The rot has stopped, hell has frozen over, a pig has taken flight and Queens Park Rangers have won a game of football.
The situation QPR now find themselves is nowhere near as bleak, in reality, as I just made it sound. But the losing run ensuing before Saturdays’ win was so uninspiring and deflating… that this doesn’t just feel like any old 3 points.
A Display Full of Character
Trips to the King Power are never straightforward and when Leicester City took the lead early on through a strike from Jordan James, it felt like deja vu. Here we go, another thrashing.
To the R’s credit though, this was the complete opposite of what happened. Heads didn’t drop and the character the fans have been crying out for was on full display.
Rangers grew into the game and slowly started asking questions. On the stroke of half time Harvey Vale latched onto a sensational long ball from Ronnie Edwards, it was one touch around the goalkeeper and Vale tapped the ball into an open net.
Once the equaliser arrived, you could feel the shift. Leicester suddenly looked edgy, a team lacking in confidence and credit where it’s due… Rangers kept their foot on the Foxes neck.
The second goal was the real turning point, giving the visitors belief and leaving third from bottom Leicester chasing shadows for spells. From there Rangers managed the game well, staying organised and picking their moments, before sealing it with a third that sent the away end into full voice.
For a side that’s had its share of frustrating afternoons this season, this one felt different. Character, patience, and clinical finishing when it mattered most.
A peach of a display from Vale and Edwards who notched a goal and an assist each, but the whole squad deserves credit. It takes a strong group to be this decimated, in such a horrid run of form, to go to someone else’s backyard and display resilience of that magnitude.
In fairness, Leicester were far from competitive, despite having 62% of the ball, they looked bleak. It is somewhat boggling they are doing that badly with the talent in that team. Their fans sounded disgusted at the final whistle and it’s hard to blame them.
However Rangers are usually very quick to make average teams look unplayable, so while the home side weren’t fantastic, no one is to be taken for granted, especially in this league.
The Manager’s Thoughts
Three goals away from home, three points in the bag, and a proper statement performance from Julien Stephans men when he needed it most. Here’s what the gaffer had to say to BBC London after the game:
“We deserved this win because we showed great character, great personality, and very good collective connection
“Even though we conceded the first goal we stayed very focused on what we needed to do on the pitch. It was very important for me mentally that we stayed focused.
“We needed to manage cleverly at the end of the game and we did that very well.”
The question of relegation was slowly creeping into the walls of Loftus Road, becoming louder by the week. That noise was somewhat completely muffled by Saturday’s performance, you would think 50 points is enough to stay up.
Next up for the Hoops is Portsmouth at home on Saturday, it would be fantastic to finish the season with strength and resilience, the notion of carrying momentum from one season to the next is underrated in my view. It’s best to avoid leaving a sour taste in the mouth with a summer of preparation ahead
Matt Souster