QPR 2 Burnley 0Leroy Fer 51, Charlie Austin 74
Leroy Fer scores QPR's first goal against Burnley in the Premier League match at Loftus Road.
A trip to Loftus Road is like stepping back into another era. Too many grounds are mega-bowls with neither identity nor soul but Queens Park Rangers’ home is different. The floodlights poke out above terraced houses, leg room is out of the question, the crowd is small and there is barely a seat in the house where the view is not restricted in some way. But that is what gives it its charm and when QPR are winning, it can be a struggle to hear yourself think.
If QPR could play at Loftus Road every week, they would not be fighting for survival. As brittle as they have been on their travels, failing to pick up a single point in seven away matches, there is something about the Shepherd’s Bush air that makes confidence flow through Harry Redknapp’s side and this victory over Burnley, secured by goals from Leroy Fer and Charlie Austin, lifted them out of the bottom three for the first time since August.
It was not always convincing and it came at a cost.
QPR lost Austin to a late red card after he received a second booking for catching Michael Keane with an elbow and they will miss their leading scorer at Everton next week, while Burnley justifiably felt that they were the superior side.
Burnley exposed QPR’s defence on enough occasions for them to be aggrieved in defeat, yet Sean Dyche was frustrated by the wastefulness of his team’s finishing. “We need to be more clinical,” Dyche said. “That’s the league we’re in, it’s very unforgiving.”
QPR knew that Burnley ran them close. There was a mood of expectation about the home fans before kick-off, but that can be a dangerous thing for a side in QPR’s position and the positive mood soon gave way to howls of disapproval as Burnley, eager and adventurous, took control of the first half.
Burnley’s football was slick at times and there was a frail look to the QPR defence.
They were fortunate not to fall behind when Robert Green came for a cross and bumped into Mauricio Isla, but the QPR goalkeeper redeemed himself by diverting Scott Arfield’s volley wide. George Boyd and Ashley Barnes were also wayward from promising positions.
While Burnley’s forwards were let down by their profligacy, QPR’s were suffering a system malfunction. They kept getting their wires crossed, through-balls sent into the wrong areas and crosses drifting out of play, and Austin was quiet against his old club.
Yet QPR almost took the lead with their first cohesive attack, Eduardo Vargas cutting inside from the right and taking aim for the far post. The ball squirmed past Tom Heaton but Kieran Trippier cleared it off the line.
However, Green was the busier goalkeeper and he produced what Dyche called a “worldie” save when Boyd let fly with his left foot from 25 yards. “I was right behind it, that was top corner all the way,” Redknapp said. Boyd was getting ready to celebrate but Green threw himself to his left and tipped the ball on to the left post.
Although Dyche was pleased with Burnley’s endeavour, they had nothing to show for their dominance and anyone with a passing acquaintance with footballing logic knew what was coming next. During the break, Redknapp told his players that they would lose if there was no improvement in the second half. They emerged with renewed purpose, started to win their tackles and opened the scoring in the 51st minute.
It was a fine goal. Bobby Zamora popped up on the left and released Austin with an intelligent pass. He slipped it inside to Fer and his shot from six yards out looped off Mee, over Heaton and into the net.
Back came Burnley. Richard Dunne denied them with crucial interventions and Danny Ings and Boyd were unable to extend Green after good work from Trippier on the right. They were bad misses.
It was left to Austin to show his former team-mates how to finish after a move that owed everything to QPR’s Chilean connection on the right. When Vargas played a lovely one-two with Isla and cut a cross back from the byline, Austin did the rest, sweeping his eighth goal of the season past Heaton.
QPR thought they could relax but anxiety set in when Jon Moss sent off Austin two minutes later. Burnley had enough time to force their way back into the match but they were not ruthless enough to take advantage.
