Saturday, April 20, 2013

QPR 0-2 Stoke: Premier League match report, reaction, pictures ...

He also made his professional bow for the Hoops and has played under their current boss, Harry Redknapp, at Portsmouth, Southampton and Tottenham.

So, given the mischievous ways in which the football gods work, it was probably inevitable that he would return to haunt them.

The former England man scored the first goal and won the penalty for the second as Stoke won for only the second time in 15 games.

After this defeat a home fan unravelled a banner, saying: 'God save QPR'. Not even He can help them now. To be fair to Redknapp, the writing was on the wall when he took over from Mark Hughes at the end of November — when the R's were bottom of the table and still searching for their first league win of the season.

QPR have improved under Redknapp but 20 points from 21 games under his tenure have not been enough to prevent their return to the Championship.

Interestingly, Cesar has made 24 top-flight starts this season. And with Rangers confirming this week they recently took out a £15million loan, it is no wonder the grapevine was buzzing with rumours he had been benched in order to avoid a further payment to his former club, Inter Milan.

Green is usually guaranteed a wobble and he had a scare when he almost spilled Jon Walters' regulation shot into his net.

Loic Remy had a couple of early half-chances for Rangers without seriously troubling Asmir Begovic in the Stoke goal.

But the French striker had the Potters keeper scrambling across his goal with a snap shot that curled just wide of the target in the 28th minute.

Green showed that he was alert following his earlier error by tipping Peter Crouch's dipping volley away for a corner before Begovic parried Jose Bosingwa's 32nd-minute free-kick.

Tubby Taarabt looked as though he was playing for himself — and eating for everyone else. He must be the only player in the Prem to put on weight during the season.

When he was brought down by Robert Huth midway through the first half it registered 6.3 on the Richter Scale. And, yes, I know: pot, kettle, black.

The Moroccan thought he had earned his team a penalty in the 37th minute but TV replays showed that, despite falling inside the area, Glenn Whelan actually tripped him outside of it.

Superb Marc Wilson sent the ball upfield for Cameron Jerome, who outstripped Christopher Samba as he got to the byline.

Jerome pulled the ball back for his strike partner Crouch, who arrived in the box ahead of Clint Hill to fire in a shot which Green got a hand to but could not keep out. It was only Crouch's second goal in 27 games.

But Rangers' cause was not helped when Andros Townsend picked up a hamstring injury at the end of the first half and had to be replaced by Jamie Mackie.

Yet just when you started to think that Rangers might get back into the game, their chances of snatching a point — and probably beating the drop — disappeared as Stoke were awarded a 75th-minute penalty.

QPR: Green, Bosingwa, Hill, Samba, Ben Haim, Mbia, Derry, Townsend (Mackie 46), Taarabt (Bothroyd 56), Remy, Hoilett. Subs Not Used: Julio Cesar, Diakite, Park, Granero, Onuoha.

Stoke: Begovic, Shotton, Huth, Shawcross, Wilson (Wilkinson 61), Whelan, Adam (Whitehead 69), Nzonzi, Walters, Crouch (Cameron 90), Jerome. Subs Not Used: Sorensen, Jones, Owen, Kightly.

Link: [Live -] Online - TV] Al - Nasr - Sepahan - AFC Asian Champions League

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