Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers produced a ruthless display to thrash struggling Portsmouth 6-1 at Loftus Road. The hosts raced into a three-goal lead inside 29 minutes through a Paul Smyth double, scored either side of a long-range effort from Rayan Kolli.
What happened?
The match started with a poor touch from John Swift, giving up the ball in midfield, and Harvey Vale's deflected pass found Smyth who fired home with the help of a deflection from 20 yards. Kolli doubled the advantage with a 30-yard strike that squeezed past keeper Nicolas Schmid.
Key players
Smyth ran through the middle onto another Vale assist to calmly slot in a third. Swift lifted Pompey spirits briefly by pulling one back with a fine finish from outside the area that crashed in off the post.
Turning point
But the visitors lacked the clinical edge of QPR despite having 20 shots to QPR's nine and 33 touches inside their box. Kolli's second came in the 55th minute when he burst past his marker and drilled in from a tight angle to restore the three-goal cushion.
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Score | 6-1 |
| Shots | 20-9 |
| Touches in box | 33-? |
Reaction
QPR head coach Julien Stephan told BBC Radio London: "It was not our best offensive collective performance. I think we have had some better games collectively since the start of the season, but it was really, really clinical today." Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho told BBC Radio Solent: "We conceded three goals in quick succession really early on and they felt particularly poor today.
