QPR vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United fought off a rough start to take down Queens Park Rangers 2-0 at Loftus Road Saturday.
Substitutes Marouane Fellaini and James Wilson scored a goal each to power the Red Devils past the 19th-placed side in the English Premier League.
The win kept the Red Devils within two points of Southampton in the race for third place. Southampton defeated Newcastle United at St. James' Park Saturday.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from United's 11th league victory of the season.
Winner: Marouane Fellaini
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The first goal of the match came from second-half substitute Marouane Fellaini.
In the 58th minute, the Belgian found a ton of space in the box to fire the ball past QPR keeper Robert Green.
The 27-year-old also made an impact in midfield, as his physical presence helped stop the hosts from attacking through the middle of the park.
Because of Fellaini's imposing presence, QPR were forced to fire plenty of long balls toward Charlie Austin's head in the minutes after the goal.
Loser: Angel Di Maria
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Angel Di Maria had a rough day up top for Manchester United, as he seemed out of place next to Radamel Falcao.
Part of the positional issue has to do with Louis van Gaal's tactics, but Di Maria could have switched out to the wing on a few occasions in search of creating something in the first half.
The one time Di Maria was able to display his skill on the ball in the first stanza came in the 30th minute. The Argentinian started an attacking move, but he wasted the chance by sending a pass out of Falcao's reach.
Di Maria earned a chance to play on the wing when Van Gaal shifted to a 4-4-2, but he was far from effective when Falcao and James Wilson teamed up at the forward position.
Given his lackluster performance up top against QPR, we should expect Di Maria to end up back on the wing in order for Van Gaal to get the best out of the player.
Winner/Loser: Louis van Gaal
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Louis van Gaal's tactics came under fire once again on Saturday, as his 3-5-2 formation produced few positives in the first half.
The Dutch boss stuck with the 3-5-2 to start the second half, but he finally changed to a 4-4-2 in the 56th minute, when James Wilson entered the match for Jonny Evans.
The tactical switch reaped its rewards immediately, as Fellaini scored the opening goal two minutes after Wilson's entrance.
Because of the early success of the 4-4-2 against QPR, fans will be pressing the United manager to line his team up in that formation for the remainder of the season.
Despite how much sense that move would make, Van Gaal will only listen to himself in regards to tactical decisions.
"When I changed the shape, I wanted speed or pace also in the attacking line," Van Gaal told PremierLeague.com. "That’s why I changed in that way. It’s a change in attack that brings a lot of risk, but we have won 2-0, and I think it was deserved."
Loser: Eduardo Vargas
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Eduardo Vargas had a golden opportunity to equalize in the 75th minute after a Manchester United giveaway.
Vargas darted forward down the middle of the pitch, with Bobby Zamora flanking him on the right and Charlie Austin on the other side of the penalty area.
The Chilean rightfully ignored Zamora, but instead of shooting right away, he decided to twist around in the box to fool a defender.
By the time Vargas passed the ball back to an incoming Joey Barton, the United defense thwarted the dangerous move.
If he was smarter on the ball during the build-up of the potentially dangerous counter, Vargas may have handed QPR a lifeline with 15 minutes to go.
Winner: David de Gea
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In a first half that lacked quality, David de Gea provided solidity in the United goal with two key stops on Charlie Austin.
The Spaniard was forced into action in the 20th and 31st minutes by the third-top scorer in the English Premier League.
Thanks to the keeper's early contributions in goal, United found their way in attack instead of pressing while down a goal.
De Gea also made a key denial in the 90th minute on Mauricio Isla near the right post during one of QPR's most dangerous attacking moves.
Although the outfield players may not have played well in the first half, De Gea was still on his game, which is what a side like United need in the battle for a UEFA Champions League place.
Loser: Harry Redknapp's Job Security
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Harry Redknapp did his job status no favors Saturday, as QPR lost their league-high 13th match of the season.
The R's have strung together some decent results at home this season, but the club's brutal road form has put Redknapp's job security into question. Redknapp was defiant after the match, telling PremierLeague.com:
"All the speculation that I was going to lose my job if we lost this game, I spoke to owner Tony Fernandes this week and he certainly never said anything like that to me. If we can get another striker in on loan then we'll stay up no problem.
That was possibly as good as we've played at home all year. At 1-0 down we were pushing everyone forward—we got into some great positions at the end but couldn't quite find that killer final ball.
I couldn't be more pleased with the effort and commitment of the players—they were fantastic.
"
After Saturday's results in the league, QPR are sandwiched in between Hull City and Leicester City in the relegation zone.
If Redknapp wants to silence the critics, he will have to guide his side to their first road win of the season against Stoke City in two weeks. A decent result at home against Southampton a week later would also help the Englishman's status.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
