HERO DIENG PAYS PRICE FOR HOOPS
QPR keeper Seny Dieng broke his nose before he was issued with a red card, manager Mark Warburton revealed after beating Middlesbrough.
Dieng was in the thick of the action at the Riverside where the Rs managed to hold on to the lead despite his dismissal with 32 minutes remaining.
The visitors started the stronger of the two, even though there was very little for Middlesbrough’s league debutant Jordan Archer to do before the opener.
Archer, signed from Motherwell in January, was beaten from 30 yards in the 15th minute when centre-back Rob Dickie was allowed too much space to roam into the final third and score a screamer.
And after Darnell Fisher and Djed Spence had got into good positions for the home side, Archer was soon beaten for a second time at the other end.
Striker Lyndon Dykes swivelled in the area before half-volleying a cross into the sixyard box for Lee Wallace to nod down and beyond the goalkeeper.
But Middlesbrough made them work hard for the win after Yannick Bolasie pulled one back with a header of his own in the 28th minute.
Dieng was then smashed in the nose when he prevented Bolasie from levelling and, despite requiring lengthy treatment, the Swiss-born Senegalese stopper carried on playing.
But in the 58th minute he rushed out of his box and brought down Duncan Watmore, so was punished with the red card.
QPR battled away and held on, with replacement Joe Lumley making two vital stops to deny George Saville in the latter stages of the game.
Warburton, whose side have won six of their last nine games, said: “The first 20-25 minutes was very good. We got ourselves two goals up and looked dominant.
“We conceded a sloppy goal to make it 2-1 and then the second half was a completely different dynamic because of the sending off.
“Seny broke his nose quite badly, but he wanted to come out for the second half. He did very well.
“He pulled off the good save (from Watmore) after the injury. But to have a keeper of Joe’s quality on the bench is very pleasing for us.”
QPR jumped two points ahead of Middlesbrough and moved up a place to tenth with the win.
Warburton’s opposite number Neil Warnock isn’t too concerned about the league table now that they have slipped away from the play-off places.
Instead, he is more focused on next season and has warned his squad that he has seen things that have convinced him it is time to move some players on.
The Boro boss said: “I have got a few answers. In some respects, it is frustrating, disappointing, all of those adjectives.
“There were a few answers out there. I know who I have to get out, keep and build on.
“You can see we have a nucleus of good players, unfortunately we missed the lads we have out. We have to bring players in so that when we do lose certain players we have good ones to replace them.”