QPR hammered by Burnley in final home game
QPR 0
Burnley 5
Cullen (9′)
Flemming (20′, 28′)
Sarmiento (62′, 92’+2)
QPR were hammered in their final home match of a troubled season.
Zian Flemming and Jeremy Sarmiento both scored twice as Burnley emphatically maintained their Championship title hopes.
Josh Cullen also netted in a one-sided game at Loftus Road, where the Clarets, already promoted along with Leeds, won with embarrassing ease.
Cullen put the visitors ahead with a well-taken goal after nine minutes.
Jimmy Dunne attempted to head keeper James Trafford’s long kick clear but the ball dropped to Cullen, who played it in towards Flemming and continued into the box.
Flemming held the ball up for Josh Brownwhill, who threaded it through for Cullen to slot past keeper Paul Nardi.
The lively Flemming doubled the lead 11 minutes later, following a sweeping move from one end of the pitch to the other.
Lucas Koleosho went past Kenneth Paal on the right and crossed low towards Connor Roberts. The Welshman was denied by Dunne’s goal-line block but the ball was then nudged by Hannibal Mejbri to Flemming, who netted from close range.
Flemming helped himself to another goal – his 14th goal of the season – on 28 minutes, sneaking behind Dunne and Liam Morrison to head home Brownhill’s cross from the right.
Edwards then cleared off the line to deny Flemming a hat-trick as Burnley threatened to run riot.
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes made a double substitution at half-time, sending on Michael Frey and Ilias Chair in an attempt to stem the tide.
Rangers were better in the second half, but Burnley had total control.
Flemming was again denied a hat-trick, this time by Dunne’s saving challenge, before Nardi kept out Brownhill’s shot after R’s forward Rayan Kolli had given the ball away.
Trafford was finally called into action when he gathered Harrison Ashby’s shot, but that was a rare Rangers attack – and Sarmiento’s 62nd-minute goal made it four shortly after he came on as a substitute.
Again there was nice link-up play involved, with Brownhill and Flemming exchanging passes before Sarmiento turned away from Morrison and then saw his shot deflected in by the Scottish defender.
And in stoppage time, Nathan Redmond found space on the right and sent in a low cross towards Sarmiento, who swept a first-time strike past Nardi.
QPR: Nardi; Dunne, Morrison, Edwards (Fox 80) Paal; Colback, Varane; Ashby (Andersen 86), Madsen (Chair 46), Dembele (Frey 46); Kolli (Sutton 59).
Subs not used: Walsh, Morgan, Bennie, Min-hyeok.
