QPR 3-0 Brentford: Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink and Dean Smith reaction
Saturday 12 March 2016 20:37, UK
QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said Junior Hoilett's superb goal gave his team the perfect platform to beat Brentford in their 3-0 victory at Loftus Road.
The west London derby was even before the in-form Hoilett cut in from the left and curled a shot into the top corner.
Brentford felt Ryan Woods was fouled in the build up to Sebastian Polter's goal midway through the second half, and Tjaronn Chery finished emphatically after being set up by Alejandro Faurlin to cap a resounding Rangers win.
"Junior did very well. It was some goal. We have players in the team who can do that," Hasselbaink said. "We have quality players who, if you give them a bit of space, they can create.
"Junior took the goal really well and then after that you get a little more positivity and you can do certain things - you feel freer, and that's normal.
"You can then either go 'We have got a goal and that's it' or 'We've got a goal and we're going to try to get them out of their shell and hurt them even more' - and we did that."
It was a third consecutive home win for Rangers and vindicated Hasselbaink's decision to select the same side that beat Derby 2-0 in midweek.
"After such a good game on Tuesday, which involved such a lot of energy, it was one to think about: 'Can those those players we started with do it again in a derby when they'll need that adrenaline?" Hasselbaink added.
"I decided to start with the same team and I must say that from minute one, with the great support we had today, we played very well.
"We were very well organised, not really in trouble, and we defended well. I'm very happy with the performance.
"You can't just control a game with the ball, you have to be able to suffer without the ball as well, and we did that."
Meanwhile, Brentford boss Dean Smith, whose struggling team have lost six of their last seven matches, defended his decision to start without a recognised striker.
Smith restored the fit-again Alan McCormack to his midfield, dropped forward Marco Djuricin and played with Alan Judge on his own up front until bringing on Lasse Vibe in the second half.
"I thought it was the best way of getting Alan McCormack on the pitch," said Smith. "It's a local derby and he understands what it's all about. We're a young team and he's got that experience.
"If you play Alan Judge in wide areas then you probably lose some of his game. We felt he could cause them a problem if we got the ball to him.
"I don't think Lasse and Marco are playing as well as they can do and I thought it was time for a change.
"Alan Judge is our main goalscoring threat at the moment, so it wasn't a tough decision to take. I thought the game turned on the second goal. There should have been a free-kick and they scored.
"We lost confidence after that. With the results we've been having, confidence is low. Goals change games and the second goal changed it. We always believed we were in it."
