Boro score five as Strachan celebrates first win

MIDDLESBROUGH ran riot at Loftus Road this afternoon to hand Gordon Strachan his first win since replacing Gareth Southgate last month. The Teessiders claimed an emphatic 5-1 victory over promotion rivals QPR and produced a performance that answered the critics who had been questioning their promotion credentials on the back of a five-game winless run. Leroy Lita claimed a second-half double, with Dave Kitson, Gary O'Neil and Mark Yeates also finding the back of the net, as Boro blitzed their opponents with four goals in 44 minutes. While QPR made a bright opening to the game, Middlesbrough were the dominant side from the 25-minute mark onwards. The lively Yeates served notice of their intent with a 25-yard strike that beat Radek Cerny but rebounded off the underside of the crossbar, and Kitson went one better when he broke the deadlock shortly after the half-hour mark. O'Neil floated a free-kick into the QPR penalty area, and Kitson stretched out a leg to divert the ball into the goal. The visitors doubled their lead five minutes after the break, with Lita's first of the game. Gary Borrowdale handled after David Wheater headed on a corner, and Lita drilled the spot-kick straight down the middle of the goal. Boro's two-goal advantage lasted less than three minutes, with Rowan Vine squaring for fellow substitute Patrick Agyemang to score with his first touch of the game. But the Teessiders were 3-1 in front on the hour mark as Lita cut inside Fitz Hall before firing a powerful drive into the corner to claim his second goal of the game. Lita, producing his best display in a Boro shirt, came within inches of claiming his hat-trick 15 minutes before the end, but while his drive rebounded off the post, O'Neil was on hand to volley home the rebound. Yeates then claimed the goal that his own bright performance deserved with three minutes left. The Irishman cut in from the left and curled a deft shot into the bottom corner to record his first goal in a Boro shirt. QPR (4-4-2): Cerny; Leigertwood, Hall, Gorkss, Borrowdale; Buzsaky (Vine 52), Watson, Faurlin, Taarabt; Routledge (Pellicori 80), Simpson (Agyemang 52). Subs (not used): Taylor (gk), Ramage, Williams, Stewart. MIDDLESBROUGH (4-4-2): Jones; R Williams, Wheater, St Ledger, Pogatetz; Arca, O'Neil (Digard 79), Osbourne, Yeates; Lita, Kitson. Subs (not used): Coyne (gk), Hoyte, Riggott, McMahon, Emnes, L Williams.

Source: Northern_Echo