Queens Park Rangers 1 Middlesbrough 5

Dec 6 2009 Sunday Sun

HISTORY-making Boro broke Gordon Strachan’s dugout duck with a sizzling show in a 5-1 romp at Loftus Road.

The emphatic victory was the first under new boss Strachan at the fifth time of asking.

And it was also Boro’s first win at their West London bogey ground in any competition in a staggering 21 attempts.

And what a way to do it!

After a wobbly opening 20 minutes, Boro grabbed the game by the throat and dished out an attacking master-class to climb above their Championship promotion rivals.

On-loan striker Dave Kitson stretched to poke home the first-half opener to claim his third goal in two games.

In a rocking start to the second half Leroy Lita slammed home an unstoppable penalty and then slotted home a classy low finish.

Those goals were either side of a Rangers strike from Patrick Ageyemang that offered only a brief flicker of hope for the home side.

And as polished Boro rammed home their advantage, Gary O’Neil got a fourth after Lita had rattled the post. Mark Yeates wrapped it up late on with his first goal for the club.

A noisy travelling Teesside support made their way back to the North East with plenty to celebrate and revived hopes that Boro could yet still be a factor in the promotion shake-up.

The game had started ominously. QPR had Boro rocking after a lively opening in which they carved out a string of good chances.

They opened with several corners and from one of them Faurlin drilled a low shot that was deflected wide.

In the fifth minute Simpson squared along the edge of the box for Taarabt to fire over from 20 yards.

Soon after, Taarabt turned and pushed Williams back into the box, but the Aussie did well to stick with him and then get in a tackle as he shaped to shoot.

QPR threatened again on 12 minutes when a fantastic cross-field ball from Routledge sent Taarabt into the box, but with Simpson unmarked inside him and screaming for the ball he blazed over from an acute angle.

Two minutes later Rangers defender Borrowdale unleashed a powerful 25-yard drive that Brad Jones did well to hold.

But Boro started to slowly claw their way back into the game, closing quickly in midfield and pushing the game into the Rangers half.

They almost got lucky as a defender failed to cut out a Yeates cross leaving Lita to charge in on the keeper, who managed to get to the loose ball just before the striker arrived in the box.

O’Neil then robbed Watson and almost picked out Arca, but a defender stretched out a boot to prevent the Argentinian having a clear run into the box.