Match Report: Harry Kane and Able Spurs Dent QPR's Survival Hopes
The only Premier League encounter this weekend came at a sun-drenched Loftus Road as Tottenham made the short trip across London to face relegation-threatened QPR. It was the second time in the space of 4 days that QPR came up against north London opposition having succumbed to a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in midweek. For Spurs, they looked to move on from the Capital One Cup final loss to Chelsea last weekend and make it back-to-back league wins for the first time in a month.
Bobby Zamora came closest to opening the scoring in the early exchanges after clipping the Spurs crossbar with a looping effort, while at the other end, Harry Kane forced Rob Green into a smart stop from 6 yards as the goalkeeper turned the striker's close-range header over for a corner. Charlie Austin was presented with a golden opportunity to net following some calamitous Kyle Walker defending, but Hugo Lloris was on hand to clear away the danger, while Matty Phillips managed to drag an effort wide of the near post from 18 yards as the Rs grew into the half.
Roy Hodgson was in attendance at Loftus Road and he must have been enthused by Austin's performance in the opening half hour after he came closest to breaking the deadlock with 15 minutes of the half remaining. The 25-year-old shifted the ball onto his left before unleashing a rasping effort that beat Lloris, but, unfortunately for the hosts, rattled the crossbar and was cleared by the Spurs defence. However, it was the north London side who took the initiative, with Kane nodding past Green having been picked out by Andros Townsend at the back post from a Spurs free kick. In the battle between Austin and Kane, it was the latter who landed the first blow.
Spurs came out for the second half all guns blazing and almost doubled their advantage just minutes after the interval. Christian Eriksen cut inside from the left and let fly from 20 yards, only to see his curling right-footed drive strike the post. The rebound fell to Kane, but the young frontman was unable to turn his effort into the back of the net. Townsend then let fly from distance, only to see his rising drive end up in the stands as Spurs strived to wrap up all 3 points shortly after the restart.
While Kane had put the visitors in front, it was adversary Austin who denied Spurs a second. Kane started a good move on the right, before the ball eventually fell to Eriksen. The Dane looked set to double Spurs' advantage, only for Austin to deny the midfielder with a superb last ditch clearance on the line. The away side, however, all but secured the win with 20 minutes to go when Kane rounded Green to tap into an empty net after some poor QPR defending. The Spurs star now has 16 league goals to his name this season; only Diego Costa and Sergio Aguero (both 17) have netted more.
The game seemed dead and buried, only for former Spur Sandro to pull one back for the home side. The Brazilian found the bottom corner from the edge of the 18-yard box to set up a tense finish at Loftus Road. Junior Hoilett, introduced with 20 minutes to go, sent an shot high and wide inside the penalty area as QPR committed men forward as the match came to a head, but were unable to net a second as Spurs held out for a 2-1 win. It was the 12th time Spurs have won a Premier League match by a single goal this season and a victory that lifted them to within 3 points of the coveted top 4.
The main focus from the fixture came in the striking battle between Austin and Kane. With England facing Lithuania and Italy later this month in the first set of international fixtures of the calender year, the two frontman were both in direct competition with one another at Loftus Road. Hodgson has ample options up front, with Saido Berahino and Danny Ings both vying for a spot with the national team. Austin may have been the brighter of the two strikers early on, but in the long run, it was Kane who outshone his compatriot in west London.
Kane netted either side of half time, with 2 of his 3 shots on target beating Green. The second was a particular highlight and highlighted the composure the 21-year-old exudes in attack having kept his cool to round the QPR shotstopper before tapping into an empty net. 1 key pass, 2 tackles and 3 clearances highlighted an impressive all round performance from Kane, whose WhoScored rating (8.20) reflected how well he played at Loftus Road. Austin, though, was not without his plaudits with his WhoScored rating (7.94) bettered only by Jan Vertonghen (8.00), striking rival Kane (8.20) and man of the match Ryan Mason (8.27).
On any other day, Austin would have found the back of the net, but on Saturday afternoon, he was unfortunate to come up against a resolute Spurs defence and Lloris in inspired form. When he did beat the Frenchman, it was the crossbar that denied Austin from scoring. 9 of QPR's 16 shots were courtesy of Austin, so his attempts to score were not without trying, and his unwavering confidence will surely have appealed to Hodgson, though not as much as Kane's brace. The Spurs striker is now the top scoring Englishman in the Premier League this season (16) and is surely a shoe in for a place in the upcoming England squad.
Important for Spurs, though, was the 3 points, which lift them up to 6th in the league. The team harbours Champions League aspirations and victory on Saturday means they continue their quest for a top-4 finish. For QPR, however, time is quickly running out for them to secure their safety. The hosts had more shots on goal (16 to Spurs' 13) at Loftus Road, but it was their profligacy and silly defensive errors which cost them a vital 3 points this weekend. Only Everton (14), Crystal Palace and Newcastle (both 8) have now committed more errors that have led to an opposition goal than QPR (7) in the Premier League this season.
Chris Ramsey has a mountainous task on his hands, with defeat meaning his side sit 3 points from safety in the race to avoid relegation. The game in hand was the opportune time for them to move level on points with Aston Villa in 17th, but they failed to take their chances and were duly punished by a Spurs side who will take confidence from the victory in their quest to return to Europe's elite competition.
Do you think QPR will avoid relegation? Will Spurs finish in the top 4 this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
