Carlos Tevez's late penalty earned Manchester United a hard-fought 1-0 win over battling QPR in their Carling Cup fourth round tie.
United made to work hard for quarter-final berth
Carlos Tevez's late penalty earned Manchester United a hard-fought 1-0 win over battling QPR in their Carling Cup fourth round tie at Old Trafford.
United dominated for large parts of the game, but found it difficult to break down a resolute Rangers defence.
The home side finally made the breakthrough 14 minutes from time when they won a penalty after substitute Danny Welbeck was felled by Peter Ramage inside the box.
The impressive Tevez kept his cool from the spot to send Radek Cerny the wrong way and send United into the quarter-finals.
Tevez's scurrying style at least ensured he was one man who looked as though he cared.
After collecting John O'Shea's square pass, he advanced towards the QPR penalty area before taking aim with a shot that dipped just in front of Cerny but the visiting keeper managed to stop anyway.
O'Shea could also claim the assist when he found himself alone on the by-line and delivered a low cross to Tevez which the striker just failed to turn into the net from close range.
Disappointing
As the second of those opportunities arrived in first-half stoppage time, it was a damning verdict on United's performance.
Only Anderson matched Tevez's industry as too many passes went astray and those brave enough to support their teams on a foul night were seeking refuge long before the interval whistle blew.
Although it appeared Ferguson had sent his team back out with a renewed sense of purpose judging by the blistering shot Nani sent fizzing wide just after the restart, a familiar pattern soon emerged.
After planting a corner and a 20-yard shot into Cerny's arms, Anderson then let fly with a free-kick that went so far wide it ended up going over the touchline roughly level with the edge of the area.
Nani was about as far away with another shot midway through the half that almost ended up in the second tier of the Stretford End.
Anderson and Tevez did threaten the QPR goal but Cerny did not have to perform heroics to keep United out.
Penalty
The home side finally did break the deadlock 14 minutes from time.
Ramage did not need to slide in as Welbeck's first touch would have taken the ball through to Cerny. But the defender's rash challenge left the England Under-19 forward in a heap and Tevez did the rest.
In what amounted to a frenzy of late chances, Samuel Di Carmine had an equaliser correctly ruled out for offside, while Nani and Park Ji-sung produced fine saves from Cerny as United claimed their place in the last eight.
| Manchester United |
Team Statistics |
Queens Park Rangers |
| 1 |
Goals |
0 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 12 |
Shots on Target |
0 |
| 11 |
Shots off Target |
2 |
| 1 |
Blocked Shots |
0 |
| 15 |
Corners |
3 |
| 8 |
Fouls |
9 |
| 1 |
Offsides |
1 |
| 0 |
Yellow Cards |
0 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 64.6 |
Possession |
35.4 |
|
