QPR 1 Everton 2: Aaron Lennon hits first Toffees goal as Rangers lose fifth successive league game

 
Opener: Coleman celebrates after putting Everton in front
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James Olley22 March 2015

Aaron Lennon scored his first Everton goal as the Toffees inflicted another damaging blow to Queens Park Rangers’ survival hopes with a 2-1 victory at Loftus Road.

Seamus Coleman fired Everton in front midway through the first half before substitute Eduardo Vargas equalised. But Lennon, on loan from Tottenham, struck for the first time since December 2013 with 13 minutes remaining to heap further pressure on Chris Ramsey’s side.

QPR have won just one of their last 12 games and are now four points from safety with eight games remaining.

The home side started brightly with Bobby Zamora doing his best to unsettle Everton centre-back John Stones but the visitors took the lead against the run of play after 18 minutes.

Arouna Kone broke free down the left and crossed the ball to Aaron Lennon, who laid the ball off to Leon Osman on the edge of the box. The midfielder declined to shoot and instead shifted the ball right to Coleman, who used the space gifted to him to steer a right-foot effort past QPR goalkeeper Rob Green and in off the far post.

Stones began to assert his authority over Zamora but the QPR striker was still causing problems and he should have done better when Charlie Austin found him with an excellent cross whipped in from the right after 32 minutes.

Zamora went to meet it less than 12 yards out but could only make a glancing contact and the ball slid harmlessly wide.

Junior Hoilett struck the crossbar shortly after the interval with a swerving effort and although Zamora turned the rebound home from close range, he was rightly flagged offside.

QPR kept plugging away with Everton, perhaps feeling the effects of Thursday night’s Europa League engagement in Ukraine, sitting deeper to protect their advantage and the equaliser duly arrived with 24 minutes remaining.

Everton failed to clear their lines from a corner and as Austin tried to control the ball in a frantic penalty area, Vargas arrived to thrash a shot high into the roof of the net past Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Roberto Martinez was forced into an immediate change as Romelu Lukaku pulled up with a hamstring injury. Ross Barkley entered the fray but QPR remained on the front foot with Zamora firing over from 25 yards.

Everton’s threat on the break was sporadic but one such foray yielded the winning goal. Coleman delivered a dangerous cross from the right flank and Nedum Onuoha did well to block Kone as he looked to turn the ball goalwards.

However, the rebound fell to Lennon and he converted from close range with a low finish across Green. Substitute Adel Taarabt struck the woodwork in the dying seconds but Everton hung on to pull nine points clear of the drop and put QPR in further trouble.

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