Leadbitter goal keeps Black Cats purring

DARYL MURPHY and Grant Leadbitter fired Sunderland to a deserved win over QPR as Roy Keane’s side continued their steady rise up the Coca-Cola Championship table.

Murphy struck from close range after 17 minutes for his first goal in 13 appearances and Leadbitter doubled the advantage during five minutes of first-half stoppage time with his second goal for the club.

Substitute Ray Jones pulled one back but the Black Cats, who were bottom when Keane took charge in August, stretched their unbeaten run to four games to leapfrog Rangers in the table.

The visitors were quickly into their stride and should have gone ahead in the fifth minute when Leadbitter latched on to Murphy’s flick-on, but Simon Royce was able to save his weak shot with an outstretched leg.

Murphy missed an even better chance after 12 minutes when put through by Stephen Elliott, the lone striker lobbing the advancing Royce only to see the ball drift the wrong side of the post.

He made amends five minutes later, however, when Rangers failed to deal with a corner and the ball fell to Leadbitter.

The midfielder’s shot was careering wide until Murphy popped up to head past Royce, referee Uriah Rennie waving away appeals for offside as the Irishman celebrated his third goal of the season.

Dexter Blackstock immediately had the ball in the net at the other end but Rennie adjudged the striker to be offside when he headed Lee Cook’s free-kick past Darren Ward.

Not for the first time Rennie found himself the centre of attention and he held the game up for a couple of minutes after two plastic bottles were hurled onto the pitch by disgruntled Rangers fans.

Blackstock fired over and Gallen headed Jimmy Smith’s corner wide as Rangers rallied, but they went two down in stoppage time.

Royce had just pulled off a stunning save to deny Murphy from 15 yards when Leadbitter sprang the offside trap, waltzed around the goalkeeper and rolled the ball into an empty net.

Jones pulled one back in the 74th minute, firing past Ward from inside a crowded area after being played in by Martin Rowlands.

QPR: Royce, Mancienne, Rehman, Stewart, Bignot, Ward, Rowlands, Smith, Cook (Jones 46), Gallen, Blackstock (Furlong 82).

SUNDERLAND: Ward, Nosworthy, Caldwell, Varga, Collins, Miller (Connolly 57), Kavanagh, Leadbitter (Whitehead 63), Wallace, Stephen Elliott, Murphy.

Referee: U Rennie