Middlesbrough 0-1 Queens Park Rangers: Jordan Hugill goal dents Boro's survival hopes
- Published
Jordan Hugill was injured in scoring his 13th Championship goal of the season, and QPR's winner at Middlesbrough
Jordan Hugill hurt both himself and Middlesbrough's hopes of Championship survival with a brilliantly lobbed winner for Queens Park Rangers at the Riverside.
Hugill's final touch of the game proved to be both sublime and decisive just after the half-hour mark, lifting the ball over Boro goalkeeper Dejan Stojanovic with a half-volley from 25 yards.
Neil Warnock's Boro pressed in the second half but failed to find an equaliser to lift them out of the bottom three.
Lukas Nmecha wastefully prodded the best chance to rescue a point over the bar late on, as QPR hung on to pick up their first points since the Championship's restart.
Victory for Stoke against fellow strugglers Barnsley on Saturday saw Boro slip into the bottom three before Rangers' visit and what was Warnock's first home game in charge of the Teessiders.
And there they remain, one point adrift of Hull in 21st place, with five games remaining.
Hugill fires Hoops to brink of safety
Jordan Hugill was denied by a fine save from Dejan Stojanovic before scoring the only goal of the game
QPR had resumed the campaign in June just six points adrift of the play-off places, but following three successive defeats they travelled to the north-east just six points above the drop zone.
Ambitions of challenging for promotion had been dented in recent weeks, and any further points dropped would have seen Mark Warburton's side dragged into an already tight relegation fight.
A wayward cross from Todd Kane that forced Boro goalkeeper Stojanovic to backpedal and tip the ball over the bar was Rangers' first effort on goal at the Riverside.
At the other end Joe Lumley was called into action twice in 40 seconds by Boro's two strikers midway through the first half - first by Britt Assombalonga from distance before an angled Ashley Fletcher effort at the near post demanded a smart save from the 25-year-old keeper.
A moment of indecisiveness from Hugill just after the half-hour mark saw a huge chance go to waste for the visitors - the on-loan West Ham forward taking a touch too many as he raced through on goal, allowing George Friend to apply pressure on a shot that Stojanovic did well to smother.
There was no such hesitation from Hugill a minute later, as he lifted his 15th goal of the season over the Boro goalkeeper with a sensational first-time finish, meeting a fine diagonal ball from Ryan Manning.
Rather than mark the goal with celebrations, the Middlesbrough-born striker immediately went to ground clutching his hamstring. He limped off the pitch before it restarted, with Ilias Chair coming on as his replacement.
QPR, a side that had managed to score just one goal in the three defeats leading up to the trip to the Riverside, pressed for a second before the break, but Stojanovic easily dealt with a shot from Chair and was equal to a dangerous free-kick from Manning.
Boro laboured to seriously threaten the Londoners after the interval, with Nmecha's late chance from a low Jonny Howson cross as close as they came to salvaging a point.
Post-match reaction
Victorious QPR boss Warburton said his side had collected three "well-deserved" and "important" points.
"We all know what the Championship is like," he said. "I've always said, you win three or four in a row and you can be knocking on the door (for promotion), but then you lose three or four in a row and suddenly you're getting shouts about relegation."
As for the match-winner Hugill, Warburton said the victory would understandably bring mixed emotions.
"I'm sure it's difficult for him. It's his hometown club and he's a big Boro fan," Warburton said.
"It's difficult when he scores the goal, but without being rude to Middlesbrough, he plays for QPR now. We pay his wages and it's important he performs for QPR.
"He's done that all season, and he's done it again today. I'm sure it was mixed emotions for him after the whistle, but when you're an athlete, you get on with the game."
Warnock, who replaced Jonathan Woodgate as Boro boss last month, said he could not "fault" his players in a defeat that leaves his new side still winless at home in 2020.
"I think we had twice as many shots as they had, but we just need something to drop for us," Warnock said.
"I don't think we've had anything drop for us in the last few games. I think that's what we need at the moment.
"I look at the lads and I can't fault the effort they've put in. They haven't got to get too down. It's hard, but as I've said to them they're very fortunate to be footballers at a club like this and they have to fight tooth and nail.
"I did think they did that in the second half, I just thought they made wrong decisions here and there, and a couple of things could have gone for us in the box which didn't."