Queens Park Rangers headed into today's West London derby against Fulham seeking their first win of the season.
Despite a scrappy first half, an impressive brace from Adel Taarabt ensured that the home side moved from the bottom spot of the table and their first three points of the campaign.
While Fulham managed to find the back of the net in the dying minutes of the secon half, it wasn't enough to launch a comeback.
Read our minute-by-minute commentary of the full 90 minutes below.
Hello all! Here we are again for another weekend of Premier League action. We have all the bases covered but right here we're going to be focusing on Queens Park Rangers' crucial clash against Fulham.
It does seem that every QPR game at the moment is a crucial one! We all know that Harry Redknapp was brought in as the club's new manager to try to steer the London outfit out of the relegation zone but they have yet to win a game this season. Despite failing to rack up the victories, Redknapp has secured three draws for the R's since coming in. So, no defeats at least!
Flipping over to Fulham, they have relieved some of the pressure after beating Newcastle United on Monday. Before that, the Cottagers had failed to win in eight games. However, a victory today would give Fulham their first back-to-back win since September.
The team news for today's match has yet to be released but we will let you know as soon as we get it!
So, let's have a look at what the possible outcomes of today's match could mean. A victory won't pull QPR out of the relegation zone but it could take them from the bottom spot. They currently sit on seven points out of 16 games and while a win won't change their prospects too much in terms of league position, a boost of confidence is sure to be vital for the struggling team.
In contrast, Fulham could edge nearer the top 10 of the table. They currently sit in 13th on 20 points with Norwich City, West Ham United and Liverpool all two points ahead of them.
While Fulham could be seen as favourites for today's match given QPR's recent form, forward Mladen Petric was speaking yesterday claiming that the Cottagers should be wary of the R's. He told the club's official website: "I am surprised they are struggling. But it's like a boxer when he's a bit stunned, he can still be dangerous."
Right, we have some team news confirmed from Loftus Road and it's the home side first...
QPR XI: Green; Traore, Nelsen, Hill, Onuoha; Taarabt, Wright-Phillips, Faurlin, Mbia, Mackie; Cisse
QPR subs: Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Ferdinand, Granero, Fabio, Hoilett
Let's dissect this team news then! So, Redknapp has opted for Djibril Cisse up front on his own with Jamie Mackie providing service just behind the striker.
Nedum Onuoha has replaced Jose Bosingwa in the back four, while Shaun Derry and Modibo Diakite make way for Alejandro Faurlin and Stephane Mbia.
The home side could miss Bosingwa today as he is left out of the squad for today's match, while there's a lot of pressure on Cisse to find the net for his struggling team.
Julio Cesar remains injured, which means that Robert Green gets another game in between the sticks. Can he secure a clean sheet for the R's today?
Right, let's switch over to the visitors then as their team news has just been released...
Fulham XI: Schwarzer; Riether, Hangeland, Hughes, Riise; Duff, Sidwell, Baird, Richardson; Berbatov, Rodallega
Fulham subs: Etheridge, Kelly, Senderos, Petric, Karagounis, Dejagah, Kacaniklic
Dimitar Berbatov has arguably been the star man for Fulham this season after moving from Manchester United to Craven Cottage in the summer. QPR will be wary of his goal threat and partnership with Hugo Rodallega.
Skipper Brede Hangeland keeps his place in defence after returning to the side earlier this week following a three-match suspension, while Mahamadou Diarra hasn't been risked today as the player needs painkilling injections in order to compete on the pitch.
Jol has made just the once change from the team that defeated Newcastle on Monday as Kieron Richardson replaces Alexander Kacaniklic, who has been dropped to the bench, on the left wing.
Unfortunate news for Fulham fans is that they are still without Bryan Ruiz, who continues to struggle with a hamstring problem.
Switching back over to QPR, the return of Faurlin could be a boost for the home side following his impressive season in the last campaign but will he be able to lead his side to a must-needed victory today?
Another thing that Redknapp will be hoping for is Cisse finishing the 90 minutes! Since moving to Loftus Road, the former Liverpool frontman has picked up a rather large disciplinary record and with Bobby Zamora sidelined for a period of time, Redknapp will be hoping to keep his striker from seeing red.
We have just over 20 minutes until kickoff so let's give you an insight into what Redknapp is hoping for from his team today. The 65-year-old told the club's official website yesterday: "We've got to give blood, sweat and tears to see if we can get that win."
He went on to say: "The fans will be with us. It will be a really good game with two teams wanting to win, hopefully. We've got to want it more than they do and, if we do that, we've got a chance."
So, strong words from the ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss but you have to wonder where a defeat would leave QPR today. The R's are eight points from safety and if Reading and Wigan Athletic are able to get results this weekend then you would have to fear for the West London outfit.
In contrast, you'd have to praise Jol for what he has managed with Fulham so far this season after losing the likes of Clint Dempsey, Mousa Dembele, Danny Murphy and Ravel Pogrebnyak in the summer. A big part of that has been the acquisition of Berbatov, who, I'm sure, will be keen to find the net today.
Just to remind you, we have all the football action covered at Sports Mole and you can keep track of everything on our live scores page here.
On paper this could be a bit of a goal-fest! QPR have been known to be quite shaky in defence but relatively strong up front and we all know that Fulham's Berbatov has caused some trouble for defenders this season!
It's a big day for Fulham's Damien Duff, who makes his 100th Premier League appearance today. I'm sure he'll want to top off that achievement with a win for the Cottagers too.
We're now just five minutes away from kickoff and the teams are getting ready to emerge from the tunnel.
And here they come! The teams are out on the field and are ready to commence this vital derby-day clash.
And we're off! QPR get us underway facing right to left for the first half.
Duff gets the first run from midfield and eases the ball to Berbatov on the right but QPR nick the ball back.
CHANCE! An early chance for QPR as Taarabt snatches the ball in midfield. He completes a swift turn in the middle of the park to slide in Cisse, who takes a surging run up front, but his shot towards goal gets parried out by the keeper.
Wright-Phillips commits a clean tackle on Rodallega to stop Fulham's attack and regain possession in midfield. The home side look fired up for this one!
CHANCE! A misplaced back-pass from Riise allows Mackie to latch onto the ball and he won't get a better chance to find the back of the net. He has an open net to fire at but his shot goes wide and misses the chance to give QPR the lead.
Taarabt is making a strong impact in the early stages of this half. The Morocco international skips past three Fulham players to get a shot on goal but the chance once again goes missing.
Baird tries to launch the ball up from the back of the field as he eyes Riise's run down the left but he fails to find him and Sidwell gets penalised for a handball.
Wright-Phillips dodges past two players to get into the box but his shot bounces off Hughes and finds the feet of Faurlin. The midfielder launches the ball towards goal but the keeper gathers with ease.
Traore was lucky not to get penalised there! He shoves Duff in the back but the referee fails to notice the foul.
Seconds later, Taarabt gets the ball in midfield again and turns swiftly to get away from any Fulham pressure and slide the ball once again into the feet of Cisse but his chance is snuffed out.
The away side are struggling to deal with Taarabt at the moment. He's able to get his passes through to Cisse far too easily.
And he begins another attack! A long pass from Taarabt heads towards Cisse but the pass is slightly over-hit and Cisse is unable to reach it.
QPR get the first corner of the game and Taarabt takes the set piece but it's poor from the Morocco international and Duff manages to clear the danger with ease.
Fulham are trying to regain some composure after this lively start by knocking ball back and forth between their defence and keep some possession.
Mbia steals the ball in midfield and as the pass aims towards Cisse, the former Liverpool man is pulled down outside of the area. QPR fans are shouting for a penalty but he was fouled outside of the box and Taarabt lines up to take it...
Correction - Cisse takes the free kick but it's poor from the striker, who hits the shot straight into Schwarzer. Another chance gone missing for the home side.
Faurlin chips the ball into the box and Schwarzer feels the pressure at Wright-Phillips tries to head the ball before it reached the hands of the keeper but the Fulham shot-stopper punches clear.
A poor touch from Wright-Phillips gives the ball away to Rodallega, who plays in Sidwell, but instead of launching an attack on goal, the away side knock the ball back to the defence to keep some possession.
I suppose you could argue that the Cottagers are trying to take the sting out of the game but they have just missed a good opportunity to find the back of the net and take the lead against the run of play.
Some pressure for QPR there. A mistake by Green gives the ball to Berbatov just outside of the penalty area but the Bulgarian stops himself from touching the ball amid fears of being offside and QPR are able to clear.
Hill gives away a free kick in the middle of the park after jumping on the back of Rodallega in an attempt to head the ball but Fulham lose the ball again as Traore surges down the left but his cross into the box fails to find a player in blue and white stripes.
Taarabt tries a shot from far out but his attempt fails to trouble Schwarzer as it goes far wide.
Mackie pulls the ball back for Taarabt but some good pressure from Richardson forces the midfielder to give away a throw-in.
Fulham begin their attack from the back but there seems to be a lack of urgency from the away side, who appear content to keep passing back to Schwarzer.
Duff is now on the ball and surges down the right as he looks for the cross but he's muscled out and gets a throw-in for his team.
The flow of the game has disappeared slightly as both sides have been giving the ball away easily on occasion.
Richardson finds Sidwell in midfield, who passes to Baird, who looks frustrated as he can't find a way through. The attack is stopped in its tracks.
Baird gives a silly foul away in his side's final third and QPR get the free kick. Taarabt looks likely to take this one and instead of Cisse following the Frenchman's earlier poor attempt.
Well, Taarabt doesn't do that much better as his shot bounces off the wall and into the hands of Schwarzer.
CHANCE! Hangeland drops off and Cisse gets in a shot at goal. The Keeper grabs it but it spills and Taarabt is there to try to latch onto it but Schwarzer manages to gather it in time.
A slight chance for the away side as they find themselves down the other end of the field with Riise, who a crosses into the box and the ball bounces awkwardly in front of Green but he manages to snatch it.
Berbatov goes to ground and looks frustrated when he doesn't receive a free kick. Seconds earlier Rodallega was ruled offside after a surging run but replays show that the run was good from the forward.
Onuoha gives the ball away and a lovely flick from Berbatov plays in Sidwell, who gets fouled and gives his side a chance to attack the box with 10 minutes until half-time.
The opportunity goes missing and Wright-Phillips drives down the other hand to play in Taarabt but the ball is too strong and dribbles over the line to give Schwarzer a goal kick.
Taarabt nicks the ball from Richardson and QPR spray the ball about in midfield until Taarabt is found on the right side but his cross is over-hit once again.
Mbia finds Cisse with a lofting pass from midfield but the striker's ruled offside. It's gone a bit scrappy in the game as we near the final stage of the first half.
While both sides have had opportunities, they both seem to be lacking a bit of magic in the final third. The flatness of the game has also quietened the crowd slightly.
Reither's cross into the box is cleared by Hill and the away side get their first corner as they try to put pressure on Green's goal.
A strange decision from Taarabt as he tries a back pass to Green but he fails to see Rodallega in the box. The Fulham forward tries to sneak in but his chance gets snuffed out.
Another wild shot from QPR goes wide off the mark after Mbia drives inside to take the ambitious shot.
Onouha skips past Berbatov but once again the ball is given away. Both sides, I imagine, won't be impressed with how they've performed in the final 20 minutes of this half.
Duff finds Berbatov, who drives into the final third and hits a low cross to Rodallega but he stumbles and QPR are able to clear the danger.
HALF-TIME: QPR 0-0 Fulham
So the first 45 minutes will probably be one to forget for both QPR and Fulham. While the home side jumped out of the blocks in the first 10 minutes or so, the quality began to dwindle and what promised to be a fierce London derby was anything but!
You would have to say that while no player on the field has particularly stood out, Taarabt has looked the most threatening for QPR but a number of misplaced passes and tendency to over-hit his shots have hampered the home side's chances of scoring.
Meanwhile, Fulham haven't looked fired up for this game as yet but a few quality touches from Berbatov have shown what the Cottagers are possible of and Jol will likely try to encourage his team to attack in the second half.
Redknapp was seen shaking his head during a number of QPR's missed opportunities so you can expect some choice words will be made in the home side's dressing room.
The main issues with performances from both sides so far is the fact that the ball has been given away cheaply on far too many occasions. Both teams will be hoping to put that right and gain some composure in the next 45.
Have a look at our half-time report of the game here for a more comprehensive view.
Right the players are back out onto the field and Fulham get the second half underway!
SUBSTITUTION Fulham have been forced to make a substitution at half-time as Stephen Kelly comes on in the right-back position in place of injured Reichter.
Richardson keeps the ball in play on the left-hand side but as he tries to run onto a forward pass, it just dribbles over the line and Green gets a goal-kick.
Hughes hits the deck after Cisse's flailing arms hit the defender in the face. It's nothing cynical from the striker and Hughes gets to his feet.
These first few minutes have been a bit stop-start as the ball continues to get hit out of play. No side have had a chance at goal but Fulham begin their attack now...
Rodallega tries to find the breakthrough but his shot bounces off the QPR defence and they try again with Baird.
Baird find Richardson, who passes to Riise on the left but Nelsen manages to clear the danger. It's a better start from Fulham but once again the final touch goes missing.
GOAL! QPR 1-0 Fulham (Taarabt)
We finally have a breakthrough! The home side get the first goal of the game and it's Taarabt that puts his side in front following a perfected pass from Faurlin in the middle of the park. The morocco international scuffs his shot but it's deflected off Hangeland to reach the back of the net.
QPR are on the charge now and Traore's ball to Wright-Phillips gets blocked out by Kelly, who gives away a free kick.
Fulham get some possession but its given away instantly as QPR spray the ball within the middle of the park. The Cottagers will need to pick themselves up in order to get back into the game.
Berbatov tries to find Duff but the midfielder wasn't expecting the through ball and QPR snatch back possession.
Mbia plays for the corner and gets it following pressure from Richardson and the home side try to find a comfortable lead.
Taarabt takes the set piece and Hill leaps to try the header but his shot goes wide and Fulham recover.
CHANCE! Cisse squanders a chance as he manages to snatch the ball from the away side but his curling shot goes wide of the post. It was close!
Taarabt gets a free kick after Sidwell pulls on his shirt and his only option is to foul him as he finds himself on the wrong side of the Morocco international.
Taarabt chips the ball into the box but Kelly manages to clear and find Sidwell, who gives the ball away yet again. Mbia curls his cross into the box but it nears towards Schwarzer's near post and the keeper just gathers in time to prevent the danger.
SUBSTITUTION Richardson makes way for Petric as Fulham make their second change of the game.
Fulham are yet to make any impact on this second half and at the moment, QPR look the more likely to find their second and kill the game off.
Sidwell commits another foul in midfield. Wright-Phillips chases the ball and the Fulham player tries to prevent him from latching onto it and brings Wright-Phillips down.
It's all getting a bit scrappy again! QPR look the more assured on the ball and Fulham are getting increasingly frustrated.
Although saying that, Fulham have a good chance of getting back into the game now as they get a free kick in a decent area...
Petric manages to curl over the wall but Green catches the ball with ease and the away side are back to square one.
GOAL! QPR 2-0 Fulham (Taarabt)
What a finish by Taarabt! The midfielder bullies past Hangeland and storms into the box. While the Fulham players try to close him down, Taarabt takes the ball on the outside of his foot and glides the ball into the back of the net.
QPR have their comfortable lead and they are now 20 minutes or so away from gaining their first victory of the campaign.
Fulham face a long way back and a long ball from Hangeland tries to find Duff but Traore does enough to prevent the shot on goal.
SUBSTITUTION Fulham make their third and final substitution as Rodallega is taken off for Dejagah.
Riise tries to latch onto a long ball but he's flagged offside and it pretty much sums up Fulham's performance in today's match.
YELLOW CARD! Baird gives the ball away and a fiery Taarabt forces Sidwell to lunge into him and clips his heels to get a caution.
YELLOW CARD! Dejagah's only been on the field a matter of minutes but he gets a caution for unnecessarily bringing Faurlin to ground.
Duff grabs the ball in midfield and surges towards the box but Mbia manages to clip onto the ball and regain possession for the home side.
Fulham try once again to get something out of this game but any ball they seem to launch into the box, Hill has dealt with comfortably.
Although, QPR get a reminder that the game isn't quite over yet as the away side get a corner but Duff's cross goes over the head of Berbatov and the home side escape any danger.
QPR seem content to just sit back in these final 10 minutes but Taarabt manages to break and Sidwell foul him yet again. QPR fans shout for a red card but the referee gives the midfielder his final warning.
Wright-Phillips is muscled off the ball by Dejagah but he gives the ball away and the home side regain possession via a throw-in but I'd be surprised if the away side get back into the game.
And just as I say that Fulham get a sniff at goal! The ball finds Sidwell with space in the middle of the box but after a few nervy moments, QPR scramble the ball away.
SUBSTITUTION Redknapp makes his first change of the game as Wright-Phillips comes off for Fabio.
Mackie tries an ambitious shot. Taarabt switches the play to the left-hand side and instead of crossing the ball into the box, Mackie tries for a shot at the near post and it goes wide.
GOAL! QPR 2-1 Fulham (Petric)
A nervy last few minutes ahead for the home side as Petric finds the back of the net through an impressive strike. He finds the ball just outside of the area and curls his shot past Green and into the left corner of the net.
Fulham have one last push of the 90 to try to get a point from the game but play is halted as Petric goes down from a collision. He gets to his feet as the fourth official indicates four minutes of added time.
Fulham have a free kick in a very good area. Duff lines the ball up on the corner of the box and his cross into the box goes loose until Baird latches onto it and hits wide.
The ball breaks for Cisse, whose up on his own. Mackie joins the striker and calls for the ball in the middle of the park but Cisse tries the shot himself and it curls outside of the post.
SUBSTITUTION Redknapp tries to slow the time down by taking off Cisse and bringing Ferdinand onto the field.
FULL-TIME QPR 2-1 Fulham
And there we have it! QPR have finally snatched their first win of the season thanks to a brace from Taarabt, who was arguably the side's best player on the pitch today.
The players will be relieved more than anything to get off the mark after 16 games without a victory. While the home side weren't particularly full of quality this afternoon, they had enough to see off the Cottagers and secure the three points.
As for Fulham, they were never really at the races today. They looked sluggish at times and lacked that cutting edge in the final third. While Berbatov displayed some impressive touches, he went missing in the second half and it was only when Petric nabbed a goal when the away side looked threatening.
So what has that done to the league table then? QPR have moved up from the bottom place and Reading drop down, while Fulham remain in 13th place.
Well, QPR fans can finally celebrate, while Fulham will be scratching their heads over their performance today. Thanks for joining us and if you want to catch up with all of today's action, check out our live scores page here.
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Danielle Joynson
