Red-hot Chopra sees United blow cold
MICHAEL Chopra, fresh from scoring four goals for Cardiff City, was at St James's Park last night to watch his old club.
If he'd have been expecting a masterclass from league leaders Newcastle United, he'd have been disappointed.
And had Chopra – the Championship's top scorer – been on the pitch, even he would have struggled to find the net for Newcastle.
United failed to hit the heights of Saturday's convincing win over Ipswich Town, and Chris Hughton's players still left the stadium knowing them had been found wanting against a pacy and purposeful Queens Park Rangers team.
While a shadow of their best for much of the game, Newcastle still had chances, not least the lifeline given them when Damien Stewart handled a Steven Taylor volley in the box not long after Ben Watson opened the scoring.
Danny Guthrie, back from suspension, failed to grasp it, with Radek Cerny turning away his weak penalty.
For long spells QPR tore United apart with their pace, and that's something that's sorely lacking in Hughton's side.
Had the lightening-quick Wayne Routledge produced a final ball, then the visitors might have been out of sight before home debutant Marlon Harewood's 70th minute leveller.
The consensus before the game was that a team coming to St James's Park to take on Newcastle in a game of free-flowing football would come a cropper, such is the Premier League quality still left at the club.
Yet Jim Magilton's team didn't, and instead they prospered for long spells, not least the first half hour.
With Hughton opting not to play a recognised left-sided midfielder, Jose Enrique was left badly exposed, and it was a mistake from the full-back which led to QPR's goal.
Enrique's misdirected clearance landed at the feet of Watson, and the midfielder didn't waste the opportunity, skipping forward before striking a low shot which was deflected past Steve Harper by Steven Taylor just seven minutes into the game.
United's heads didn't go down after Cerny's save, and Alan Smith scrapped for everything in the middle of the park, but Magilton's men still possessed the greater threat, and Akos Buzsaky should have made it 2-0 before the break after seizing on a Harper clearance, his lofted shot bouncing narrowly wide of goal.
Hughton shored up his left flank with the fit-again Jonas Gutierrez for the second half, but he couldn't bring his pace to bear on the visiting defence, and Harewood was thrown on with half an hour left.
Harewood won't have scored too many easier goals in his career, the striker tapping in from close range after Andy Carroll directed Danny Simpson's deep ball across the face of QPR's goal.
Try as they might, Newcastle couldn't summon a winner, but the result still edged them further ahead at the top of the league after other results went their way this week.
And they go into Saturday's home game against Bristol City leading West Bromwich Albion, beaten on Tuesday night, by three points, and third-placed Preston North End by another two.
Clearly, United haven't found consistency in their performances, but they've consistently picked up points this season, and that's what's going to get them out of this division.
NEWCASTLE UNITED: Harper; Simpson, S Taylor, Khizanishvili, Enrique; Guthrie (Lovenkrands, 88), Smith, Nolan, Butt (Gutierrez, 46); Ranger (Harewood, 61), Carroll. Subs not used: Krul, Kadar, Donaldson, Geremi.
QUEENS PARK RANGERS: Cerny; Leigertwood, Stewart, Gorkss, Borrowdale; Routledge, Watson, Rowlands, Buzsaky; Vine (Faurlin, 87), Simpson (Taarabt, 73). Subs not used: Heaton, Ramage, Ephraim, Pellioori, Agyemang.
Goals: Watson 7, Harewood 70.
Bookings: Smith 68, Stewart 75, Faurlin 90.
Sent off: None
Attendance: 38,923
Referee: Rob Shoebridge (Derbyshire)
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Weather for South Shields
Friday 10 February 2012
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