CRYSTAL PALACE 3 QPR 1

BY AYODELE ODUMADE AT SELHURST PARK

When you are down in relegation trouble, as a manager you would use all the resources available to you, to try and revive them. Chris Ramsey tried this by reinstating Shaun Wright- Phillips and Adel Taarabt to Queens Park Rangers ‘ team, but it was to no avail, as they were trounced by a Palace side that were good in all departments and facets of the game.

Both teams started at a frenetic pace without quite producing much substance.  The first telling moment of the game was in the 18^th minute when Yanick Bolassie weaved his way into the Rangers box and laid a reverse pass onto James McArthur, whose shot was blocked for a corner.

Moments later, from a corner, Scott Dann lost his marker but could only head wide.  Palace simply would not take no for an answer and kept knocking on the door. Bolassie got the ball down the left and tormented the QPR defence, put a delightful cross into the box, which was met by Wilfred Zaha who tapped it in. However he was injured as he collided with the post. Alan Pardew would be delighted with this sort of work ethic from him.

Zaha left the field for treatment and on his return he soon hit another shot, which was on target.  On the half hour mark, Dann had another header, which was wide. QPR were struggling to deal with the wave of attacks by Palace. The Eagles’ corners were causing all sorts of problems for the fragile QPR defence.

With nine minutes of the half left, Adel Taarabt hit QPR’s first shot of the game but it was over.  Charlie Austin who has been in good goal scoring form this season did not quite receive the kind of service he thrives on unlike Palace who had width on both the left and right of flanks with Zaha and Bolassie.

With five minutes of the half remaining, Bolassie fizzed another cross across the face of the QPR box, which Robert Green could only help on to James McArthur who slammed the ball into the net for Palace’s second goal.  Barely seconds later, Palace killed off the game as Zaha got down the right and twisted and turned past three defenders before passing to full back Joel Ward who curled his shot past the helpless Green, thus scoring his first ever goal for Palace.

Palace went into the break leading 3-0.

The second half was like a procession as QPR rarely troubled Palace. However Zaha and Jason Puncheon had to depart early due to injuries. Pardew would hope that they both recover soon.  Dwight Gayle hit a free kick straight into the hands of Green.

In the 83^rd minute, QPR’s Matt Phillips hit a shot from 30 yards out, which beat Julian Speroni to make it 3-1. However it was no more than a consolation goal. Minutes later Phillips hit a free kick from distance, which was tipped round the post by Speroni.  At last some fight from the Hoops but it was too little too late.

At this time it is difficult to see where QPR’s next point is coming from, let alone talk about the possibility of them staying up. Shaun Wright-Phillips was anonymous, though Taarabt showed some spark. The problem is that when you are down there you cannot afford to carry any passengers in your team.  You need all of them to collectively put in a shift. 

If QPR gets relegated as expected they could not do worse than let Chris Ramsey try and bring this side back into the Premiership.

He said: “I am very disappointed. We have to do better. In this league, quality moments often decide games. ”

On Zaha and Bolassie, Pardew said: “They are individual talents and I hope Steve Coppell was watching today. They both brought things from the cultures they were brought up in. It was a fantastic day for us today.”