Coventry City 0

QPR 2

THE Tottenham connection helped QPR extend their lead at the top of the Championship in today's early kick-off at Coventry City.

On-loan Spurs star Kyle Walker scored one and former Cockerel Adel Taarabt made the other as Rs went seven points clear – at least until teatime.

The hosts had the early sights of goal – Matthew Connolly heading clear from under his own crossbar, Lee Carsley heading wide from a corner and Marlon King shooting weakly at Paddy Kenny when well-placed on the left of the area.

Gary McSheffrey also saw a header comfortably saved by Kenny, while the lively Adel Taarabt tested Keiren Westwood at the other end.

Coventry then had Richard Keogh to thank for first blocking a Tommy Smith shot following a great cross-field ball by Heidar Helguson, then desperately clearing his lines from the follow-up.

Kyle Walker fired wide for the Rs soon after, but the hosts came closest to taking the lead when Kenny got down superbly to his right to push a Clive Platt header around the post.

Marlon King nearly nicked in on the half-hour mark after Westwood picked the ball off Clint Hill's head from a Taarabt free-kick before pumping the ball straight down-field, but Kenny just got there first.

Kenny had to be alert again minutes later, diving high to his left this time to push out a dangerous header from Richard Wood.

Rs rode their luck as half-time approached, Hill blocking a volley from King before Alejandro Faurlin cleared off the line from the resulting corner. But Jamie Mackie went close in stoppage time with a turn and shot from Kyle Walker's free-kick.

And it was Walker who gave Rangers the lead just two minutes into the second-half, finishing from a tight angle on the right-hand side of the box.

It was 2-0 just after the hour-mark when Tommy Smith got his head to a delightfully flicked ball in from Taarabt on the edge of the area.

But Coventry reminded Rs of the danger they still posed when Connolly was called on to make another goal-line clearance, with Carsley ready to pounce on the rebound.

Sub Leon Clarke could have put the icing on the cake in injury time, but Westwood got down to save well, and Rs settled for 2-0.