QPR 1-3 Southampton

Southampton piled the pressure on
QPR boss Mark Hughes by winning the
battle of the Premier League's bottom
two 3-1 at Loftus Road.
With managers in both dug-outs under
severe pressure, first-half goals from
Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon
gave the Saints a deserved 2-0 lead at
the break, before Junior Hoilett headed
QPR back into the game early in the
second period.
Southampton, though, kept pushing
forward and secured the points seven
minutes from time, when Adam
Lallana's low cross was poked into his
own net by Anton Ferdinand.
With the victory, Nigel Adkins' side have
established a four-point gap between
themselves and their beaten hosts.
Both he and Hughes stuck with the
same starting line-ups that played last
weekend, with Southampton the
quickest to settle. Captain Lallana came
close in the seventh minute, firing just
over after a neat one-two with Gaston
Ramirez, but their defensive frailties
remained.
Adel Taarabt - so often a threat for QPR
- drove in-between Nathaniel Clyne and
Jose Fonte, before forcing a reaction
save out of Paulo Gazzaniga, who then
shovelled a Hoilett shot around the
post less than a minute later.
Saints returned to the attack and got
the game's crucial opener in the 23rd
minute, when a corner was not cleared
properly by the home defence.
Ramirez pulled back for Fonte, whose
shot was prodded goalwards by
Puncheon. That effort was cleared off
the line but Lambert showed his
strength to bundle home.
Southampton pushed for another,
which came on the stroke of half-time,
when Puncheon collected the ball from
Clyne, turned Alejandro Faurlin, and
fired home a left-footed strike.
QPR were booed off at half-time after
their inept display and Hughes
replaced Faurlin with Jamie Mackie at
the start of the second period, which
was only four minutes old when
Taarabt's floated cross was nodded
home by the unmarked Hoilett.
Saints quickly retained their
momentum, though, and Puncheon
forced Julio Cesar into a smart save
before firing wide twice within a
minute.
The game was flowing from end to end
and Cesar had to be at his best to deny
a Maya Yoshida scissor-kick 10 minutes
from time.
Nelsen headed straight at Gazzaniga
moments later and then Saints secured
victory, with Puncheon playing a short
corner to Schneiderlin for the
Frenchman's cross to squeeze in off
Ferdinand at Cesar's near post.
QPR fans bellowed 'You're only here
for the money' at their players and
duly booed the side off at the end of
the game, while Adkins and the Saints
fans celebrated their first points earned
away from home.