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Burnley fans boo and call QPR ‘cheats’; Clarets face EFL investigation over weakened side

Burnley fans boo and call QPR ‘cheats’ with reports now claim the Clarets face an EFL investigation for playing a weakened side at Reading.

Saturday afternoon’s thrilling game saw substitute Chris Martin net a late winner to stun Championship leaders Burnley.

The Clarets, who had already been promoted, dominated the opposition in the first period, with 17 shots on target. Sam Field, however, volleyed QPR into the lead on the 58th minute.

Manuel Benson curled in a fantastic equaliser from the right after cutting into the game from the left with quarter of and hour remaining.

Martin shocked those inside Turf Moor by producing the winning goal with a glancing header from Jamal Lowe’s cross.

Rangers held onto their only victory in 21 league matches to move four point clear of the relegation area with two games remaining.

The final whistle went, with jeers and shouting of ‘cheat, cheat, cheat’ aimed at QPR.

QPR boss Gareth Ainsworth was full of praise for his side, saying: “It’s an unbelievable feeling. Those boys have given me absolutely everything, I couldn’t ask for anymore today.

“Burnley are top of the league, they haven’t even lost here all season so to come away with three points today is awesome.

“That is for the fans, the players, all the people who have supported me upstairs and for all the staff, I am sure everyone was getting worried but what a performance by the boys I couldn’t fault any of them.

“If you look back at my Wycombe interviews I have said possession can do one, it does not win you games that is factual – It’s moments and people and those moments today were fantastic.

“We could spend all day talking about two sensational goals, they were really well worked, a great finish from Sam Field and then Chris Martin heads home from a short corner routine but what I really want to highlight is the blocks, the tackles, the saves, people putting their absolute head on the line, everything.

“The boys managed the game, managed the tactics well and it’s taken a worldie from Burnley to break us down, credit to the strike but you have to say we worked so hard and those fans down that end never stopped all day, so thank you so much.

“It has been a really frustrating season but we aren’t out of the woods yet but that is a hell of a three points to move us up that table, everything is now in our hands and I will be telling the boys that they have given themselves that platform so go and finish the job.”

Vincent Kompany reflected following Burnley’s defeat: “I think the first half was, you have to score in the first half one if not more. I could see signs today of a team that for the first time is in a position where they have to win titles. Second half started and I had a feeling, I said it on the bench straight away I know this feeling, I’ve been there before and when guys are trying to make stuff up and are changing or deviating from what they’ve done so well in the season and when you start making stuff up you put yourself in a position where you basically you’re chasing. You’re chasing the title, or you’re chasing the moment and it’s the opposite of what you have to do.

“You have to be calm, and you have to understand that the other team is going to do everything they can to break your momentum. I could feel it in the second half that it’s still an inexperienced team dealing with a situation that they’ve not been in before. Just going to chase the moment. That made our second half irrelevant, first half was good, second half we didn’t even get into our rhythm.

“Usually if we create chances early doors, then I think we used to wear teams out if we score early, but we know that we keep coming and eventually teams’ break.

“Today, that flow in the second half never got going and like I said I’ve seen it before, there’s a lot of players today who did things out of character. It’s a good lesson for them. You would have said at the beginning of the season, look you’ve got three or four games to bring home the title, you would have signed up any day. What you can’t do is when the moments there start chasing the moment, you’ve got to go back to the basics and stay calm and do your basics well. Trust that you’ve got guys in the team that can make the difference.

“I’m not going to talk about winning the title. At this moment in time, it’s irrelevant for me. The goal to have silverware, but if we start chasing the moment I can tell you one thing, it’s not going to happen. Go out there to win a football match not to win a title.”

Meanwhile, Huddersfield Town are said to have been unhappy with the six changes made by Vincent Kompany for the match against the Royals.

The Terriers feel the Premier League’s newest team made unjustified changes to their squad, and are in a battle for beat the drop. They have parted ways with Paul Ince just days prior to the Clarets match.

Goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, defenders Charlie Taylor and Ameen Al-Dakhil, midfielder Scott Twine, and forwards Manuel Benson and Lyle Foster were all picked, to replace the likes of Aro Muric, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ian Maatsen, Jack Cork, Josh Brownhill (injured) and Ashley Barnes.

Neil Warnock’s side are currently one point ahead of Reading, and have a game left against the promotion-seeking Sheffield United who lost 3-0 to Manchester City in their FA Cup semi-final match at Wembley.

The Sun claim that the EFL has written to Burnley to warn them of the consequences if they are found guilty.

In his post-match press conference, Kompany had told the Burnley Express: “The biggest challenge is to see whether your team is still going to look the same, is it still going to have that same kind of identity, and there weren’t any issues.

“It’s not as easy as you think it is. You have to take it into account as well as it being an away game. We got to see some players, which is important, we want to get the results, but we were competitive so I didn’t feel like we opened up a massive gap, or we massively exposed ourselves.

“We got to see players that we want to see before the end of the season, players that have already done a lot of good things for us this season.

“It’s controlled change. That’s how you have to use this period of time. We want to win as much as everyone else, but the truth is we have one advantage between now and the end of the season, in that we have a little bit of time on our hands.

“If we don’t do it now, before you know it we’re in July and the pressure of the Premier League is starting. I would’ve been worried if I’d have seen a different team out there, but I didn’t. On another day I think we can score, but I have to credit Reading. These games aren’t going to be easy.”

This is what fans are saying as Burnley fans boo and call QPR ‘cheats’ while the Clarets face an EFL investigation for playing a weakened side against Reading…

@divadawni: I’d be embarrassed to be a qpr fan on that display having to cheat to win #BURQPR

@sweetpud1965: QPR are a set of cheats.

@tlmfootball: Seeing Gareth Ainsworth celebrating while the Burnley fans screams ‘cheats’ at QPR… I miss him loads man. I miss when that was us 😢

@arranw_: There’s only one Gareth Ainsworth

@Mitch67958857: How anyone associated with Burnley can act this way after what they did at the den 🤣🤣 Scott Twine diving and rolling SIX times.. shushing fans, wasting time… just to draw, shit team with shit fans. Crying cos they lost 1 game

@matt1holden: You had a game plan and the referee allowed it to happen. Well played QPR we did this for years in the Prem. Only person to blame is the referee. We move on and so do you good luck for the rest season I’m sure you’ll see it through.

@HSJS180: All the Burnley fans calling us cheats yet that’s coming from big shithouses. 😂 embrace the defeat coz WE ARE QPR 💙🤍 #COYRS #QPR #BURQPR

@Shaun_5890: Salty Burnley fans 🤣 gonna win the league n all they do is call us cheats. Melts

@Paulska691: Fighting for our Championship status what do you expect, any side would do that in our position and you know it. Thats Football been going on for 150 years.

@kilsman_14: Funniest thing is a set of fans who are promoted and will be champions – booing and chanting. Cheats Cheats at the final whistle and booing what they see as time wasting at 0-0 after 15 mins 😂😂😂 It’s about time we joined the shithousary gang #qpr

@BeeReignBeau: No point trying to wind us up lads you had a plan and it paid off. Qpr fans are decent lots of other teams very local much bigger so I have respect for everything about the club apart from Ainsworth of course. Hope u lot stay up

@cole_qpr: Burnley had 81% possession plenty of opportunities to score can’t call us cheats when you are shite

@UpTheRs: Burnley fans chanting ‘CHEATS CHEATS CHEATS’ at full time despite having pretty much won the league, INJECT IT 😂😂😂

@benjaminay2: Wait what? 😂 Who defines a heavily weakened team here?

@Kevinhomfc: Certainly no fan of Burnley but Kompany has the right to pick any team he wants

@_StewartCutts22: Rotating players within an EFL-registered squad is being interpreted as match fixing? What madness is this?

@dannyadams111: The players were registered in the 25man squad I take it? Can play whatever team he wants. Who defines whether it was weakened or not?

@K_M1_Music: Don’t see what the issue is? PL clubs do it n the league cup. Still playing registered squad players. 🤷

@Russell19871: Other teams blaming them for when/if they go down by any chance. It was draw at end of day with a clean sheet, hardly 7-0 defeat playing under 18’s. His squad, 20 points clear he can pick whatever team he wants

@10000miles_away: Textbook Warnock, pointless complaint by Huddersfield but sets up the script for what’s likely the relegation decider on the last day.

@johnrobinson07: Bit rich that from Huddersfield they made 10 changes against Brum one season when they went up. As far as I am concerned and I am a Rovers fan Burnley got promoted they can do what they like in remaining games there task is complete.

@rowanbrfc: I’m pretty sure Huddersfield did the exact same thing in 2017?

@charlcox6: Nothing will happen. They rotated players that were registered as part of their squad. They’ve broken no rules. It’s just huddersfield asking the question of why aren’t they playing their strongest XI. Burnley will answer and it’ll be done. Something out of nothing

@Adam_PVFC: Disgusting behaviour deduct derby 20 points

@JulesG08: Match fixing for rotating a team with a squad registered with the EFL. Think someone’s on the p*ss.

@John71716707: Deduct reading, Huddersfield, Blackpool 6 points. That should do it

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