Harry Redknapp hailed his midfield trio after QPR began his reign as manager with a 0-0 draw at Sunderland.
With Stephane Mbia sitting in front of the back four and Samba Diakite and Esteban Granero imposing themselves, Rangers looked comfortable for most of the game and picked up only their second clean sheet in the league this season.
It vindicated the decision to leave out Alejandro Faurlin and Shaun Derry, who played against Manchester United at the weekend.
Rangers made an encouraging start under the new manager, leaving Redknapp feeling optimistic about their chances of climbing away from the bottom of the table.
“I liked the look of us. The three lads in midfield looked strong and we look like we have plenty of ability,” he said.
“I’m more optimistic than I was on Saturday, that’s for sure. We well deserved a draw and I was pleased with the performance.
“I went for power in midfield with the two African boys. You wouldn’t want to play against those two.
“Diakite came off after he was booked but looks like he could be a really good player for us. Mbia did well too and Granero can play, so there were good positives.
“It’s going to be tough. We must not kid ourselves. When you look at the position we’re in it’s very difficult, but I can see there are some decent players here.”
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This post was last modified on 28/11/2012