McCLAREN PROUD OF HIS BATTLERS
Rangers sunk by Capoue’s lucky hit
ETIENNE Capoue’s firsthalf injury-time goal denied QPR a place in the quarter-finals as Watford squeezed through at Loftus Road.
Jose Holebas’ left-wing corner found Tom Cleverley at close range and the midfielder’s complete mis-hit landed in the path of Capoue, who then optimistically swung at goal and watched as the ball bounced and crept beyond Joe Lumley’s reach and in.
Despite bowing out of the competition, manager Steve McClaren has renewed confidence in his side’s ability to end their damaging run, which is now six defeats in eight matches.
“It makes me hopeful,” he said. “We’re that close to turning it around, we’ve been very, very unlucky. We’ve got to keep that attitude and spirit.
“I’m so proud of the players’ performances. It was their third game in six days. We couldn’t have done any more, apart from score.
“We lost the game by a setplay and Watford showed great resilience to get through, because we threw everything at them.
“Toni Leistner’s chance at the end (in the 88th minute) summed us up. We were very close, but not close enough.
“I’m very disappointed with the goal. It’s the only shot on goal I can remember and the only time I felt in trouble.”
An often stretched affair was consistently played at a high tempo and with intensity, but there were few threats on goal before the 28th minute when Daryl Janmaat stabbed over. When Heurelho Gomes demonstrated a lack of match practice by conceding a corner with a misplaced kick, QPR were almost instantly presented with a fine chance to take the lead and were thereafter largely impressive.
The keeper unconvincingly punched the resulting corner to Massimo Luongo, who from the edge of the area controlled, before connecting well, but shooting narrowly wide of the left-hand post. Matt Smith then forced Gomes into a fine save. Luke Freeman carried the ball deep into Watford’s half before floating a pass to Nahki Wells, who shot towards the bottom right-hand corner where the diving Gomes stretched to tip wide.
It was in the first minute of first-half stoppage time that, against the run of play, the visitors fortuitously took the lead via Capoue.
QPR again went close in the 62nd minute when Christian Kabasele needlessly gifted possession to Wells and the striker nearly capitalised by curling narrowly wide. The hosts crenarrowly ated their clearest chance in the 88th minute, but their failure to score summed up their evening.
Darnell Furlong met a deep cross at the back post and sent it back across the face of goal to Leistner, who was free on the left, but somehow missed from a yard out.
Hornets boss Javi Gracia recognised Watford had not been great, admitting: “It wasn’t our best game. But we knew before it would be very demanding. Playing against QPR we have suffered a lot.”