The lowdown on QPR 2 Oxford United 0 – Rangers extend unbeaten run with win against relegation rivals

 QPR continued their good recent form with a 2-0 win against Oxford United on Wednesday night.

Here is the lowdown on the match.

THE LINE-UPS

QPR: Nardi, Dunne, Cook, Morrison (Chair 84), Ashby, Varane (Morgan 76), Field, Madsen (Andersen 66), Smyth (Fox 76), Kolli (Lloyd 66), Saito. Subs not used: Walsh, Dixon-Bonner, Hevertton, Bennie.

Oxford: Cumming, Kioso (Dale 88), Moore, Brown, Leigh, Brannagan, El Mizouni (McEachran 70), Goodrham, Phillips (Edwards 58), Harris (Scarlett 70), Placheta (Rodrigues 58). Subs not used: Ingram, Vaulks, ter Avest, Thorniley.

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

QPR extended their unbeaten run to five matches by seeing off Oxford United at Loftus Road. Sam Field was the hero for Rangers, returning to the side following suspension to score two second-half goals that decided the game. Victory means Marti Cifuentes’ side are now four points clear of the Championship relegation zone.

Following a scrappy opening 45 minutes in west London, Field gave QPR the lead in the 53rd minute when he volleyed home from Rayan Kolli’s intelligent header. And the midfielder doubled his tally for the night 15 minutes later with a controlled finish from the edge of the box following good work from Koki Saito to win back possession.

TACTICAL APPROACH

A structured 4-2-3-1 formation helped Cifuentes turn around QPR’s season 12 months ago and he has relied on something similar to revive the current campaign. He was forced to make changes from Saturday’s 3-0 win against Norwich City, with Kenneth Paal and Zan Celar adding to Rangers’ lengthy injury list.

Rayan Kolli replaced Celar in attack following his brace from the bench at the weekend, while Harrison Ashby took Paal’s place at left-back and Sam Field came in for Kieran Morgan in midfield.

QPR have struggled this season in games where they have had more of the ball, and that theme continued in the first half against Oxford. There was no obvious tactical change at half-time but greater tempo and intensity about Cifuentes’ side helped them get the two crucial goals.

STAR MAN

Sam Field. The midfielder struggled as much as anyone in a disjointed first half but he was in the right place at the right time twice after the interval to decide the game in QPR’s favour. He showed his eye for goal in notching four times in the closing weeks of last season to help Rangers to safety and both strikes against Oxford were of the quality of a midfielder that finds the net regularly.

BEST MOMENT

Field’s decisive second. Loftus Road was tense in the first half as the home side struggled to get on top against an opponent that has not yet won on the road since promotion to the Championship. Field’s first goal provided a lift at an important time in the game, but the second really helped settle the nerves as Oxford struggled to threaten Paul Nardi’s goal.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

QPR’s first-half display. The beginning of the game was flat without being terrible but it almost descended into farce in the 15 minutes before half-time. Rangers players were regularly passing to opponents in their own half before recovering just in time to see off any danger. The highlight of the chaos was an attempted Steve Cook clearance that bounced off the head of Jimmy Dunne before going out for an Oxford throw-in. Thankfully, the second half showing means it can all be forgotten about.

A TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB

Is it all coming together for QPR? With just two defeats in 10 games, four clean sheets in a row and back-to-back home wins on the board, it is starting to feel like Rangers can look up the table rather than down it. They have lost games playing better than they did on Wednesday night but now it appears that summer signings are adjusting to the league, players are becoming more familiar to one another, and tight games are falling QPR’s way as a result.

WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY

“I’m happy for the players and for the fans. It’s been a long time waiting for consecutive wins in a row. It’s important for us as well against an opponent that is close to us in the table. I know it was not the best first half of my life as a coach. The players were disappointed, I was disappointed. And our fans have a great taste for football and they knew as well. I spoke a lot in the previous days about expectations and everyone would like, after a good performance against Norwich, that’s it’s going to be a walk in the park but that’s not the reality of the Championship. I’ve been here one year, and I try to learn quick, this is the reality of the Championship –  you need to grind it, work through it and it was the type of game I expected.”

PICTURES: ROB AVIS