CIFUENTES URGES HIS HOOPS TO NOT PANIC
QPR manager Marti Cifuentes called for calm – despite a heavy defeat to Hull. Rangers are three points clear of the Sky Bet Championship relegation zone and were outclassed by the Tigers, who still have a slim chance of making the play-offs. Goals from Ozan Tufan and Fabio Carvalho earned Hull a deserved lead at the break, after which Jaden Philogene added gloss to the scoreline in the second half. Cifuentes said: “I was really disappointed with the result. We played against a very good team and they showed their quality after we made a good start to the game.
“I am now not thinking about the narrative of this game – now it is time to move on. “Now is the time to stay calm. We have three games to go – two of them at home – so it is up to us.”
With just one away league defeat since December, it was unsurprising that Marti Cifuentes’ men were quickly into the stride against a Hull side who have this season been hamstrung by their form at the MKM Stadium.
The visitors’ early vigour was, however, soon curtailed when Tufan scored after eight minutes.
The Turkey international was given too much space by Jimmy Dunne near the left-hand corner of the penalty area.
Dunne also seemed complacent to the danger when Tufan cut inside before striking fiercely with his right boot.
The ball screwed over the head of Asmir Begovic, battered the underside of the crossbar and landed into the top-right corner of the net.
QPR looked shellshocked. And they might have gone further behind soon afterwards had Philogene and Carvalho not been guilty of poor decision-making in good areas.
Carvalho, though, impressively made amends after 27 minutes with a lovely second goal.
Tufan again played a key role with a cute firsttime pass around the corner that outfoxed centre-backs Steve Cook and Jake Clarke-Salter.
Carvalho controlled beautifully and never looked like missing from the edge of the penalty box once Begovic came rushing off his line.
QPR brought on Reggie Cannon and Paul Smyth at the break, and the double substitution nearly yielded immediate dividends when the latter somehow headed wide Illias Chair’s cross from close range.
But Rangers’ slim hopes of getting back into the game sailed into the Humber when Philogene scored another excellent goal once Tufan’s freekick was partially cleared by Sam Field.
The former Aston Villa winger, 10 yards out toward the left of box, showed laudable composure to cushion a textbook half-volley into the right of the goal.
QPR might have added a consolation soon afterwards when Jacob Greaves cleared off Hull’s line after Chair waltzed past two defenders and goalkeeper Ryan Allsop.
Yet that was as good as it got for Rangers