Rampant Rangers tore through a very average Coventry City side tonight to rack up a majestic 4-1 victory. Whilst the R's had a wobble at the start of the second half there was rarely any doubt that three points would be secured after an absolutely breathtaking first half showing.

Holloway made only one change to the team that staged an amazing comeback against Leicester at the weekend, with Edghill replacing Rose at left back. Day remained in goal behind Bignot, Santos, Shittu and Edghill. The midfield four was Rowlands, Bircham, Gallen and Cook, with Cureton and Furlong ahead of them.

Rangers started the game like a house on fire and Coventry were reeling from the off. It was almost all one way traffic as Rangers dominated them all over the field. There was a rare old goal mouth scramble early in the piece as Cureton saw a header saved before Furlong had about three efforts at the ball only to see them all blocked away. At the other end former Wrexham hitman Andy Morrell came close with an effort that flashed across the face of Day’s goal.

The Coventry defenders were doing their level best to stop the ball getting anywhere near Luke Steele’s goal. Time and again good efforts from Rangers players seemed to strike a Sky Blue shirt before they could reach the goalie. The R’s were playing some beautiful football now though with sweeping moves criss-crossing the field and running the legs off of ageing knacker Tim Sherwood. One majestic move led to Bignot whipping in a cross that Cureton headed wide of the near post.

Cookie was next to benefit from some champagne football as yet another cross from Biggy found him at the far post, his volley was once again blocked away to safety. It was via a horrendous ricket that Rangers finally gained the lead that their domination had warranted. A ball from Bircham was missed by Matthew Mills and Cureton seized on the loose ball. He steadied himself before smashing a searing low show past Steele into the corner.

Four minutes before the break Cureton made it two with a moment of pure class. Once again Mills was at fault as he failed to cut out a long ball forward. Curo chased onto the ball and seemed destined to hook it back into the centre but instead he unleashed a volley that Marco Van Basten would have been pleased with. Reminiscent of a brilliant Bradley Allen goal against Sheffield United in the early nineties; the ball whizzed past Steele before bulging the side netting.

2-0 at the break and Rangers were coasting and maybe that was a problem as when the second half started they may as well have been sat on their arses in the dressing room. It was not that there were caught napping, they were caught absolutely comatose and before they knew it, it was 2-1. Some poor defending led to the ball looping into the air and Republic of Ireland striker Graham Barrett cracked a left footed volley into the net. Day seemed to get a good hand on it but could not prevent the goal.

It was time for a real twitchy period as Coventry poured forward and desperately tried to get back on level terms. Your mind couldn’t help but wander back to Saturday and our own monumental showing against The Foxes. Holloway decided things needed to change and he pulled off Cook and Santos to replace them with Branco and Rose. The substitution of Santos was met with a chorus of boos, although you could see the reasoning for the change, a touch more mobility was needed at the back.

Furlong should have made it 3-1 when he spurned a great chance having skipped around the lampshade look-a-like Richard Shaw on the halfway line. He charged with purpose toward Steele in the Coventry goal and looked nailed on to score but he delayed and allowed Steele to turn the ball away.

Rangers were staring to edge their way back into the match and chances were starting to be fashioned again. Furlong slammed a shot miles over the bar on the turn whilst at the other end Matthew Rose grabbed a huge slice of luck. Stern John seemed to have broken the line, finally getting away from the limpet like attentions of Shittu and as he neared the box he was felled by Rose. If he had been dismissed he could have had no complaints but as it was referee Kaye let him off with just a yellow. This seemed just the fillip Rangers needed and they managed to kick it up a gear again.

Gallen had a rasping strike held by Steele before Rangers made the breakthrough that sealed the points. Bircham slipped the ball into Paul Furlong who once again set off for the Coventry goal. Instead of shooting though he drew the defender to him before playing Cureton in. The little hitman made no mistake as he beat Steele to claim his first hat-trick for Rangers, the first at Loftus Road since Andy Thomson and the first against Coventry since Clive Allen in the late seventies.

In the final minute Rangers rubbed salt into the wounds when the irrepressible Furlong added a fourth. Branco managed to find a team mate with a pass for seemingly the first time since his introduction and McLeod produced a wonderful cross. Furs was barrelling in from the edge of the box and rose highest to bullet a header past Steele to put the icing on the cake.

This was a great display from Rangers and almost every player did their bit. Even those that were not in their best form worked hard for the cause when it was needed. The displays from Shittu, Bircham, Cureton and Furlong were magnificent and Curo’s treble was pure class.

Stoke away will prove a tricky test; I am not sure they would have been expecting to play us and see us above them in the table, albeit on goal difference. Another decent team and one that will doubtless expect to roll us over with a fair degree of ease. I think they may be in for a little surprise when the R’s rock up.

simon@qprnet.com