Burnley get a spot of luck as QPR are denied a penalty

QPR 0-3 Burnley: Clarets Burnley get a spot of luck as Hoops are denied a penalty just 20 seconds in… before Vincent Kompany’s side run away with win to move three points clear

• Burnley beat Queens Park Rangers 3-0 in the Championship on Sunday
• They restored their three-point advantage at the top of the Championship
• Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Ian Maatsen and Nathan Tella got the goals

Just like in England’s painful World Cup exit, QPR were left wondering by a controversial penalty decision.

On the day Neil Critchley was confirmed as QPR’s new manager, Peter Bankes’s refusal to point to the spot when George Thomas was taken out by Burnley goalkeeper Arijanet Muric 20 seconds into the game was as confusing as the call which denied England captain Harry Kane a penalty in the first half against France.

To rub salt in QPR wounds, a free-kick that even captain Jack Cork seemed to suggest should not have been given led to Burnley’s opening goal from Johann Gudmundsson.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany (L) and Darko Churlinov celebrate at the end of the match

Vincent Kompany’s side capitalised on the incidents to restore their three-point advantage at the top of the Championship.

But that meant more misery for Rangers, their first match since manager Mick Beale left for Glasgow Rangers ending in a fourth successive defeat.

QPR’s progress has been unsettled and disrupted by the interest in Beale this season. They were top after beating Wigan in October in the wake of Beale’s rejection of the Wolves job as his standing in these parts soared following that show of loyalty.

How times have changed. Just seven weeks on he is gone and Beale was the subject of some unsavoury chants on Sunday. Rangers are now ninth and have not won since that Wigan victory.

Now it is former Blackpool boss and Aston Villa assistant Critchley’s job to stop the rot, with his appointment as Beale’s successor finalised and announced following this setback.

Nathan Tella of Burnley celebrates scoring his sides third goal of the game 

Coach Paul Hall was in interim charge against Burnley and, on Rangers’ early spot-kick appeal, he said: ‘That’s a penalty. We can’t blame the referee as he has decisions to make in the spur of moment but it does affect us and change the game. We get our tails up and believe more.

‘I’m not happy with that decision of course. I’ve been in that situation many times and very rarely have I not seen a penalty given.’

Victory continued Kompany’s impressive rebuilding job with Burnley now the leading scorers in England’s top four divisions on 43 goals. He said: ‘It’s never perfect but it was close to being that.’

There were signs of Burnley rustiness inside the first 45 seconds when Muric mistimed his challenge on Thomas and Nathan Tella looped a tame lob to goalkeeper Seny Dieng when clean through.

But that chance was the start of Burnley’s first-half dominance, with Muric untroubled until Chris Willock fired over 32 minutes in. Before that the visitors scored when Gudmundsson’s free-kick deceived Dieng. Though whether it should have been given was another matter for debate. Andre Dozzell hung out a leg which Cork was only too happy to tumble over and Burnley’s captain appeared to gesture there had been no foul.

Burnley went two up when Vitinho’s shot was pushed out by Dieng to Ian Maatsen, who fired in a well-controlled volley. QPR noticeably perked up after the break, perhaps fuelled by a sense of injustice but also lifted by the introduction of Olamide Shodipo and Albert Adomah.

Cork was booked for ending Shodipo’s driving run and Jimmy Dunne headed the resulting free-kick off target before Sam Field’s thumping effort crashed against Muric and flew behind.

But after looking the most likely scorers, Dunne’s attempted chest back to Dieng was too short and Tella pounced to score on the run from a narrow angle.

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