QPR bow out from League Cup with a whimper after heavy home defeat by rivals Brentford

Whatever the opposite of a ‘cup specialist’ is, that is what Queens Park Rangers are. They continued their miserable recent record in the domestic cups on Tuesday evening, effectively surrendering their west London derby to Brentford at home at Loftus Road and losing 4-1.

This was a mismatch between a Brenford team who wanted to win and a QPR team who had other priorities. Their focus is the Championship and Ian Holloway picked his team accordingly. It made for an unusually uncompetitive derby, as Brentford surged into an early 3-0 lead which, on the balance of first half chances, could have been doubled.

There was a brief QPR flurry and with better luck and finishing they could have got back into the game. But it never happened and by the end there were almost as many Brentford fans as locals. But then QPR have won two FA Cup games this century and, in that time, only reached the fourth round of the League Cup once. Expectations here are not high.

It was clear from the start that Brentford had strated more energy, focus and desire with them than their hosts. The QPR team, with 10 changes from the weekend, made up mainly of signings who they have not been able to move on in the summer, began like disparate strangers. And when Brentford started to play the ball forward they sliced straight through the inviting gaps.

This was Steven Caulker’s second game of the season for QPR and he looked predictably rusty. When Florian Jozefzoon charged down the right wing Caulker was unprepared. He mistimed his tackle, Jozefzoon skipped away and crossed, and Ranger midfielder Ariel Borysiuk slid the ball into his own net.

Brentford were just too sharp and never found it difficult to cut through their hosts. When they had a corner from the left, a simple move brought their second goal: Jozefzoon curled the ball in, Andreas Bjelland got up to win the header at the far post and John Egan, utterly unmarked six yards out, nodded it in.

Rangers were stunned and kept getting worse. Matt Ingram saved from Josh Clark and Maupay before the French winger, signed from Saint Etienne this summer, scored a wonderful third. Romaine Sawyers clipped a ball down the inside left channel, ran onto it and thumped a first-time header into the ceiling of the net.

It was only now, 3-0 down, facing embarrassment and the fury of the crowd, that QPR briefly started to play. Idrissa Syllla should have had a penalty when Brentford keeper Luke Daniels brought him down but nothing was given. With momentum back on their side, there was time for QPR to pull one back just before the break. Yeni Ngbakoto swung in a cross, right-back Darnell Furlong got up and headed in.

That detoxified the atmosphere and the 7,500 home fans did not know whether to boo or cheer when the players went off for half-time. The game was set up for a big second half siege and QPR, with the crowd behind them, did start to push. Ian Holloway threw on Luke Freeman then Jamie Mackie then Matt Smith. They flung the ball into the box, Furlong and Sylla both should have done better with headed chances.

But they could never even make it 3-2, never mind 3-3, and with everyone thrown forward they would eventually pay. Another Brentford break down the right underlined the difference between the teams. Justin Shaibu, on as a sub, slid a pass through to Clark, running in behind, and he finished into the bottom corner.

That was 4-1 and the Brentford players ran into the jubilant 2,200 away fans to celebrate. They had not come far to get here, but they had been handsomely rewarded for doing so. They are into the third round of the Carabao Cup where they can look forward to a Premier League tie. QPR can forget about this tournament and focus on Cardiff City away this Saturday, a more pressing engagement.

QPR (4-4-2): Ingram; Furlong, Caulker (Smith, 75), Baptiste, Robinson; Wszolek (Mackie, 69), Chair, Borysiuk, Manning (Freeman, 51); Sylla, Ngbakoto

Brentford (4-3-3): Daniesl; Colin, Egan, Bjelland, Chatzitheodoridis (Dalsgaard, 78); Sawyers, Mokotjo (Woods, 69), Yennaris; Clark, Maupay (Shaibu, 69), Jozefzoon

MoM Maupay