Man Utd 1 QPR 0:ON A night when most of Alex Ferguson's star footballers were watching from the VIP seats, Carlos Tevez could be entitled if he had mixed feelings about turning out in an English League Cup match against strange opposition in a typically Mancunian downpour.
These are difficult times for Tevez, who has been marginalised at Old Trafford since the signing of Dimitar Berbatov, but it turned out to be a satisfying evening's work for the Argentinian, with the winning goal to send Manchester United into the fifth round.
It came from the penalty spot, 15 minutes from the end of an otherwise soporific match in which Queens Park Rangers seemed so intent on keeping out their opponents they seemed to forget that opposition teams are actually allowed to attack at Old Trafford too. It was a pity they were so defence-minded because, with a touch more imagination, they could conceivably have troubled this youthful, experimental United side.
The team currently seventh in the Championship knocked out Aston Villa in the previous round, and they could have been forgiven for wondering whether an even greater scalp was possible when they saw that Ferguson had fielded virtually an entire team of fringe players.
United's manager had made nine changes from the side that lost 2-1 to Arsenal on Saturday, but it was still an impressive supporting cast and, at times, it was almost unremitting pressure on the visiting goal.
For long spells, though, United's attacks lacked the usual penetration and by half-time the large and boisterous contingent of supporters from west London should have been encouraged by the way the Rangers defence had marshalled Tevez, playing at the arrowhead of a three-man attack with Park Ji-Sung and the occasionally beguiling yet frequently bewildering Nani.
It was, however, one-way traffic, and there were periods of a rainy evening when the United goalkeeper, Tomasz Kuszczak, simply had a battle to stay warm, standing as he was in an otherwise deserted half of the pitch.
It made for a dreary spectacle, far removed from the usual entertainment that is served up inside this stadium. Rodrigo Possebon showed some neat touches in the centre of midfield, while Rafael da Silva demonstrated yet again why he is so highly revered.
But the visitors' plan was a classic display of nine or 10 men behind the ball, and the game reached the hour mark before the first cause for excitement, when Park slashed a diagonal shot against the top of Radek Cerny's right-hand post.
Gareth Ainsworth's players were quick to the ball and strong in the challenge but, as an attacking force, it was easy to understand why they have scored only twice in eight league fixtures away from Loftus Road.
The tedium was so overwhelming it was almost a shock when it was broken. Nani slipped a pass through to the substitute Daniel Welbeck, and Peter Ramage was clumsy and late in his challenge. Tevez stepped up to score his second goal of the season and when Samuel Di Camine later headed in at the other end, the offside flag was raised.
MAN UTD: Kuszczak, Rafael Da Silva, Neville (Vidic 89), Evans, O'Shea, Gibson, Possebon (Welbeck 72), Anderson, Nani, Tevez, Park. Subs not used: Foster, Carrick, Manucho, Cleverley, Gray.
QPR: Cerny, Ramage, Hall, Stewart, Connolly, Buzsaky (Agyemang 33), Rowlands, Mahon, Cook (Di Carmine 78), Parejo (Ledesma 46), Blackstock. Subs not used: Cole, Delaney, Gorkss, Ephraim.
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).
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