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Andrew Dillion at SunSport |
Fulham (3) 3 QPR (1) 2
QPR produced Samba soccer - but it was absolutely nothing like watching Brazil.
Two cock-ups from £12million defender Chris Samba put Rangers on the slide to a defeat which nudges them even closer to relegation.
Samba's slip-ups left his team 2-0 down after only 22 minutes and an embarrassing own goal from Clint Hill in the 41st minute completed a humiliating first half which left them with too much to do.
Rangers were so bad in the opening 45 minutes that the only similarity between them and Brazil is that they were four hours behind the opposition.
Samba gave away a penalty after eight minutes and then got mugged by Damien Duff for the second.
Most worrying for boss Harry Redknapp is that Samba was not the only culprit.
His entire QPR team proceeded to go into meltdown just when they needed to show a bit of composure.
It did not help that Dimitar Berbatov is in great form and put on a show of finishing and finesse.
But Rangers did not help themselves. Even with Fulham down to 10 men for the last 12 minutes they could not grab an equaliser.
And slow reactions when Mark Schwarzer saved Loic Remy's 49th-minute penalty let the home side off the hook.
What Rangers needed was a strong sense of urgency.
Instead, Fulham could smell the fear from their neighbours and immediately put Rangers' clumsy colossus Samba under scrutiny.
Only eight minutes had gone when Samba came unstuck trying to decipher the dizzy feet of Berbatov after eight minutes.
Having somehow managed to wrestle the ball from the Bulgarian dangerman, he could not help but up-end Ashkan Dejagah as the midfielder bundled into the box.
Berbatov's cool finish from the spot was in stark contrast to QPR's increasingly frantic football.
Fulham were dominating in every area and on 22 minutes sloppy Samba got in a muddle with a pass across the area from Jose Bosingwa.
Quick-witted Duff pounced on the big man's confusion and nicked the ball from between his legs and knocked it straight into the path of Berbatov.
He calmly rolled home his fifth goal in four games - that is the kind of strike-rate Redknapp can only dream about. With half time approaching it was exhibition stuff from Fulham as they strung together passes like a knockabout.
The third goal summed up ragged Rangers as 6ft 5in centre-half Brede Hangeland carved opened their defence with a cheeky backheel for John Arne Riise to smash in a cross which went in off Hill.
Adel Taarabt gave faint hope when he dragged a shot past Schwarzer to make it 3-1 just before the interval.
And a more determined second half also brought a goal from Remy when he skinned Philippe Senderos and blasted in a shot off the underside of the bar.
But Rangers could have been celebrating a point had they followed up when Schwarzer guessed right and pushed away Remy's spot-kick after Taarabt was brought down.
Four Fulham players got to the ball before anyone from QPR.
Sidwell was given a straight red in the 78th minute for clattering Armand Traore but it was too little too late to save QPR in every sense.
SUN STAR MAN - DIMITAR BERBATOV (FULHAM)
FULHAM: Schwarzer 8, Riether 6, Senderos 6, Hangeland 7, Riise 6, Duff 7, Karagounis 5, Sidwell 6, Dejagah 6, Ruiz 7, Berbatov 8.
Subs: Emanuelson (Dejagah 38) 6, Frimpong (Emanuelson 80) 6.
Not used: Etheridge, Richardson, Hughes, Rodallega, Frei.
Sent off: Sidwell.
Booked: Riether, Senderos.
QPR: Julio Cesar 6, Bosingwa 5, Samba 4, Hill 5, Traore 5, Townsend 5, Mbia 6, Jenas 6, Taarabt 6, Zamora 5, Remy 7.
Subs: Onuoha (Hill 46) 6, Hoilett (Taarabt 74) 6, Mackie (Traore 83) 6.
Not used: Green, Park, Granero, Ben Haim.
Booked: Hill.
Source .