Goals:
0-1: Fer (17, stole ahead of a dawdling Bridcutt to head home Phillips’ floated right-wing cross)
0-2: Zamora (45, pulled away from Vergini and hooked home a swivelled first-time shot after Phillips crossed from the right)
Bookings: Zamora (35, unsporting behaviour), Larsson (41, foul), Barton (78, foul), Alvarez (83, dissent)
Referee: Martin Atkinson (Leeds) –Contributed to what was a generally free-flowing affair, but infuriated the home support by waving away a number of penalty appeals 6
Attendance: 39,077
Entertainment: ***
SUNDERLAND (4-1-3-2):
5 Pantilimon: Might have anticipated Zamora’s shot rather better, but was one of the few players who couldn’t really be blamed
6 REVEILLERE: Was the pick of a shaky Sunderland defence and delivered some dangerous crosses from the right-hand side
5 Vergini: Struggled to deal with Zamora’s physical threat before he eventually finished the game in the right-back berth
4 O’Shea: A night to forget for the Sunderland skipper, who couldn’t really handle Fer’s movement and aerial threat
3 Van Aanholt: Catches the eye going forward, but that shouldn’t disguise a dreadful defensive effort with QPR dominating his flank
3 Bridcutt: Was supposed to be the player plugging the defensive gaps, but lost Fer for the first goal and was repeatedly overrun
5 Johnson: Out of sorts in the first half, but improved slightly after the interval and delivered a couple of dangerous crosses
4 Larsson: Looked laboured for the majority of the night and failed to offer any superb to Sunderland’s attacking players
3 Gomez: The worst player on the pitch in the first half – and that was saying something. Repeatedly gave the ball away cheaply
4 Wickham: Goodness only knows where he was meant to be playing before the break, but he left huge gaps down Sunderland’s left
5 Defoe: Had to try to create things for himself yet again, but saw his best opportunity thwarted by a fine save from Green
Subs:
Alvarez (for Gomez, 46): Added a bit of urgency down the right-hand side after the break, but his best shot was turned around the post 6
Brown (for Reveillere, 63): Helped tighten things up in the closing stages, although QPR were more intent on defending by then 5
Fletcher (for Wickham, 82)
(not used): Mannone (gk), Coates, Agnew, Graham.
QPR (4-4-1-1):
Green 8; Isla 8 (Doughty 85), Caulker 7, Ferdinand 7, Yun 6; Phillips 8 (Wright-Phillips 52, 6), Henry 7, Barton 8, Kranjcar 7; FER 9 (Zarate 75); Zamora 8.
Subs (not used): McCarthy (gk), Traore, Hill, Taarabt.
Man Of The Match: LEROY FER – The QPR forward scored and hit the post as his bright movement and incisive running repeatedly ripped the Sunderland defence apart.
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