Routledge Return Revitalizes Rangers

QPR 2 Coventry 1

Neil Warnock’s Hoops moved five points clear of the chasing pack in the race for automatic promotion at the top of the Championship registering their first victory of 2011, completing the league double over mid-table Coventry. Goals from influential captain Adel Taarabt and the on-loan Wayne Routledge sealed the win after the visitors had led through the much maligned Marlon King.

Rangers did business in the transfer market midweek to replace injured pair Jamie Mackie and Patrick Agyemang as well as Kyle Walker who was lost by the lure of Premier League football at Aston Villa. Warnock brought Routledge back to the club he left this time last year for Newcastle along with frontman Ishmael Miller on loan from West Brom and former Blackburn defender Pascal Chimbonda to bolster their promotion push. The ex-Palace winger had a second debut to remember as he and Taarabt linked up time and again tearing apart Aidy Boothroyd’s defence.

Right from the start the pace of Routledge gave Coventry problems as he romped down the right. Crosses and through-balls were fired into the box at every opportunity, but the first real test for Kieren Westwood came from Taarabt. The Moroccan hit at a shot from the edge of the area that was parried by the Irish goalkeeper, but his subsequent fingertip save from Shaun Derry’s twenty five yarder highlights exactly why he is so highly rated.

The Loftus Road faithful cried for a penalty when Heidar Helguson’s header from Tommy Smith’s cross struck the arm of Martin Cranie, but referee Mark Haywood deemed it accidental. Earlier on the Icelandic centre forward had wasted a glorious chance to give QPR the lead when he headed a Routledge cross into the ground and it bounced over the bar.

For all this pressure from Rangers, the visitors found themselves in the lead with twenty five minutes played. A long kick up field got Freddy Eastwood in behind, who played it back for Gary McSheffrey to shape a ball into the six yard box where King tapped home. Neither Gorkss nor Connolly in the Hoops’ defence had the wherewithal to cut out the cross. Boothroyd’s men had a great chance to increase their lead ten minutrs before the break, but Eastwood scuffed his shot as he dribbled inside the area.

Taarabt continues to both simultaneously sparkle and make poor decisions. On the half hour he got in behind Richard Keogh brilliantly and came in from the by-line, but rather than square to give Routledge a tap in he chose to try and beat Westwood from an impossible angle. This sometimes maverick attitude he seems to have places a question mark over his leadership of the team and certainly frustrates fans as much as the positive aspects of his play delights them.

This is further evidenced by his stunning equaliser in first half stoppage time. Paddy Kenny took a long free kick which the Moroccan took down, went inside onto his stronger foot, beating two defenders before firing in over the keeper from fifteen yards. QPR could even have gone in with a lead had Clint Hill’s volley been kept down.

Coventry swapped Eastwood for Jutkiewicz at half time and the ex-Everton striker was inches away from connecting with McSheffrey’s crosshot just a few minutes after the restart. Alejandro Faurlin was desperately unlucky not to give the home side the lead moments later when his wonderful curling free kick came back off the post. Just after the hour mark the visitors came close with a dead ball of their own, with King firing at Kenny who spilled, but recover to save at the feet of Jutkiewicz.

Westwood produced another outstanding save at the other end tipping Ishmael Miller’s shot round the post after the substitute worked an opening. Rangers’ winner came eleven minute from time when Routledge took down Taarabt’s audacious ball over the top with the outside of the boot and slotted past the Coventry stopper.

The difference between the two sides was the superior guile and creativity of QPR. Marlon King did a super job of holding the ball up and bringing his teammates into play for the visitors. He played the target man role a great deal better than Helguson at the other end. This is an encouraging sign for Boothroyd, but his forwards need to start scoring more regularly. The profligacy of Eastwood who netted so frequently in the lower leagues is a worry if Coventry are looking to kick on towards the playoff places.

Rangers and Warnock go marching on towards the Championship title and the daylight they have between themselves and the rest of the top six could be vital at the business end of the season.