Huddersfield Town vs Queens Park Rangers. Sky Bet Championship.
The John Smith's StadiumAttendance21,083.
Report and highlights from the Sky Bet Championship clash at the John Smith's Stadium
Saturday 8 February 2020 18:11, UK
Huddersfield recorded a vital 2-0 win over QPR to move six points clear of the Sky Bet Championship relegation places.
Both of Town's goals came within the space of four second-half minutes, with Elias Kachunga scoring the opener and then winning the penalty for the second, which Steve Mounie put away.
For QPR, this was a third straight league loss and they now sit just three points above the Terriers.
Huddersfield started brightly and their high-press tactics almost paid off inside the first minute. Lewis O'Brien capitalised on Todd Kane's loose pass out from defence, but the Town man could only blaze a shot wide.
QPR's impressive Eberechi Eze then cut in from the left and dinked a ball into the box which picked out Jordan Hugill, but the forward could only place his effort into the side-netting.
Town full-back Harry Toffolo then blazed an effort high and wide over the visitors' bar after Mounie picked him out.
Eze was enjoying plenty of the ball and after some silky glimpses of skill, he cut inside and unleashed a shot which Jonas Lossl, making his first appearance since rejoining Town on loan from Everton, did well to parry away.
QPR were dominating large patches of the first half and after a fine, flowing move Luke Amos then saw a vicious shot tipped over by Lossl.
From the resulting corner Rangers' skipper Grant Hall created the clearest goalscoring chance of the half but could only place his header against a post as the visitors upped the ante.
Right on the brink of half-time Huddersfield created a rare opportunity when Juninho Bacuna's cross picked out Mounie, but his header was planted straight at Liam Kelly in the QPR goal.
Town's Richard Stearman tried his luck just after the restart with an acrobatic effort following Mounie's knock-down but Kelly got right behind the effort.
The hosts had started with much more vigour after the restart and they were rewarded just before the hour mark when they scored the opening goal.
Bacuna wriggled away from his man and fed Toffolo down the left, whose cross hung in the air and allowed Kachunga to head home from just a couple of yards out.
And it got even better for Huddersfield just four minutes later when they doubled their advantage via a Mounie penalty.
It came gift-wrapped from QPR after goalkeeper Kelly cheaply gave the ball away to Emile Smith Rowe, who ventured forward and fed Kachunga.
The forward was then clumsily tripped up by Lee Wallace in the box and Mounie did the necessary from the resulting spot-kick.
The hosts were well on top from there on in and Kachunga arguably should have made it 3-0 but squandered a chance from a yard out, whilst substitute Andy King also came close to finding the scoresheet in the closing stages.
Huddersfield's Danny Cowley: "That was an important win in a tough game. We've had a difficult period as a club and there's so much will inside this stadium. Once we scored you could feel that relief disappear and we played much better.
"We were playing into a strong wind in the first half, which made it difficult. We started well but our intensity faded after about 10 minutes. We showed real energy, particularly in the second half. I thought off our first goal, we became significantly more confident and that showed."
QPR's Mark Warburton: "You've got to take your chances and I sound like a broken record at the moment. We looked a very good team in the first half. We were dominant and moved the ball well, but we didn't put it away. We were just a little bit toothless. It's the same message I'm repeating in the last few weeks.
"Good teams score goals and ultimately we have to be clinical. For their first goal, we are attacking. We don't track a runner and we pay the price. And the second goal is a set-piece. You have to demand that you work hard as a team and set standards as a squad."
