It took 36 years, but QPR finally defeated Fulham at Craven Cottage

It would be fair to say that Craven Cottage has not been a happy hunting ground for Queens Park Rangers in recent years. In fact the last time that the Rs beat Fulham at their home ground was January 1980, which in football derby terms is a real long time.

In light of the week Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink had, a win was most certainly needed and somehow QPR obliged.

After a fairly even start, referee Lee Mason decided to make things interesting by granting a penalty to the home side in the fifth minute. Steven Caulker was apparently grappling with Chris Martin before the corner ball was even delivered. Tom Cairney stepped up and hit a decent penalty, but it was superbly denied by Alex Smithies.

QPR boss, Hasselbaink – Photo: Offside.

The following 20 minutes saw Fulham carve open QPR several times, yet they simply couldn’t score. A defence splitting pass from Scott Parker saw Lucas Piazon and Martin clean through. Piazon squared the ball for Martin, who was barely 15 yards out with the goal at his mercy and yet, he actually missed the target by some distance.

For the older football fans reading this, it had the touch of the Ronnie Rosenthal about it. Sone Aluko was also causing QPR all sorts of problems wide on the right, but he too missed several clear chances. The QPR goal was living a very charmed life indeed.

In amongst all this madness, QPR forward Conor Washington finally scored his first league goal for the club. A rare foray into the Fulham half by the Rs ended with the former Peterborough United man hitting a low driven shot that deflected past the Fulham ‘keeper David Button.

This game was Washington’s best in an Rs shirt and showed that if used properly, he can be a real asset to the team.

The equaliser Fulham were bound to get eventually came three minutes after the half-time interval, when defender Tim Ream bundled in an effort, which woke up the home support who up until then seemed to be enjoying a communal vow of silence.

Having suffered a few poor weeks, the 3,500 away fans feared the worst. Yet QPR’s response to the Fulham goal was an encouraging one.

Hasselbaink made positive substitutions bringing on Olamide Shodipo and Niko Hamalainen. Shodipo in particular impressed on the right flank, finally giving Fulham full-back Scott Malone something to think about. For the first time in the game, QPR looked the better team.

It was a bizarre game. On another day, Fulham would’ve run out comfortable winners, yet it was quite simply not their day.

With seven minutes to go, Tjaronn Chery whipped in a delicious cross which was duly dispatched by Idrissa Sylla, who had come on for Sebastian Polter. The away end went ballistic as a win suddenly seemed a possible.

However, never one to disappoint Lee Mason decided to bookend the game by awarding Fulham their second penalty in the final minute of play. At first glance, it didn’t look like a pen, but QPR skipper Nedum Onuoha looked to have clumsily connected his foot with the head of Fulham sub Jozabed.

Aluko, looking to make amends for his earlier atonement, stepped up, sent Smithies the wrong way, but hit the post to the delight of the away end and for the first time in 36 years, the Rs left Fulham with three points in the bag.