Football: Paatelainen punishes Rangers

Queen's Park Rangers 0 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2

Queen's Park Rangers must pray that Wolves have one of their moody Molineux nights in a fortnight's time if they are to progress in the Coca-Cola Cup. Starting the second leg in the same positive manner in which they began the second half at Loftus Road last night would help.

Realistically, though, despite their manager Stewart Houston's protestations that "there are no mountains at Molineux", it looks a steep gradient, particularly for a team with several key players, such as Trevor Sinclair, Kevin Gallen and Mike Sheron, struggling for fitness.

For all the pressure that Wolves were subjected to almost throughout the second half they remained alive to any breakaway possibilities. And so it proved when the substitute, Mixu Paatelainen, seized on Steve Bull's return pass with a diving header to score a second goal with five minutes remaining.

The prize of a place in the second round of this competition seemed, however, of secondary importance to providing an early pointer to either side's promotion prospects from the First Division. Wolves, more so than Rangers, can ill afford to idle much longer outside the bosom of the Premiership.

Their pre-season form - six wins without defeat - not to mention the victory at Norwich on Saturday hinted at some promising early fluency and so it transpired here as Steve Froggatt shot them deservedly ahead after 13 minutes with a rising 25-yard drive.

Rangers were no match for either Wolves' pace or element of surprise and were clearly in need of a change in both tactics and personnel. The arrival after the break of Steve Slade for Gallen and the redeployment of Sinclair behind the front two improved Rangers' movement. Within minutes Paul Murray had clipped the outside of a post while Gavin Peacock and John Spencer both went close.

The fact remained, however, that until Mike Stowell spilled a shot from Peacock after 79 minutes Rangers had not had anything of real menace on target.

Queen's Park Rangers (4-4-2): Harper; Perry (Graham, 81), Rose, Morrow, Brevett (Brazier, 81); Sinclair, Barker, Peacock, Murray; Gallen (Slade, h-t), Spencer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (4-3-1-2): Stowell; Smith, Curle, Sedgley, Kubicki; Froggatt, Ferguson, Atkins; Keane (Paatelainen, 64); Bull, Goodman. Substitutes not used: Diaz, Robinson.

Referee: AP D'Urso (Billericay, Essex).