Remembering our Last 4th Round FA Cup Game at Home...Against Arsenal, Six Years Ago

-
Last time we were in the FA Cup Fourth Round, at Loftus Road...Had just played Luton in a replay...And just like then we were in an increasing-relegation fight (hopefully with a different ending this time, just as there was a different result in the replay).

January 27, 2001 - QPR 0 Arsenal 6
Guardian Rangers' stitching comes undone exposing the scars below
Martin Thorpe at Loftus Road Monday January 29, 2001 The Guardian

Gerry Francis got mugged down memory lane and it was sad to see. A likeable bloke and talented manager, he and his beloved Queens Park Rangers were brutally reminded how far they have both fallen since beating Arsenal was as common as a top-10 finish.
A combination of poor managerial appointments and lack of cash have turned the club into a candidate for one of those tabloid before-and-after pictures that show the effects of a bad face-lift.

The contrast must have been particularly galling not just for Francis but Rangers' former Gunners Chris Kiwomya, Matthew Rose, Steve Morrow and Lee Harper. Theirs was the only cup upset on view at Loftus Road on Saturday.
There is one way of looking at this game from which Rangers emerge in a better light. They spurned two great chances before Arsenal went 3-0 ahead, and that was only thanks to two own goals and a deflection.

This was Francis's line of defence afterwards and with games against Fulham and Bolton coming up one can understand him trying to strain positive thoughts from the dregs of defeat.

But even he privately cannot have been blind to the gulf in class, invention, touch, movement and ideas separating the sides. The threat even from this injury-hit Arsenal was evident from the start even if they did need help to cure their recent scoring sickness.

Admittedly, Rangers' policy of pumping high balls into the area did cause early problems and Peter Crouch missed from four yards and then saw his header smuggled off the line.

But having failed to comply with the first law of cup upsets (take your chances) Rangers then forgot the second: keep your concentration and shape.

From the clearance, Arsenal raced to the other end, caught Rangers short at the back and Chris Plummer panicked enough to divert Lee Dixon's cross into his own net. A minute later Sylvain Wiltord's strike hit Ian Baraclough to wrong-foot Ludek Miklosko and the game was all but over.

That Rangers had now been failed by the third law of cup upsets (the need for luck) was rubbed in five minutes into the second half when Rose deflected an Ashley Cole cross past his own keeper.

By then Francis had thrown on a third forward in a gallant attempt to play catch-up. It proved suicidal. Wiltord volleyed in No4 Pires clinically dispatched No5 and Dennis Bergkamp's cool finish completed the rout.

FA Cup
Saturday January 27, 2001
QPR 0-6 Arsenal
14' Lauren
26' Carlisle
32' 0-1 Plummer (og)
33' 0-2 Wiltord
49' Baraclough
50' 0-3 Rose (og)
57' 0-4 Wiltord
59' 0-5 Pires
75' 0-6 Bergkamp
76' Cole
QPR
Lee Harper, Ludek Miklosko, Ian Baraclough, Clarke Carlisle, Jermaine Darlington, Steve Morrow, Christopher Plummer, Matthew Rose, Sam Koejoe, Richard Langley, Gavin Peacock, Mark Perry, Karl Connolly, Peter Crouch, Chris Kiwomya, Michel Ngonge

Arsenal
Alex Manninger, David Seaman, Tony Adams, Ashley Cole, Lee Dixon, Gilles Grimandi, Igors Stepanovs, Nelson Vivas, Etame Mayer Lauren, Stefan Malz, Ray Parlour, Robert Pires, Patrick Vieira, Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Sylvain Wiltord
Referee:
Venue: Loftus Road
Attendance: 19,003
Corners: QPR 3 Arsenal 10
Goal Attempts: QPR 4 Arsenal 20
On Target: QPR 2 Arsenal 12

SUNDAY MIRROR

ARSENE Wenger fell back in love with the FA Cup last night - thanks to his six-shooting Gunners.

Yes, the Frenchman is all goggle-eyed again and whispering 'Mon Amour' for the world's most famous and oldest club competition.

He may not consider it as important and vital to his season as before, with no Champions League place at stake - but he clearly still wants to win it.

There was no hiding the enjoyment and satisfaction he gleaned from seeing his side blow their London rivals away in a huge puff of smoke at Loftus Road.

It was a clinical, uncompromising performance that left Rangers punch drunk and thankful they don't cross swords them very often these days.

Goals from Sylvain Wiltord (2), Robert Pires, Dennis Bergkamp, Chris Plummer (og) and Matthew Rose (og) made a mockery of Rangers' hopes of defying the odds.

And Wenger, unlike Maggie Thatcher, was in the mood for doing a quick U-turn.

He insisted: "Our priorities are to do well in both the FA Cup and Championship. Of course I would be very happy if we could go all the way to the Final and win it.

"I just said that it would be silly to throw everything into winning the Cup and neglect the Championship just because Manchester United are looking firm favourites to win the title.

'To lose this game would have been a big disappointment to me and the players - and I think you saw how much it meant to the team to get further in the competition.

"I felt we were always in control. We could have won by more goals but I was happy with the six. But I would have been happy had we won 1-0 as well.

"We had some luck going for us for a change today. It's something that has been against us for most of this season.

"The first three goals went in off their players but from then on you could see our players lift their game and play better."

Gerry Francis' First Division side were simply no match for a group of Arsenal players who clearly do care a great deal about getting to the Final.

The last time these two teams met in cup combat was 11 years ago. On that occasion David Seaman was in goal for Rangers and John Lukic for Arsenal.

Rangers held their own for half an hour during which time Seaman saved twice from the gangly Peter Crouch and Chris Plummer.

He was also relieved to watch a Crouch close-range volley bounce into the side-netting. But no matter how desperate, determined and dedicated Rangers were to the potential giant-killing cause, they were simply out-classed.

You always sensed that the moment Arsenal's mixture of stars found their rhythm it would signal the end of this clash as a contest.

Unfortunately for Rangers that's exactly what happened just after half an hour when Lady Luck scowled down at Francis and Co.

One moment the hooped shirts were begging referee Neil Barry for a goal, the next they were picking the ball out of their own net.

It looked a close-run thing when Ashley Cole hooked the ball from under his own crossbar after Crouch's header from Ian Baraclough's corner flew under Seaman's body.

But while arms went up in vain, and Barry waved play on, Wenger's men merely marched down the other end to score one that did count.

Lee Dixon's dangerous cross from the right was turned into his own net by the despairing Plummer under pressure from Arsenal shirts.

Wiltord hammered in the second blow barely seconds later with a rifling low shot that deflected past helpless keeper Ludek Miklosko.

In the blink of an eye those Rangers' fans hopes were dashed.

And the Gunners' contingent in the 19,003 crowd - easily Rangers' best of the season - sat back and relaxed to enjoy a totally convincing victory.

Another Rangers own goal in the 49th minute put the result beyond question. This time the victim in blue and white was Matthew Rose.

To his utter despair the one-time Arsenal youngster, with Wiltord baring down on him, turned Cole's cross past Miklosko.

Rangers boss Francis used to enjoy his battles with Arsenal during his days as Spurs manager.

He had a half-decent record as well. But he didn't enjoy this encounter.

Wiltord helped himself to his second, and Arsenal's fourth, in the 56th minute - a fierce right-foot volley that flew in off the far post with Miklosko floundering.

When Pires joined in the fun with a fifth - shooting cooly in from Ray Parlour's pass two minutes later - it became painful to watch for the majority of the crowd.

Number six was an ice-cool finish from Bergkamp who had, until then, sat back and watched his team-mates rip Rangers apart. He swept through the defence 15 minutes from time and left Miklosko stranded, tucking his shot beneath him.

Wiltord was denied a hat-trick by Miklosko, who also saved well from Parlour. But six was enough for Arsenal and left Rangers boss Francis moaning: "We didn't get any breaks and played well for half an hour.

"We were on top at the time they scored two quick goals - but now we have to learn from this experience and pick ourselves up." Mirror