A solitary goal from David Nugent midway through the second half helped Leicester City to secure a 1-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers, edging them ever closer to the Championship title. QPR, who were reduced to ten men having had Benoit Assou-Ekotto sent off with twelve minutes to go, still require one more win to guarantee themselves a playoff place.
Leicester started the game with a period of sustained possession but it was QPR who delved out the game`s first chances. Niko Kranjcar and Modibo Maiga linked up well to test the fingertips of Kasper Schmeichel with a couple of early strikes, before a goalmouth scramble on 33 minutes was eventually hacked away by the Leicester defence.
Leicester`s Andy King arguably had the better of the first half chances as he fired straight at Rob Green from close range before rounding the Rs keeper moments later only to find his shot cleared off the line by Nedum Onuoha.
A scrappy second half produced minimal chances for both sides, but it was Leicester who managed to break the deadlock on 68 minutes as Danny Drinkwater fed David Nugent with a timely through ball who managed to fire past QPR`s Rob Green. QPR`s best chance fell to Maiga who could only curl his shot wide of Schmeichel`s far post, and their misery continued as Assou-Ekotto was sent off for a rash tackle producing his second yellow card of the day.
QPR have now won only two of their last nine away games and will be hoping their fortunes change as a nerve-racking playoff campaign beckons. They welcome Watford to Loftus Road on Monday in the hope they can secure fourth spot, ensuring their second leg will be played at home.
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TEAM NEWS |
With the Easter weekend bringing two games in such quick succession, Harry Redknapp opted to make a number of changes to the side that beat Nottingham Forest 5-2. The labouring Richard Dunne was given the Saturday off and was replaced by Aaron Hughes at the heart of the QPR defence. He partnered Nedum Onuoha with captain for the day Danny Simpson and Benoit Assou-Ekotto offering support down both flanks.
A raft of changes were made in midfield with Tom Carroll, Jermaine Jenas, Ravel Morrison and Junior Hoilett all dropping out in favour of Yun Suk-Young, Karl Henry, Gary O`Neill and Niko Kranjcar. Yossi Benayoun kept his place in midfield, with Redknapp seemingly giving up the ghost by selecting Modibo Maiga up front.
Leicester City, who have used ten fewer players than their opposition this season, made a couple of changes to the side that drew with Reading earlier this week. Jamie Vardy and Lloyd Dyer dropped out in favour of Andy King and Anthony Knockaert, as The Foxes switched from their conventional 4-4-2 to an unfamiliar 4-2-3-1 formation.
Kasper Schmeichel, Ritchie de Laet, Jeffrey Schlupp, Wes Morgan and Marcin Wasilewski formed the Leicester defence with Dean Hammond and Danny Drinkwater providing cover for an attacking trio of Riyad Mahrez, Knockaert and King. David Nugent was left to lead the line on his own up front.
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KICK OFF: LEICESTER CITY VS QUEENS PARK RANGERS |
Consistency, courage and momentum are terms often bandied around when describing potential playoff winners; QPR couldn`t try any harder in attempting to avoid such indispensable playoff traits in recent times. Harry Redknapp, swayed by the unsettling fact his side have two games in three days, contrived to select six new players from the side that beat Nottingham Forest 5-2 last week in his weekly lucky dip. Any chance of a playoff onslaught, with consistency, courage and momentum sweeping through this QPR side appear to be vanishing before our very eyes. Eyebrows will be completely off peoples` heads should QPR fail to beat Watford on Monday.
QPR`s 162nd different team selection this season did surprisingly produce an honourable first half performance. Niko Kranjcar picked up where he left off since his monthly hamstring capitulation, swanning about in a lethargic fashion yet producing openings and chances with an impressive creative deftness. The Croatian and Modibo Maiga fashioned a couple of chances that had Kasper Schmeichel called into action, with Yun Suk-Young, starting only his second game since August, providing a threat down the left wing.
Anthony Knockaert, Leicester`s villain in last season`s playoff campaign yet a constant danger in this encounter, was amongst the action for his side early on. Two wayward shots at Rob Green`s goal preceded a dodgy touch in his own area that led to another Kranjcar effort from outside the box. Additional panic was created in the Leicester box as a mad goalmouth scramble was eventually hacked away following a good Schmeichel block.
Despite QPR`s early pressure Leicester seemed to stir from their promotion hangover as Andy King found some space in the QPR box, but could only fire his shot straight at Robert Green. Karl Henry, who had avoided his weekly moment of mad panic thus far, was found out with a heavy first touch that led to King rounding keeper Green. His goal bound shot was cleared off the line by the heroic Nedum Onuoha though. The right sort for sure.
Assou-Ekotto, who continues to uphold great debate as to his selection amongst QPR supporters, received his first yellow card of the game for a late tackle on 39 minutes. The referee could easily have brandished a straight red were the game well into the second half, but chose to give the Cameroon international his marching orders with twelve minutes to go of the game. The first half came to a close as sloppy Leicester possession led to Kranjcar cutting back a ball to Maiga who could only fire inches wide.
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HALF TIME: LEICESTER CITY 0-0 QUEENS PARK RANGERS |
The second half began in a scrappy fashion with neither team being able to gain a sustained spell of possession. Constant fouls broke up play and Kranjcar was lucky to avoid a second yellow himself as the ever-smiling Scott Duncan missed a late tackle from the midfielder in his own half. Modibo Maiga had a chance to give QPR the lead on the hour mark but took too long to come to the conclusion his left foot is probably just as bad as his right, curling his shot wayward of Schmeichel`s far post.
Title winners often bide their time before grinding out results and David Nugent gave QPR a lesson in how to finish rare chances. The striker, who was signed by Redknapp for £6 million at Portsmouth in 2007, ran onto a timely through ball from Danny Drinkwater and fired past Green`s outstretched arm from a narrow angle. The striker`s 19th league goal of the season gave his side complete control of the game as QPR failed to conjure any clear-cut chances for the rest of the game.
The Rs best opportunity of an equaliser came in the 72nd minute as Suk-Young ran onto a through ball before lobbing wide over an onrushing Schmeichel. The referee pulled play back for a foul on the South Korean but the resulting free kick was deflected wide for a corner. The game`s only noticeable moment came with 12 minutes to go as Assou-Ekotto, who had been treading a fine line throughout the second period, was pulled up for a late tackle on Andy King, as the referee brandished a second yellow card for the 30-year-old.
No one quite knows what team Redknapp will field for the Watford game, for the remaining two league games thereafter or even the playoffs. The QPR manager`s lucky dip team selection can`t even be praised as the Rs have only won five of their last fifteen games; consistency, courage and momentum must be discovered sooner rather than later should QPR wish to come out as playoff champions.
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FINAL WHISTLE: LEICESTER CITY 1-0 QUEENS PARK RANGERS |
