Wes Brown’s late header rescued all three points for rejuvenated Sunderland after they surrendered a two goal lead against QPR at Loftus Road.
The former Manchester United rose highest in the penalty area to meet Kieron Richardson’s corner and secure Martin O’Neill’s first away win as Black Cats boss. It will have come as a welcome relief for the Northern Irishman who saw his gain a two goal advantage through Nicklas Bendtner and Stephane Sessegnon only to throw it away in the second half. Rangers’ top scorer Heidar Helguson bundled home just after the hour before Jamie Mackie struck the leveller four minutes later with his first goal since breaking his leg in January. However manager Neil Warnock will be unhappy that his side failed to build on their comeback as the visitors stole victory to make it six points from a possible nine under O’Neill and move clear of the relegation zone. For QPR they continued their rapid descent down the Premier League and will now be nervously looking over their shoulder at the bottom three going into christmas.
Having won only one game at Loftus Road all season its likely Warnock would have settled for a point after seeing his side comeback but the win was deserved for Sunderland who were the better side for most of the game. Danish striker Bendtner, who made the headlines for all the wrong reasons last week, threatened early on glancing a header off the post before putting the Black Cats ahead. The on-loan Arsenal man darted past maker Matt Connolly to meet Richardson’s corner for his third goal of the season. Former Manchester United midfielder Richardson then tried his luck from distance only to see his 25-yard strike whistle past the post. The R’s struggled to get themselves into the game during the first half and had to wait until after the break for their first meaningful effort on goal.
Armand Traore did well to find Helguson in the penalty only for Titus Bramble to clear the Icelandic strikers goal bound header off the line before Sunderland doulbled their lead in the 53rd minute. Danny Gabbidon’s loose header was capitalised on my Sessegnon who raced clear before cleverly rounding Paddy Kenny and tapping the ball into an empty net. That seemed to spur the home side on and they got themselves back into the game 10 minutes later through Helguson beating Brown to get on the end of Traore’s whipped delivery. The comeback was complete on 67 minutes with Mackie diving to head the ball past Kieron Westwood and put Rangers on course for a precious point. It wasn’t to be though as the visitors poured forward in search of a winner with Kenny saving superbly from Craig Gardner’s curling strike before Brown snatched victory glancing Richardon’s corner in at the near post despite Alejandro Faurlin’s attempts to keep it out on the line.
