QPR boss thought Hatters 'nailed' their tactics as front two of Morris and Adebayo give Rangers a 'really bad afternoon'

QPR boss Michael Beale felt that Luton ‘nailed’ their tactics when it came to inflicting a first defeat in six matches on his side at Kenilworth Road yesterday.

The Hatters ran out 3-1 winners thanks to Elijah Adebayo’s third of the season in the first half, before Jimmy Dunne’s own goal doubled their lead with 13 minutes to go.

Although an unfortunate rebound off keeper Ethan Horvath saw QPR pull one back in stoppage time, Town went straight up the other end to make the game safe, Luke Freeman tapping home Harry Cornick’s cross.

It was a deserved win for the Hatters, who although didn’t have the majority of possession, which is the norm during their victories, created the better opportunities as Adebayo hit the woodwork, Allan Campbell denied by a fine Dieng save too.

In a refreshing post-match interview from an opposition manager, Beale, who saw his team hit the bar at 1-0 through Jake Clarke-Salter’s close range blast, preferred to praise the Hatters’ approach, saying: “We were miles off today, you’re looking at a QPR team without Ethan Laird and Chris Willock as well.

“This is a real tough place to come and it was a clash of styles and we didn’t handle theirs too well in the first half.

"I thought we responded well, but not well enough, and if we have the big moment, we have to score.

“I don't want to take anything away from Nathan (Jones) and his players as if I’m a fly on the wall in their meeting pre-game, they probably nailed it.

“Let’s not talk about QPR’s issues too much, I thought Luton were good today.

“I thought they won the game in the two boxes, they were much more of a threat than us in both boxes.

"Between it, it was a good game, a game of two styles, at times we played some good football, over elaborate a little bit at times where I thought both their wingbacks tended to deliver the crosses early and give themselves a big chance to cause some problems in the box.

"The front two are a big handful, I’m not going to criticise Jim and Jake for maybe coming unstuck in the battle, because last Friday against Lucas Joao and Andy Carroll, who are just as much of a handful, they were outstanding, it's the Championship, we just have to bounce back.”

Although Beale felt his centre half pairing wasn’t quite up to the test at Kenilworth Road, he felt that was more down to the work of both Morris and Adebayo than errors on their part, as he continued: “It was a really bad afternoon.

“I thought Carlton Morris in particular today, especially first half was very good, we didn’t get to grips with him.

“We spoke in the week about how the game would look, so we were very clear what was coming, but I thought their two centre forwards gave my two centre halves some issues.

“We went with Leon Balogun at right back who has played there in other teams that I’ve coached and has played there in the Bundesliga, so we went with the extra height and he goes and gets injured in the very first challenge of the game.

“So a lot of things didn't go for us today, I thought the start of the second half, we reacted well to the conversation we had at half time, we just changed to a back three and we were the team in the ascendancy.

“We hit the bar with a big chance and I suppose for me that’s where the game hinges on, because straight after we go and make a mistake and go and lose Jimmy all in the one part of play.

"I’m not going to sit here and bash my players, we weren’t great today, we were okay in possession, we didn’t win any of our positional duels.

"If I said to some of our boys in there, ‘against your direct opponent today, were you better than him?’

“I don’t think we’ve got enough who can say yes, with honesty, so forget tactics and everything, Luton got the early goal in the game and then they were in the ascendancy.

"We tried we were chasing it, had the big moment in the game and didn’t take it.”

Still very much in his infancy as a manager, Beale, who has extensive experience as an assistant to Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa and Rangers, also working in Liverpool’s academy, didn’t think he could learn anything from how the Hatters approached their second home win of the season, adding: “Not really, you play with the players that you've got.

"I don’t have the players to play that way, it wouldn’t be in the best interest of QPR.

"I think they've got good players, (Henri) Lansbury today was very good, their centre halves did very well, their full back (James) Bree is a good player.

"Every team in the Championship you can reel off the names, we have to be at our very, very best to get three points and today you can list lots of reasons, but it was just a really bad day.

“We're better than what we showed today I think everyone knows that, but Luton were decent and two teams play the game.”