Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur earned a hard-fought 2-0 win against Queens Park Rangers in their pre-season friendly at Loftus Road.
The game was QPR’s first at home since their emphatic 4-0 win against Leeds United in April and Marti Cifuentes’ side pressed high and tried to go toe-to-toe with the Premier League giants at the start of the game.
Pape Mata Sarr and Heung-Min Son combined well to get a shot away on the edge of the box 30 seconds in but the midfielder’s effort was blocked by Jake Clarke-Salter. Two minutes later, Timo Werner flashed a ball across the hosts six-yard box but the on-rushing Brennan Johnson could not make contact.
The first corner of the match was QPR’s after an Elijah Dixon-Bonner pass was deflected out of play 13 minutes in. The resulting set piece was initially cleared but Lucas Andersen and Paul Smyth combined well to get a cross into the box which went marginally over Rayan Kolli’s head.
Three minutes later, Spurs had a corner of their own which was worked short to Yves Bissouma whose shot from just outside the box sailed over the bar. Jamie Donley gave the ball away in his own half 19 minutes in and Andersen tried to catch out goalkeeper Brandon Austin with an audacious chip, but the 25-year-old was equal to it.
The game had to be halted 23 minutes in following an injury to Lucas Bergvall. Unfortunately, the 18-year-old had to be replaced by his compatriot Dejan Kulusevski. Not long after the injury, Johnson combined well with Pedro Porro down the right-hand side to get in behind, but Son’s shot was excellently saved by Paul Nardi, who was making his home debut.
Michael Frey played the ball to Kolli on the left wing 30 minutes in and the youngster cut inside, beat his man and took a shot from outside the box which had to be tipped onto the bar by Austin. A couple of minutes later, Dixon-Bonner combined well with Kolli and Kenneth Paal down the left-hand side before the left-back found Frey in the middle who thumped the ball into the net, only for the assistant referee to raise his flag for offside.
The deadlock was broken at 40 minutes when Yves Bissouma produced a bit of magic to wander through the QPR defence, with the aid of Kulusevski, and ghost past Nardi in goal to slot the ball into an empty net and give Spurs the lead.
Three minutes later, Porro played an inch-perfect ball in behind the defence to Johnson who was again able to fire the ball across the R’s six-yard box to Son. The South Korean legend opted to try a deft flick but failed to get sufficient contact on the ball.
Spurs had another chance just before half-time as Kulusevski played an excellent ball in behind to Werner, but the German attacker failed to convert his one-on-one opportunity.
Half-Time – Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs changed their entire eleven ahead of the second half whilst QPR brought on Hevertton Santos in place of Kolli.
Shortly after half-time, James Maddison slotted Will Lanksheaer through on goal and he rounded Nardi only to miss the target, albeit from a very narrow-angle.
The home side’s first shot of the half came from Michael Frey 57 minutes in after George Abbott lost the ball deep in his own half. However, the striker’s effort was blocked by Emerson Royal. Steve Cook had a headed chance from the resultant corner but the former Bournemouth man failed to keep his effort down.
Just after the hour mark, Kulusevski split the home side’s defence open with a pass to Mikey Moore. However, the teenage starlet failed to beat Nardi in goal with his strike. Maddison then tried to curl an effort past the goalkeeper in the 63rd minute but failed to get the necessary purchase on the strike and it was comfortably saved.
Another wave of changes was made 65 minutes in. Four by Marti Cifuentes and two by his Australian counterpart.
Lyndon Dykes pressed well to win the ball at the midway part of the second half and Andersen played a through ball to Smyth. However, Spence and Royal showed excellent recovery pace to make a block.
Andersen then put a dangerous low cross into the box but Dykes somehow failed to poke the ball into the net. Following this, QPR made five more changes.
Youngster Alfie Tuck produced some neat footwork to get the ball out to Alfie Lloyd with a quarter of an hour to go and the winger’s shot had to be blocked by a Spurs defender. The striker had another shot cutting in from the left just seconds later and this was also deflected wide.
Two minutes after that, the former Eastleigh loanee won the ball back from Emerson Royal and tried to play a ball into the box to Dykes, but Alfie Devine marginally beat the Scot to the pass.
With 85 minutes on the clock, Lloyd put another dangerous ball into the Spurs box and Hevertton’s attempt to put it back across goal had to be foiled by Abbott. From a corner not long after, Dykes had a free header which was saved by Luca Gunter in the Spurs goal.
Ange Postecoglou’s side went straight down the other end and Dane Scarlett tapped home a Mikey Moore cross from inside the six-yard box to double Spurs’ lead.
The visitors could have had a third as Alfie Devine tried to find Scarlett from the byline but Nardi intercepted the midfielder’s cross.
Full Time – Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur