Frustration at Loftus Road as battling QPR cut down by clinical Blades
Queens Park Rangers 1 Sheffield United 2
Attendance: 17,346
Battling QPR suffered their second successive Championship defeat, losing at home to a streetwise Sheffield United.
Marti Cifuentes' side showed sufficient character to draw themselves some hope in a tight game, when Michael Frey netted a spot kick in the second half, after United went two goals ahead through Ben Brereton-Diaz in the first half and a superb strike by Tyrese Campbell.
However, an equaliser was to elude the Hoops, who remain 14th in the Championship table.
Chris Wilder's outfit arrived in west London with the best away record in the division - and the Blades further underlined their know-how in this respect with an important victory in their chase for an automatic promotion place.
To their credit, the R's persevered throughout, and their competitive nature against ultra-physical opponents was to be commended. Unfortunately for boss Cifuentes, he was forced to oversee a setback, following the loss at Portsmouth.
The spring sunshine dappling over west London, the R's faithful in the sold out Loftus Road crowd hoped for something akin to their last home outing, an emphatic 4-0 win over Derby County. Of course, second-placed United - who lost to Championship leaders Leeds United in a midweek Yorkshire derby in dramatic circumstances - would turn out to be a much tougher proposition.
And so it proved, when Wilder's side took the lead after just ten minutes.
Unmarked
With Vini Souza flighting in an angled cross from the left hand side, Brereton-Diaz was unmarked inside the six yard area and had the simplest of task to nod home. It was a poor goal to lose from a defensive perspective for the Hoops.
QPR did their best to respond, Jonathan Varane going close with a low, rangy shot which went past United goalkeeper Michael Cooper's post. Yang Min-Hyeak was also causing problems and drew a fine save from Cooper moments after the goal.
Cifuentes' men showed the appropriate response, dealing as well as they could against physical opponents, with Ilias Chair dangerous in a creative sense.
And the R's were unlucky to have a leveller chalked off a few minutes before the break when Frey stabbed the ball home from close range - the Swiss was judged to be a fraction offside. In fact, QPR's first half efforts should have yielded an equaliser at least, as the Blades had been consistently pinned back and content to try and damage on the break.
The start of the second half was relatively quiet - until the Blades burst into life, punishing the west Londoners.
In the 53rd minute, Frey lost possession deep in the United half and a quickfire move up the pitch resulted in Campbell taking aim. The lone front man subsequently let fly with a powerful left foot shot which sailed past R's keeper Paul Nardi.
Clinical
It was a bitter blow for QPR - and an already difficult examination was intensified, thanks to the Blades clinical finishing.
Nevertheless, in the 70th minute and the hosts' toiling to a greater extent, they won a penalty when Harrison Burrows handled a cross from R's substitute Paul Smyth in the box.
On this occasion, Frey made no mistake, drilling the ball low into the left hand corner of the net. A timely intervention to provide hope for the anxious QPR faithful. Still, despite more probing - some of it increasingly desperate - for what would have been a dramatic leveller, United's impressive defence held on.
Despite this defeat, QPR will not be too downhearted in real terms. They will, though, be facing a taxing March schedule, with games coming up against West Bromwich Albion, Middlesbrough, Leeds United and Stoke City.
R's: Nardi, Paal (Smyth 66), Edwards, Dunne, Morgan (Saito 57), Colback (Dembele 81), Cook (Fox 81), Chair, Frey, Varane, Min-Hyeak (Lloyd 66)
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