QPR 0 : 2 Fulham

Fulham emerged as comfortable winners of this West London derby though may even claim a 2-0 win barely tells the whole story. Although QPR heads never went down, all the effort in the world could not disguise the ability gap.

QPR are without a few of their better players. Fulham could afford to rest some of theirs but there was only really a ten minute spell, immediately after half time when the home side had their neighbours remotely rattled.

Neco Williams, Fabio Carvalho and Harrison Reed looked streets ahead of the other players in terms of quality for Fulham and perhaps only Geoff Thomas can be said to have shone for the Hoops.

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“QPR still just about have a playoff slot in their own hands as the dogs above them will be on a diet of mainly other dogs until June.”

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That Aleksandar Mitrovic scored twice and still had time to devote copious energy to annoying the referee may give you some idea of how uncomplicated this victory was. His first was a tap in after a quite brilliant passing move involving a rejuvenated Tom Cairney and Carvalho down the right.

The giant Serb’s reactions were superb as he left a defender standing, to nip in first. His second was a penalty harshly awarded for a handball against Lee Wallace.

QPR boss Mark Warburton told BBC Radio London 94.9:

“We keep getting apologies, but when the linesman doesn’t give it [the penalty] and the referee does. And you see his [Wallace’s] hand doesn’t come up, he just runs and it hits him there on the shoulder, and straightaway he gives the penalty and it kills the game.”

But it wasn’t a decision that cost QPR the match.

In between the two goals, Carvalho hit the post and Yoann Barbet cleared off the line. Fulham were maybe passing the ball too much without testing third choice keeper Westwood sufficiently. However, the plan to play possession football while defending a 1-0 lead is hardly unique to them.

For once other results didn’t all go Fulham’s way but Luton dropped points, so the maximum number of points available to a third placed side is now the 88 that Nottingham Forest can reach. Fulham, on 80, are now nine short of guaranteed promotion.

With maximum points in brackets after the team name, the next seven days look like this:

On Wednesday, Fulham make the long trip to Middlesbrough (86) and Forest (88) host Coventry so that the nine required could reduce to three at the most if Fulham and Coventry win, meaning Fulham could clinch promotion at home to the Sky Blues on Sunday even if Luton (85) win at Peterborough.

Forest also host Birmingham on Saturday April 9 but two bad results would just mean that Luton become the highest possible achievers, unless Fulham didn’t win at Middlesbrough in the first place! Huddersfield can now only get 84. Luton don’t play again until Monday so they will not be dropping further points before the Sunday game at Craven Cottage.

Those sides that Fulham hope to lose are also incidentally among the sides QPR need to lose if they are to scratch sixth place. They Hoops are three points behind sixth placed Blackburn with a game in hand. They can also knock Sheffield United out the running as the two sides are to play twice. Rangers also have Huddersfield. Blackburn have the easiest run-in and must now be favourites for a playoff place.

Luton however have Huddersfield, Forest and Fulham to play so will either drop points or cause other sides chasing a playoff spot to do so. Boro have Fulham, Bournemouth and Huddersfield.

In short, QPR still just about have this in their own hands as the dogs above them will be on a diet of mainly other dogs until June.

That unlikely run will have to start in the north as their next three games are in Sheffield, Preston and Huddersfield. They will have to play better than they did yesterday but if they do, those sides are not really too far away from the Hoops in terms of quality.

After ‘that’ result in SW6, Fulham can look forward to two London derbies next year and the brightest period in the history of West London football as their new stand opens.

See – Who might Fulham sign to avoid a third straight EPL relegation?

The squad will need strengthening but as the speculative article above suggests, events at Goodison Park, Vicarage Road and Stamford Bridge might just make it a buyers market for Marco Silva.

Sides
QPR: (3-4-2-1) Westwood; Barbet, Dickie, Sanderson, Odubajo, Field, Wallace, Johansen, Amos, Thomas, Dykes

Fulham: (4-2-3-1) Rodak; Williams, Adarabioyo, Ream, Bryan; Reed, Cairney, Wilson, Carvalho, Decordova-Reid; Mitrovic

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