From the Sunday Times...
Super sub Lyndon Dykes scores as QPR earn win with another strong second-half display
Queens Park Rangers 2 Coventry City 0
Ivan Speck
Sunday August 29 2021, 12.01am, The Sunday Times
Football
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Dykes scored within a minute of being brought off the bench
IAN RANDALL/ALAMY
Whisper it quietly, but promotion momentum appears to be stirring in west London after Queens Park Rangers produced another stirring second half performance to lift themselves over Coventry City.
The vital ingredients appear to be there - the ability to stay in a match when they are being outplayed, timely goals and magical substitutions by manager Mark Warburton.
Substitute Lyndon Dykes scored within 60 seconds of trotting onto the Loftus Road pitch before central defender Yoann Barbet strode forward to send in a scudding low shot which led to him bundling home a less convincing strike moments later.
Rangers have now scored nine of their 11 Championship goals in the second half of matches.
Warburton said jokingly: “I will take absolutely all of the credit for the substitution. No, not at all. It’s about the squad. Lyndon’s been ill with a bug and he was chomping at the bit. You could see his energy when he came on.
“Coventry were the better team in the first half, far more dangerous and they stretched us in behind. We were fortunate to come in with a clean sheet but then much better in the second half.”
Having been out-manoeuvred by Barnsley in the first half a week earlier, Warburton’s side found themselves chasing shadows around the Loftus Road pitch for a second successive Saturday.
Coventry’s front pairing of Martyn Waghorn and Viktor Gyokeres happily took the Rangers’ central defenders into channels and even towards the touchline, thereby opening up space inside for Callum O’Hare and Gustavo Hamer to exploit.
The fluency of the visitors carved out an abundance of chances in the opening 45 minutes. Ian Maatsen stung the hands of Semi Dieng with shot on the break before O’Hare forced him into another parry. Barbet then threw his body in the way of efforts from Waghorn and O’Hare in quick succession as Coventry threatened to overwhelm their hosts.
Their dominance was interrupted by a magnificent Ilias Chair free-kick which was tipped onto his own bar by airborne Coventry keeper Simon Moore, but there was an insistency about the Coventry play that QPR could not match before half-time.
The pattern appeared as if it would continue in the opening minute of the second period when Waghorn’s rising shot needed to be tipped over by Dieng.
Gradually, the home side discovered a rhythm which was augmented by the decision to take off their playmaker Chair and add the physical presence of Dykes after 67 minutes.
His impact was immediate. A swish of his right foot following a nod down by Charlie Austin sent a shot spinning into the Coventry net.
Austin had a role to play in the second goal, too, although that was merely in support of Barbet whose initial shot and subsequent follow-up confirmed the home side’s victory.
Disappointed Coventry manager Mark Robins said: “It’s been a brilliant start to the season for us but you have to take your chances in games.”
Queens Park Rangers (3-5-1-1) Dieng 7; Dickie 6, De Wijs 6, Barbet 9; Odubajo 6, Ball 8, Johansen 7, Willock 7, McCallum 7 (Kakay 85, 6); Chair 8 (Dykes 67, 7); Austin 6 (Dozzell 77, 6)
Subs not used: Archer, Dunne, Thomas, Adomah
Coventry City (5-3-2) Moore 8; Dabo 7, Hyam 6, McFadzean 7, Salter-Clarke 6 (Allen 71, 6), Maatsen 7; Sheaf 6, Hamer 8, O’Hare 8; Waghorn 7 (Godden 61, 6), Gyokeres 7 (Walker 61, 6)
Subs not used: Wilson, Rose, Dacosta, Shipley
Man of the match: Yoann Barbet (QPR)
Referee: Dean Whitestone 7