Stoke slip to heavy defeat

Leigertwood scores twice as Stoke skipper sees red

Last updated: 2nd March 2008

Stoke slip to heavy defeat

Leigertwood: Celebrates goals

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Stoke City failed to reclaim top spot in the Championship after slumping to a 3-0 defeat at Queens Park Rangers.

Mikele Leigertwood struck two superb goals inside the opening 21 minutes at Loftus Road before Potters captain Andy Griffin was harshly sent off before half-time.

Akos Buzsaky added the third goal on 56 minutes to ease QPR's relegation concerns and leave Stoke two points adrift of leaders Bristol City.

Stoke were almost in front on 11 minutes when Liam Lawrence's free-kick was inadvertently turned against his own bar by Leigertwood before hitting keeper Lee Camp and bouncing on the line.

Flowing move

Within a minute of that scare, QPR were in front when Leigertwood was teed up 30 yards from goal and smashed a superb shot into the corner of the net.

Leigertwood made it 2-0 on 21 minutes as he finished off a flowing move he had started with a thumping volley from Rowan Vine's knock-down.

The visitors' chances of staging a comeback were dented two minutes before half-time by referee Andy D'Urso's shocking decision to send off Griffin, who had slid in to win the ball well before Hogan Ephraim arrived to challenge.

Yet Stoke almost pulled a goal back before the interval when Ricardo Fuller's shot struck the post after he had latched on to Mamady Sidibe's flick-on.

QPR were proving to be a major threat on the break in the second period and only a great piece of defending denied Vine his team's third goal on 52 minutes.

No consolation

A sweeping counter-attack four minutes later did supply the third goal as Buzsaky drilled a low shot past Steve Simonsen, although Patrick Agyemang was offside before setting up the Hungarian.

Stoke pressed in search of a consolation and came close on 66 minutes when Camp made a flying save to push away Glenn Whelan's curler and the QPR keeper reacted smartly to turn away Paul Gallagher's low cross.

But QPR went straight back down the opposite end of the pitch to almost grab a fourth goal as Simonsen clung on to Vine's well-struck shot at the second attempt.

Substitute Dexter Blackstock forced a fine save out of Simonsen two minutes from time as QPR moved eight points above the relegation zone.