Queens Park Rangers edged further away from the Championship relegation zone with a confident 3-1 victory at Oxford United, capitalising on a dominant first-half display and a late clinical finish to stifle a home comeback.
Fast start sets the tone
The away side wasted no time in asserting control, and took the lead inside the opening ten minutes. A well-worked corner from Nicolas Madsen was met by defender Ronnie Edwards, who headed in from close range to silence the buoyant home crowd. It marked just his second goal for QPR since arriving on loan from Southampton in January.
Oxford’s response was further hampered by an early injury to Ciaron Brown, forcing an unplanned defensive reshuffle. Meanwhile, QPR enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, holding 76% of the ball after just 25 minutes and pressing high to unsettle their hosts.
Before half-time, the pressure told again. After a looping delivery into the box was nodded across goal, Sam Field found himself with space to strike. His effort deflected off Ole Romeny and spun into the net, compounding Oxford’s woes with an unfortunate own goal.
The U’s finally found their rhythm in the second half. A smooth passing move saw Przemyslaw Placheta feed Siriki Dembele, whose pinpoint cross was met by Stanley Mills. The substitute made an immediate impact, glancing his header into the corner to give the home side hope.
But any momentum was short-lived. With 11 minutes of stoppage time announced, QPR hit on the break. Jack Colbeck won possession and found Kader Dembele, who laid it off to Yang Min-hyeok. The South Korean made no mistake, firing low past the goalkeeper to seal the result and send the travelling fans into raptures.
“The first two goals should never happen… we just didn’t show any energy in the first half… we played like we just didn’t have a spark,” said Oxford boss Gary Rowett. “I don’t want to take anything away from QPR, but we just didn’t turn up.”
QPR manager Marti Cifuentes was full of praise for his side: “To come here and have this kind of performance after the last few games is brilliant. We showed great personality tonight.”
Writer’s view
This was a performance full of resilience and sharp execution from QPR. They punished Oxford early and responded well to adversity when the hosts pushed forward. With a seven-point cushion now established, Marti Cifuentes will feel momentum is shifting his way at a crucial time. Oxford, meanwhile, look nervously over their shoulder with form slipping at the worst possible moment.
