QPR vs. Arsenal: Score, Grades, Reaction from Premier League London Derby

Two goals in the space of five minutes midway through the second half proved the difference as Arsenal secured a 2-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Wednesday.

Olivier Giroud broke the deadlock shortly after the hour-mark to give the Gunners a scarcely deserved lead in the game at Loftus Road, before Alexis Sanchez’s solo goal soon after—his first in eight games—effectively decided the destination of the three points.

QPR produced a spirited performance for much of the match, but failed to take a number of presentable chances that came their way in the first half and ultimately paid the price for that. They did finally get one goal back, thanks to Charlie Austin’s smart turn and finish, in the last 10 minutes, but were unable to summon the final push they needed to perhaps steal an equaliser.

The result means Arsenal remain third in the Premier League table, while Chris Ramsey’s side continue to sit just inside the bottom three—three points from safety, albeit with a game in hand.

Afterwards, Wenger said (per the Daily Star):

"

We needed to be strong and get the ball down more, to get back to our game, and we did that better in the second half, I felt it was all us.

We scored two but we could have scored more, we played very well in the second half, and our collective game as a group was good, the chances we created were good and we played with a lot of desire and belief.

Overall it was a very positive game.

"

"

Alexis Sanchez' naughty near post finish 2-0 https://t.co/BFSbXQpPnP

— Eat My Goal.tv (@eatmygoaltv) March 4, 2015"

There were few real surprises in either team selection, although QPR were able to welcome Sandro back for his first appearance since November (the Brazilian would manage an hour before being withdrawn). Elsewhere, Ramsey continued with young Darnell Furlong in defence, while Charlie Austin and Bobby Zamora led the line.

Arsenal, meanwhile, paired Gabriel with Per Mertesacker in defence—giving Laurent Koscielny a rest this time, after the German had watched from the bench at the weekend against Everton. Giroud led the line, supported by Sanchez and Mesut Ozil.

The first half was high on effort and intent, but low on quality and clear-cut chances. The home side, roared on by a boisterous crowd, perhaps edged the overall play, with Matthew Phillips and Junior Hoilett both looking threatening.

The best chance of the half was carved out by Austin, as he turned and lashed an exquisite half-volley that flew just inches wide of David Ospina’s far post. The Chilean had made a number of other saves—notably from Phillips—but Arsenal were not completely without a threat, as Santi Cazorla sent Rob Green scrambling across his goal to make the save following lovely build-up play with Giroud.

But for injuries, both sides would have been reasonably disappointed going into the break. As it was, both sides had to rearrange defensively—Arsenal losing Gabriel to injury (Koscielny’s “rest” ending up being short-lived) as Nedum Onuoha also stumbled off for the home side after sustaining a head injury. Clint Hill replaced him.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

The second half was more action-packed, fortunately for all concerned, with Ozil screaming for a penalty barely two minutes after the restart. The German certainly seemed to be pulled back cynically by Karl Henry as he attempted to get on the end of Tomas Rosicky’s cross, but the referee appeared not to see an infringement.

Both sides continued to make half-chances that kept the two goalkeepers on their toes, but it was not for another 15 minutes that the deadlock was finally broken. It came from a swift counter-attacking move, as Sanchez’s class created the space for others to exploit.

An element of luck was involved as well, however. Sanchez danced inside on the edge of the box and fed the overlapping Kieran Gibbs, who seemed to scuff his attempted cross into the covering defender. Fortunately for Arsenal, the ball deflected perfectly into the path of Giroud, who squeezed an off-balance shot past the unfortunate Green.

Soon after it would be 2-0, and this time it would be all of Sanchez’s making. There looked to be little real danger when the forward picked the ball up from Gibbs down towards the left corner-flag, but the former Barcelona man somehow weaved his way into the box and flashed a low shot inside the near post—much to the delight of his team-mates.

Green may have felt he could have done better to cover his angles, but QPR’s defenders could perhaps have been more alert to the danger.

From that point on, it looked as if Wenger’s side would see things out with a degree of comfort but, as is often their way, it did not quite pan out as planned. With eight minutes left in normal time, Austin finally got his rewards for his prodigious individual efforts, as he brought the ball down on the edge of the box, created some space for himself and then drove a shot at goal that beat Ospina for pace.

That set up a tense conclusion, but Ramsey’s side perhaps lacked both the fitness and the invention to find an equaliser. Arsenal saw things out to the final whistle, adding another three points to their tally as they continue to push for a top-three finish.

QPR, meanwhile, remain 18th—albeit aware that a win over Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend will lift them out of the relegation zone on goal difference. With that in mind, they will perhaps take more positives than negatives from this game.

Julian Finney/Getty Images

Player Ratings

Player	Rating
Rob Green	7
Darnell Furlong	7
Nedum Onuoha	7
Steven Caulker	7
Yun Suk-young	7
Matt Phillips	7
Karl Henry	6
Sandro	7
Junior Hoilett	6
Charlie Austin	8
Bobby Zamora	7
Substitutions
Clint Hill	6
Niko Kranjcar	6
Mauricio Isla	6

Player	Rating
David Ospina	6
Hector Bellerin	8
Gabriel	6
Per Mertesacker	6
Kieran Gibbs	7
Francis Coquelin	6
Santi Cazorla	7
Tomas Rosicky	8
Alexis Sanchez	8
Mesut Ozil	7
Olivier Giroud	7
Substitutions
Laurent Koscielny	6
Aaron Ramsey	6
Danny Welbeck	n/a

What's Next?

QPR are in Premier League action on Saturday, hosting Tottenham in another London derby (a game that was postponed last week due to Spurs' Capital One Cup final involvement). 

Arsenal, meanwhile, are in the FA Cup quarter-finals—travelling to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United on Monday.