THERE was precious little in it – but QPR moved top of the table for the first time this season anyway.

Had there been one more pukka forward other than Charlie Austin they might have pinnacled in style.

Instead, a makeshift 4-3-3 that had Matty Prior and Shaun Wright-Phillips in support failed to break a Brighton rearguard even if it has been 560 minutes since Rs last conceded a goal.

Keeper Rob Green (pic) moved closer to the all-time record of seven clean sheets, but Seagulls rarely moved close to his goal.

In fact, a disastrous crossfield pass from Gordon Greer needed Gary O’Neil to add a shoe size as the Rs midfielder at full stretch just failed to control the ball early on.

He would have been in on goal, and Phillips likewise wished he hadn’t cut his toenails as he tried to latch on to a Nedum Onuoha dink over the top.

It proved to be almost the last action from the defender when he pulled up with what looked like a hamstring strain in a foot race with Craig Conway.

Sub Benoit Assou-Ekotto sent a clever ground pass dummied by Wright-Phillips but skewed wide by Austin with the goal gaping.

Brighton chances were few and far between. In fact, the sighter from distance by David Lopez that had Green flying to his left was their solitary first-half effort.

Tomasz Kuszczak was the one with heart in mouth as a point-blank header from Austin off Joey Barton’s corner came right at the Albion keeper who knew very little about it.

Barton himself took aim with a curler on 52 minutes that needed the busy Kuszczak flat out to divert around his left-hand post.

Richard Dunne’s downward header from yet another corner had Albion scrambling to clear from under their own cross bar, and a second Barton dead-ball delivery from range took a deflection and skimmed just wide of the far upright.

But as full time got closer the chance of a goal of any sort receded just as fast.
At least Hoops keeper had something to cheer.

QPR: 4-3-3 Green; Simpson, Onuoha (Assou-Ekotto 23), Dunne, Hill; Barton, O’Neil, Henry (Jenas 74); Wright-Phillips, Austin, Phillips (Traore 80), Austin; subs not used: Murphy, Faurlin, Carroll, Hitchcock

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