Spurs rule the roost over QPR
Written By: Robert Halter
Following on from a 1-0 away win at West Ham United, it was another London derby for Tottenham Hotspur, which marked the first home game in change for Mauricio Pochettino, while on the opposing side of the bench was former Spurs manager, Harry Redknapp of Queens Park Rangers, whose coaching team included Lilywhites legend, Glenn Hoddle, with two former Spurs players in the Hoops squad, Steven Caulker and Bobby Zamora. In the opening minute, an error by Armand Traore, gave the ball away to Emmanuel Adebayor, who in turn provided Erik Lamela, whose drilled shot was deflected behind off Caulker. On ten minutes, a lofted cross by Nabil Bentaleb from the left side was headed over by Adebayor, but the Spurs striker made amends a minute later, after setting up the opening goal, after his cross to the far post was brought down on the chest from Nacer Chadli, who lifted his shot over Robert Green, to strike the first blow on the R’s. The pace of the game was causing QPR problems on the quarter of the hour mark, as Jan Vertonghen broke through but as Adebayor picked up the loose ball, his strike was driven directly at Green, who smothered his shot. But from a looping long ball by the Hoops captain, Joey Barton, the R’s missed an opportunity to level the score, when Matt Phillips with a gapping goal wasted a golden chance, after cutting inside the Lilywhites captain, Younes Kaboul, it all went haywire as Phillips wildly thrashed the ball over. Although, three minutes later, a thunderous free kick by Christian Eriksen, crashed the underside of the Rangers crossbar, after Lamela had been fouled by Rio Ferdinand, as the rattled woodwork sent out a message of intent by Spurs. In just under half an hour, Tottenham added to their score, when from a Lamela corner, the run by Eric Dier was timed to perfection as he powered a header past Green’s outstretched reach at the near post, leaving the Hoops keeper helpless. The passing and movement by Spurs tore the R’s to shreds in the thirty seventh minute, and from Lamela’s cross, it left the space for Chadli to rise and send a bullet header crashing into the right side of the net, past a backward bend by Green. At half time, a QPR substitution was made when Nedum Onuoha replaced Richard Dunne. Three minutes into the second half, Caulker won a header off a Barton corner but was unable to hit the target as the R’s tried to chase a lost cause. After Eriksen struck a shot at long range which fizzed over, before one hour had been played, a Spurs change was made when Mousa Dembele replaced Bentaleb. Then in the sixty fifth minute, Tottenham added a fourth as Chadli set up Danny Rose down the left flank, whose low cross was slotted past Green by Adebayor, who turned away in celebration with a robotic dance move. Further changes were made as Alejandro Faurlin took over from the R’s Leroy Fer while Spurs took off Chadli for Harry Kane, before Zamora re-appeared at White Hart Lane in favour of Phillips for the final QPR change. After Hugo Lloris clutched hold of a deflected effort by Caulker, Spurs made their last substitution as Roberto Soldado replaced Adebayor. Rangers bad luck was summed up when from a Barton corner, a Rose own goal was ruled out for pushing on him by Onuoha. QPR pressed forward at the end as Zamora blazed over to spurn a well placed ball from Faurlin before Caulker miscued a header from a Faurlin corner as the R’s couldn’t even muster a consolation goal as a rampant Spurs secured a comfortable victory which saw them take top spot in the Premier League while Rangers were consigned to bottom of the table, early on in the season.