Rangers bounce back as Everton suffer from lackof cash and ideas

Everton 0 Queens Park Rangers 1

Everton's success-starved supporters were told to brace themselves for a long, hard winter, but few of them at Goodison Park yesterday could have envisaged the shivers coming down their collective spine so early in the new campaign.

Their first opponents in a programme delayed by the Tottenham riots, newly promoted Queens Park Rangers, could hardly believe their good fortune as they were able, without too many alarms, to put a disastrous opening-day thrashing by Bolton firmly behind them.

Tommy Smith, who experienced the vast class gap between the top two tiers of English football when celebrating promotion with Watford 11 years ago and enduring relegation 12 months later, secured three points for the London side with an opportunist strike 31 minutes into a tepid match. It was the second of only two chances created by Neil Warnock's men – Smith having half-volleyed just wide from the first – as Everton otherwise enjoyed the bulk of the goalmouth action.

Things might have turned out differently if Leighton Baines had aimed fractionally lower with a 20-yard free-kick which completely defeatedthe efforts of QPR's goalkeeper, Paddy Kenny. Likewise, Everton's misery might have been avoided if Tim Cahill, so often a predatory finisher, had shown more of his customary accuracy with two heading opportunities from close range.

Goals from those openings, or from several others carved out by the industrious left-winger Ross Barkley on what was an impressive Premier League debut would, however, have served only to paper over the cracks in an Everton set-up which is on the verge of collapsing.

The honest but indiscreet disclosure by their chairman, Bill Kenwright, that there will be no more borrowing allowed from the club's bankers sent out a message of despair. Fans may conclude from that admission that their own loyal and continued backing is in vain, so badly is the need for new blood in a squad built and rebuilt by the admirable manager, David Moyes.

Rangers followers who travelled to Merseyside will convey to the Loftus Road faithful that there is no reason why they cannot buck the trend of promoted clubs suffering a yo-yo existence. Unlike Everton, QPR can expect an infusion of new talent to make the workmanlikeline-up on view here a good deal classier. Last week's takeover by the Malaysian businessman Tony Fernandes has come with the promise of cash for signings, and Warnock is anxious to spend some of it in the current transfer window.

"I'm confident of bringing in four or five new players during the next couple of weeks," said the manager after what he conceded was an unexpected Premier League lift-off. "This just demonstrates how fascinating this game can be. Last week we were all fearing that we would not get a point before Christmas; now some of them are talking about Europe."

The well-travelled Rangers manager was particularly pleased for Fernandes, who, he asserted, deserved this swift return on his investment. "I had primed him in case we got battered again," Warnock said. "But this result will give him a massive lift at the end of a traumatic week for all of us. Not only have we had to deal with the takeover but we've also had a virus in the camp which left us without DJ Campbell and a couple of others."

Warnock's delight contrasted sharply with his Everton counterpart's despair. Moyes attempted to look on the bright side after his team's false start but it was akin to clutching at straws as he made a glowing assessment of his teenage debutant Barkley on a day when his more famous names floundered.

"We didn't play well enough to win," Moyes said. "But I am not sure that we were that bad that we deserved to lose."

Everton (4-4-2): Howard; Neville, Jagielka, Distin, Baines; Rodwell (Arteta, 55), Heitinga (Saha, 74), Osman, Barkley; Cahill, Beckford (Fellaini, 64).

Queens Park Rangers (4-2-3-1): Kenny; Orr, Hall, Gabbi-don, Connolly; Derry, Faurlin; Smith (Ephraim, 66), Buzsaky, Taarabt; Agyemang (Bothroyd, 57).

Referee Kevin Friend.

Man of the match Smith (QPR)

Match rating 5/10