QPR Open Up Seven Point Lead at the Top With Win at Coventry - Compilation of Reports and Comments

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Coventry 0 QPR 2

UPDATED TABLE
QPR 23 28 47
Cardiff 23 12 40
Swansea 24 6 40
Leeds 24 4 40
Norwich 23 7 39
Reading 23 10 34
Coventry 24 0 34
Watford 22 8 33
Burnley 22 5 32
Millwall 23 5 32
Nott'm Forest 20 7 30 BBC


QPR Official Site - WARNOCK: 'SUPERB TEAM PERFORMANCE'
Neil Warnock poured praise upon his top of the table charges, after QPR recorded a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena.

Second-half goals from Kieron Westwood (OG) and Tommy Smith were the deciding factor, as Rangers extended their lead to seven points at the summit of the npower Championship prior to this afternoon's (Tuesday) later kick-offs.

Warnock told www.qpr.co.uk: "Coventry are difficult to play against.

"It was a superb term performance. I thought we played as well as we could here.

"I was more impressed with how we performed as a team more than anything else."

He added: "We saw both sides of our play today.

"We've got a bit of Yorkshire grit, if I can say that!

"But we play a bit as well. I thought it was a great mixture.

"We've had a difficult period, preparation wise. But Swansea on Boxing Day and today have been superb.

"We've got to go to Norwich now, but it's great going there with two wins under our belts http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/TheGaffer/0,,10373~2252639,00.html


Coventry City Official Site -BOOTHROYD: Need to score when you're on top
SKY Blues boss Aidy Boothroyd said that while his side may have been guilty of not capitalising on their early chances he was still pleased with periods of their play.

City went down to QPR at the Ricoh Arena after two second half goals from Kyle Walker and Tommy Smith but Boothroyd said the last two games just showed his side was not quite yet ready for the top two.

"I think first of all I was pleased with the way we started and I thought we were well on top in the first half but you've got to score when you're on top," he said.

"I think the last couple of games have just showed us we're not quite ready for the top two but then why would we.

"We're currently the highest we've been in the table at this point for the last eight or nine years but we still want better than that.

"There was still alot of positives to come out of today's game. Yes we made mistakes for the goals but for long periods we were on top and we are still a work in progress. We're not going to be right overnight.

"I remember being at clubs and not beating sides in the top six until we got to the play-off final so we'll have an orange, a chat and see where we go for the second half of the season."
Check out Aidy Boothroyd's FULL post-match interview on Sky Blues Player NOW!!!
http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10269~2252809,00.html


QPR Official Site
The R's secured their second win in the space of three days with an immeasurable 2-0 victory against another promotion rival in the form of Coventry City.

An own goal from Kieron Westwood and a Tommy Smith header won it for QPR, on an afternoon where the R's put on one of their finest away showings of the season to defeat a strong Sky Blues side.

Rangers were in front in the 49th minute, after Kyle Walker's cross-come-shot was put into his own net by Westwood.

And the points were safe in the 61st minute.

Adel Taarabt's teasing centre was met by the head of Smith, whose clever nod sailed past the keeper for the R's second.

QPR were unchanged in a 4-2-3-1 formation for the trip to the Ricoh Arena.

Paddy Kenny - with 12 league clean sheets already to his name before today's fixture - was in goal for the R's.

Walker, Matt Connolly, Kaspars Gorkss and Clint Hill made up the Rangers back four.

Faurlin joined Shaun Derry in holding midfield, behind the attacking trio of Jamie Mackie, Taarabt and Smith.

Heidar Helguson led the R's attack.

Rangers were in confident mood prior to kick-off after their stunning 4-0 victory over Swansea City at Loftus Road on Boxing Day.

Taarabt's sumptuous double - as well as further strikes from Mackie and Helguson - saw the R's return to winning ways in stunning fashion following back-to-back defeats.

However, the Sky Blues went into this one on the back of a 2-0 defeat at Cardiff City, thanks to goals from Seyi Olofinjana and Craig Bellamy.

Nevertheless, with Coventry in the healthy standing of sixth position before kick-off, the R's were bound to be in for a stern test in front of the watching Sky Sports cameras.

Following their bright start, Taarabt almost edged QPR in front on 11 minutes.

The magical Moroccan broke at pace down the left and, when he cut in past Richard Keogh to fire in an effort on goal from close range, Nathan Cameron superbly intervened with a sliding challenge to knock the ball off Taarabt for a goal kick.

Moments later, the tricky playmaker was involved in another R's attack.

Faurlin and Taarabt exchanged passes, before the latter beat one man and forced a smart take from Westwood, who stooped low to claim the QPR top-scorer's effort from 18-yards out.

There could be no doubt that, midway through the first period, Rangers were the better side.

However, for all of their excellent play, the R's had to be thankful to Kenny on 26 minutes for a quite spectacular save.

Marlon King picked up possession on the left and, when his pinpoint cross was met by the head of Clive Platt, the QPR shot-stopper dived down to his right to superbly tip the ball away for a corner.

Eight minutes later Kenny was on hand to produce another fantastic save.

Richard Wood rose highest following Gary McSheffrey's devastating centre from a corner, before the keeper was alert to move across his line and palm the ball away to safety.

Just before the break, Faurlin was on hand with a goal-line clearance to keep the scores levels.

When another outstanding centre from McSheffrey was met by the head of Wood, the Argentine midfielder was on hand at the right-hand post to clear the ball up field.

But QPR had a chance of their own to go in at half-time a goal to the good.

Walker was the architect and, when Mackie turned on his pass in the area, he fired an effort inches wide of the left-hand post.

Rangers continued in the second half where they left off in the first.

Smith's cutting long ball found Taarabt on the left-hand touchline, before the R's attacker cut in to smash a shot straight at Westwood.

But there was little the Sky Blues custodian could do on 49 minutes, as QPR forced their way into the lead.

The R's right-back, who had continued to cause his marker Wood problems, fired across goal and, as Westwood attempted to clear the danger, he only succeeded in parrying the ball into his own net.

It sparked mass celebrations from the R's faithful in the visitors' end - as well as banter between Keith Curle and the goalscorer, with the QPR First Team Coach telling him it was an own goal!

And, just 12 minutes later, the R's all-but clinched it.

It will come as no surprise to learn that Taarabt made the goal.

He exchanged passes with Faurlin before swinging over a beautifully struck cross with his weaker left foot.

The rest was pure class from Smith, whose deft flick sailed into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.


Coventry City: Westwood, Keogh, Carsley, McPake (Eastwood 87), Bell (Wilson 71), Doyle, King, McSheffrey, Platt, Wood (O'Halloran 71), Cameron.

Subs: Ireland, Jutkiewicz, Cranie, Baker.

Bookings: McSheffrey (25)
QPR: Kenny, Hill, Derry, Taarabt (Rowlands 84), Helguson (Orr 89), Faurlin, Mackie, Gorkss, Walker, Connolly, Smith (Clarke 80).
Subs: Cerny, Agyemang, Hulse, Tofas.
Goals: Westwood (OG 49), Smith (61)
Bookings: Helguson (21), Faurlin (31)
Referee: Mr N Swarbrick
Attendance: 17, 687 (1037)
http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/MatchReport/0,,10373~52617,00.html


Coventry City Official Site
COVENTRY City fell to a defeat to high-flying Queens Park Rangers at the Ricoh Arena after second half strikes from Kyle Walker and Tommy Smith.

The Sky Blues were the better of the two sides at the end of the first half but QPR got their noses infront with Walker's opener three minutes after the restart with Smith adding the second just after the hour.

The Sky Blues were first to register a shot on target after ten minutes, Gary McSheffrey breaking away from his own half and running at the QPR back four before laying off to Marlon King whose acute angled effort only found the hands of Paddy Kenny.

With City doing most of the early attacking it was no surprise that they then managed to register the second effort of the afternoon on goal after quarter of an hour, Richard Keogh delivering a deep cross for McSheffrey whose downward header never tested Kenny.

The QPR goalkeeper was pushed to full stretch ten minutes later though when King's cross from the left found Clive Platt ten yards out, his header bound for the bottom corner pushed away and behind for a corner by Kenny's fingertips.

Platt set up McSheffrey two minutes later, a soft first touch putting the ball into the path of the winger 15 yards out but McSheffrey could not keep his shot down.

Kenny was forced into making another great save two minutes after the half hour, David Bell taking a short corner to Michael Doyle before getting it back to swing a cross at the back post for Richard Wood whose header was pushed away from inside the post by the visiting 'keeper.

Kenny then had to rely on a team mate to keep the score level when a deep corner delivery found Wood whose downward header towards the far corner was scooped off the line by Faurlin's right boot.

Jamie Mackie finished off the half though, receiving the ball from Shaun Derry with his back to goal before turning and shooting from 20 yards, his effort rolling just wide of Keiren Westwood's far post.

It was the visitors who took the lead though three minutes after the restart when Walker held McSheffery off the ball down the right flank, cut inside down the goalline and fired into the roof of the net inside Westwood's near post.

It was then two just after the hour when Smith needed just the slightest of touches to direct the ball into the net after Adel Taraabt sliced a ball across the six-yard area with the outside of his boot.

Wood forced a solid save out of Kenny on 63 minutes when he glided past three QPR defenders before firing a low shot with Kenny first spilled but then collected.

The Sky Blues rallied to look for a way back into the game and spent much of the remainder of the match camped in QPR's half.

But Boothroyd's side could not find a way through as the visitors packed their penalty area with bodies, preventing the Sky Blues from playing a final ball which could have brought about an equaliser.

The final chance of the game then fell to Rangers as substitute Leon Clarke broke down the right and cut inside in the final minute of the game, his shot forcing a good save out of Westwood and the loose ball then being headed away from the goalmouth from Keogh.
Attendance: 17,678 (1,037 away)
http://www.ccfc.co.uk/page/MatcReport/0,,10269~52617,00.html


Sky - Resilient Rangers down Sky Blues
QPR claimed their first away victory in six games as they won 2-0 at Coventry to head into 2011 with a firm stranglehold on the Championship.

Neil Warnock's side are seven points ahead of second-placed Cardiff - who travel to Watford on Tuesday afternoon - safe in the knowledge the team leading the second tier going into January have won promotion to the Premier League in all but two of the last 19 years.

The visitors, sporting green and white hoops, could count themselves lucky to still be on level terms after a keenly-contested first half at the Ricoh Arena in which the Sky Blues were denied on more than one occasion.

But the clash was over as a contest within 16 minutes of the restart as on-loan Tottenham full-back Kyle Walker burst down the right and found the net at the near post - only to see what would have been his first professional strike go down as a Keiren Westwood own goal as the ball came off his shoulder.

Tommy Smith's header then put QPR into a more commanding position to leave fellow promotion hopefuls City nursing a third successive defeat against sides alongside them in the top six.

Sky Blues boss Aidy Boothroyd promised a much-improved display from his side than the one which saw them go down tamely at Cardiff on Boxing Day, and after bringing in winger David Bell and target man Clive Platt, he certainly got a positive response.

The unchanged R's were able to name left-back Clint Hill in their starting XI while they wait to see whether their appeal against his dismissal versus Swansea is successful.

Boothroyd's charges looked up for the challenge of facing the league leaders amid an open and fast-paced start to proceedings.

Marlon King shot straight at Paddy Kenny after a bright City counter while Adel Taarabt was only denied by a superb sliding tackle from teenage centre-back Nathan Cameron.

The tempo slowed momentarily after the early rush but the encounter remained an intriguing one.

And it was the visitors who twice had keeper Kenny to thank for keeping them on level terms - diving low to his right to palm away Platt's well-taken header before keeping out Richard Wood's attempt.

The hosts, more than matching Warnock's title challengers, were enjoying a sustained spell of pressure with the tempo having picked up and they again came close to forging a breakthrough, this time Alejandro Faurlin clearing Wood's knock-down off the line.

But the R's survived the onslaught and could have indeed taken the lead themselves in first-half injury time, Jamie Mackie turning in the area and driving a low effort just wide of Westwood's far post.

But QPR needed just four second-half minutes to open the scoring.

Walker broke down the right, barging off the attentions of Gary McSheffrey, before getting to the byline and drilling a powerful effort in off Westwood at his near post.

And having come close to going behind on a couple of occasions in the first half, the visitors were two goals to the good just after the hour mark.

The enigmatic but so often brilliant Taarabt curled over a delightful cross which Smith glanced into the bottom corner.

There was an immediate sense the points were settled but that did not stop Coventry trying to get back into the game.

A handful of penalty appeals were waved away while several teasing balls were sent into the area but it was all to no avail, while Westwood denied Taarabt a third in injury time. http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3283890,00.html


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