League leaders pile more misery on Boro

Last updated : 26 February 2011 By Northern Echo

Despite a much-needed win at Millwall seven days earlier, Boro collapsed to their second successive home defeat with a 3-0 loss to Championship leaders Queens Park Rangers.

It might not have been as exciting as the 4-3 thriller that saw them lose to Swansea, but the outcome was very much the same ahead of Nottingham Forest's visit to the North-East on Tuesday.

This was another afternoon when a failure to pick up any points has left them hovering above the bottom three.

QPR's Heidar Helguson put QPR two goals up with a goal either side of half-time before the reliably impressive Adel Taarabt completed the win from the penalty spot 22 minutes from the end.

There might have been 28 points separating these two teams before kick-off, but it hadn't looked that way for the majority of the opening half.

And Middlesbrough had the best chance of that period inside the opening 60 seconds. Paddy Kenny's woeful goal-kick fell kindly for Scott McDonald.

Middlesbrough's Aussie striker, with just the keeper to beat, was denied when Kenny redeemed himself with a low save.

Middlesbrough's problems after that were largely down to their own lapses in concentration.

A routine long ball forward caused unnecessary confusion in the home defence. Goalkeeper Jason Steele, Seb Hines and Nicky Bailey all waited for one another to take charge, Taarabt nipped in and lobbed on to the roof of the net.

And then, after a quick counter attack, Tarrabt cleverly brought down a searching pass from Alejandro Faurlin. The skilful Moroccan was allowed to turn, play in to Helguson, who took a touch before his shot deflected off Andrew Davies to beat Steele.

Regardless of what Mowbray said at the interval, Middlesbrough simply had no response from there on in to the league leaders' higher confidence.

Even when Merouane Zemmama and Barry Robson were introduced by the Boro boss to try to change things just before the hour, seconds later QPR added their second.

Routledge, on loan from Newcastle for the rest of the season, burst beyond Tony McMahon and delivered a precise cross with the outside of his boot to tee up Helguson to head in his second.

And when Zemmama went down to tackle compatriot Tarrabt there seemed little point, even more so when referee Keith Stroud pointed to the spot.

Then Tarrabt pushed away Helguson, on a hat-trick, to take the penalty himself and he found Steele's bottom right to send hundreds of Teesside supporters away early.

MIDDLESBROUGH: Steele; McMahon, Hines, Davies (Haas 82), Bennett; Emnes (Zemmama 59), Bailey, Arca (Robson 59), Taylor; Lita, McDonald. Subs: Ripley (gk), Boyd, Grounds, Smallwood.

QPR (4-4-2): Kenny; Orr (Connolly 78), Hall, Shittu, Hill; Routledge, Derry, Faurlin, Tarrabt; Buzsaky (Ephraim 70), Helguson (Hulse 84). Gorkss, Connolly, Vaagan-Moen, Cerny (gk), Ephraim, Miller.

Source: Northern Echo

Source: Northern Echo