goal in front of a barrage of abuse from the home fans.
Kenny, of course, completed a summer switch from United to QPR, and the Blades fans were making their thoughts on the move quite clear.
However, Kenny and his R's team mates settled well in the opening ten minutes - so much so that they raced into a first-half lead on 11 minutes.
It was a slick passing move that created the goal, with the lead up just as good as the finish that followed it.
Derry received possession midway into his own half before playing the ball up to halfway for Taarabt.
The Moroccan international took the ball in his stride before driving forward and putting Ephraim through on goal with a telling pass down the left.
Midfielder Ephraim's first touch was near-perfect - and so was his finish, cutting in from the left before striding into the area and rolling the ball past Simonsen in the Blades net.
It was a goal that gave Rangers a certain confidence as well as a swagger, and just nine minutes later, they were two ahead.
Orr played a beautiful cross-field ball from right-back to the left-hand edge of the penalty area for Ephraim.
Again, the midfielder's touch was superb, before Ephraim dinked a ball back into the box and onto the head of Mackie, who stole in delightfully to nod an effort back across the goal and into the opposite corner at the back right-hand stick.
The R's were rampant, and unbelievably, they were three goals up on 23 minutes.
It'll come of no surprise to know who was again involved - Ephraim. The R's winger was enjoying a fruitful, to say the least, afternoon, and when his lashed cross was too hot for Simonsen to handle, Helguson looked certain to follow up and tuck the ball away.
Helguson's touch was rather heavy as he took the ball away from the target, and as the striker went to retrieve the ball, Simonsen clipped his legs as he went down to catch it.
The referee pointed to the spot and Taarabt netted his second penalty in successive matches, sliding the ball into the bottom-right hand corner of the goal.
The home fans were understandably upset at trailing by such a steep margin, urging their team forward at every possible opportunity.
Kenny had to be alert soon after and produced a quite stunning save to keep the three-goal margin.
Good work from Montgomery down the left-hand side saw him play a pinpoint cross on to the head of Cresswell, who forced a splendid save from Kenny as the keeper tipped the ball over for a corner kick.
As the teams re-emerged for the second half, moments later the R's were forced to replace Hall, who had gone down with an injury, meaning Peter Ramage came into the fray.
Soon after, QPR almost added a fourth goal on the counter attack.
Rangers broke at pace through Taarabt and Ephraim, and when the latter of the two found the ball out wide on the right, he squared back to Faurlin on the edge of the box, whose shot was blocked to safety.
Halfway through the closing period, the R's freshened things up by introducing Leon Clarke for Taarabt, who was greeted with a rapturous applause from Rangers' travelling army.
The second half was a period of few chances, with the R's in particular looking to keep things as tight as possible to preserve their three-goal cushion at Bramall Lane.
Mikele Leigertwood replaced Ephraim on 82 minutes, and the QPR midfielder - who was arguably the pick of the R's bunch - was deservedly given a standing ovation from the field.
The final change of the afternoon had the desired effect, with Rangers holding out for three precious and undoubtedly well-earned points.
Sheffield United: Simonsen, Montgomery, Morgan, Ertl, Britton, Evans (Bogdanovic 68), Taylor (Kozluk 76), Cresswell, Ward, Bartley, Quinn (Yeates 76).
Subs: Aksalu, James, Chapell.
Bookings: Montgomery (14), Bartley (47)
QPR: Kenny, Orr, Hill, Derry, Hall (Ramage 50), Taarabt (Clarke 69), Helguson, Faurlin, Mackie, Gorkss, Ephraim (Leigertwood 82).
Subs: Cerny, Connolly, German, Parker.
Goals: Ephraim (11), Mackie (20), Taarabt (pen 23)
Bookings: Faurlin (45), Ephraim (75)
Referee: Mr K Woolmer
Attendance: 22, 651
www.qpr.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10373~52680,00.html
