Burrell’s goal gives QPR victory at Swansea

Swansea 0

QPR 1
Burrell  (18′)

QPR made a swift return to winning ways by clinching their third victory in four away matches.

Rumarn Burrell’s first-half goal was enough to secure the points at Swansea, who played most of the match with 10 men after Malick Yalcouye was sent off for headbutting Steve Cook as they squared up to each other.

Rangers have now taken 19 points on the road since April and won nine of their past 12 matches against Welsh sides, keeping eight clean sheets against them in the process.

And while their performance was unconvincing at times, the result was the perfect response to Saturday’s home defeat against Millwall, which ended a six-match unbeaten run.

There was also a return to action for the fit-again Ilias Chair, who came on as a second-half substitute for the R’s – his first appearance since August.

Koki Saito played a key role in the goal, doing brilliantly on the left and finding Isaac Hayden, who pulled the ball for Burrell at the near post to nudge it into the far corner of the net.

Rangers were ponderous after Yalcouye’s 34th-minute dismissal but had chances later in the game, with Cook having a header saved by keeper Lawrence Vigouroux, who also denied Chair after more good work by the lively Saito.

Chair should have scored – as should fellow substitute Jonathan Varane when he fired the loose ball wide of the target after Jimmy Dunne’s shot had hit the post.

In stoppage time, QPR keeper Paul Nardi produced a crucial save to keep out Zan Vipotnik’s header.

QPR: Nardi, Dunne, Cook, Mbengue, Field, Madsen, Hayden (Varane 71), Smyth (Dembele 60), Saito, Kone (Frey 88), Burrell (Chair 71).
Subs not used: Hamer, Morrison, Norrington-Davies, Morgan, Vale.