QPR 4-0 Leeds United: FLW report as R's clinch survival with shock win

Football League World

·26 April 2024

QPR 4-0 Leeds United: FLW report as R's clinch survival with shock win

QPR confirmed Championship survival with a shock 4-0 hammering of Leeds United at Loftus Road on Friday evening in a result that leaves the Whites' automatic promotion hopes under serious threat.

The hosts produced their finest performance yet under Marti Cifuentes and were good value for their four-goal victory - with Ilias Chair and Lucas Andersen giving them a 2-0 lead at the break before headers Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field finished the job.

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It's three points that guarantee the West Londoners will be playing Championship football next season, something that looked a near-impossible task when Marti Cifuentes took charge at the end of October.

As for Leeds, they remain in the top two but now rely on results elsewhere to go their way with Ipswich Town, who have two games in hand, just a point behind them and Leicester City promoted as a result of tonight's game.

QPR 4-0 Leeds United

The R's have relished playing the Championship's bigger sides under Cifuentes and the visit of promotion hopefuls Leeds seemed to draw the very best out of the hosts.

They enjoyed the better of the early exchanges and surged ahead in the eighth minute through Chair. The W12 talisman was allowed a little too much space by a back-peddling Ilia Gruev and took advantage, cutting inside before curling a low strike that deflected off Joe Rodon and fizzed into the bottom corner.

It didn't take the Whites long to offer a response, Joel Piroe forcing a diving save out of Asmir Begovic before the rebound was hacked away, but that proved to be a rare respite for the visitors.

The R's, who could secure Championship survival with a victory, had taken control and were refusing to let go. Chair volleyed over the top from the edge of the box and then in the 22nd minute, Andersen doubled the deficit.

The Dane has been one of Cifuentes' chief creators since reuniting with him in January but picked quite the time - under the lights at Loftus Road in a vital game at both ends of the table - to score his first goal for the West Londoners. Chris Willock's pass offered him an invitation to drive in from the left and he fired into the far corner.

Their hopes of automatic promotion under threat, Leeds came to life on the half-hour when Wilfried Gnonto picked out Crysencio Summerville but the Dutchman's sharp volley was parried by Begovic.

The biggest improvement under Cifuentes has been QPR's defence - conceding 31 goals in 30 Championship games under the Spaniard as opposed to 26 in their 14 league games before his arrival - and as we reached the break, the Whites were quickly discovering just how hard it was to break them down.

There was a renewed vigour to Leeds attacks after the restart, no doubt the result of an animated Daniel Farke team talk, and they showed their intent in the opening minutes of the half - Georginio Rutter glanced a header wide and then slid an effort past the post while only a vital intervention from Steve Cook denied Joel Piroe a chance from close range.

But the hosts could not be kept quiet for too long and Leeds' hearts were in their mouths when, just after the hour, Chair's long-range strike was headed just wide by Ethan Ampadu and then Jack Colback saw his attempt from the rebound squirt just outside the post.

Farke's response was to throw caution to the wind, introducing forward Matteo Joseph in the place of right-back Sam Byram to allow Leeds a front five as they chased a way back into the game.

The move had an adverse effect as it was Joseph that Dykes forced himself free of at the front post at a corner in the 73rd minute before powering a header through Illan Meslier for the hosts' third.

CIfuentes' side were not done either as they piled the misery on Leeds with a fourth in the dying embers of the game. Another set piece, another Chair delivery, and Field rose highest to head past Meslier.