Queens Park Rangers vs Leeds United. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance16,764.
Sunday 7 August 2016 15:33, UK
Garry Monk's tenure in charge of Leeds got off to a losing start as they were beaten 3-0 by QPR at Loftus Road on Sunday in the Sky Bet Championship.
The home side took the lead after just four minutes through Nedum Onuoha, and Tjaronn Chery's penalty doubled their advantage after the break.
Sebastian Polter then struck a third in stoppage time to complete a perfect start to the season for QPR boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
For Monk it was a largely frustrating afternoon in front of watching Leeds owner Massimo Cellino, as individual errors cost his side.
It took less than four minutes for QPR to open their account for the season, and they had a former goalkeeper to thank partly for it.
Rob Green was one of five Leeds debutants to start on Sunday, and his flapped attempt to clear the ball after a goalmouth scramble from a corner allowed Onuoha to bundle home from less than a yard out.
QPR were firmly on top and could have doubled their lead in rather fortuitous circumstances after 29 minutes as Ronaldo Vieira's attempt at a clearance ricocheted off Chery before flying back and hitting the post.
And the woodwork was struck by the home side again eight minutes later as Polter cut in from the right following a QPR counter-attack and slammed a low shot into the base of the post.
Leeds brightened up in the second half but struggled to create any real clear-cut chances despite their improved level of play, which left Monk looking hugely frustrated on the sidelines.
Green made two fine saves to keep Leeds in the game midway through the second half, first from Chery and then from Nasser El Khayati - but he could do nothing about the former's spot-kick after Vieira fouled Jordan Cousins in the box after 72 minutes.
Chery, arguably QPR's outstanding player on the day, swept the ball low into the bottom right-hand corner as Green got agonisingly close but couldn't quite reach it.
Leeds did have one final opportunity to get back into the game in the closing stages. Substitute Marcus Antonsson, on for his debut, managed to break the offside trap but sent his effort wide from the edge of the area when he perhaps should have rounded the goalkeeper Alex Smithies.
Eventually, though, a frustrating afternoon for Monk was compounded by Polter's late third for QPR, as he fired a thumping effort past Green at the far post with virtually the final kick of the game.
