QPR boss addresses Mikel Arteta having embarrassed Arsenal over break

QPR head coach Marti Cifuentes has shared his respect for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta after his Championship side embarrassed the Gunners with a 4-0 victory during the international break.

Arsenal fielded first-team stars Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu for the behind-closed-doors encounter, aimed to allow players to keep legs ticking as the domestic leagues took a break for international fixtures. Those two players, who have been battling injuries recently, were the only first-team players to feature for the Premier League outfit.

Partey played a full hour in the match with Tomiyasu managing 45 minutes as QPR ran riot. Michael Frey bagged a brace in the game with Elijah Dixon-Bonner and Ziyad Larkeche also finding the back of the net.

Writing in his programme notes ahead of QPR's mammoth Championship six-pointer against Birmingham City on Good Friday, Cifuentes said: "Last week, we played a friendly against Arsenal and, while I wasn't bothered about the result, it was brilliant to test ourselves against one of the top teams in Europe - a team with such an attractive playing style and with a top fellow Spanish coach Mikel Arteta.

"Of course, in the end it was great to get a solid win following a strong performance and this was another important step into our preparation for the final sprint of the season. We tried to give more minutes to some players who will benefit from that and keep the more regular ones in a good position to face these last weeks."

Just one point and one place separate QPR and Birmingham City as they do battle at Loftus Road on Friday afternoon. The visitors are under new temporary management with Gary Rowett at the helm as Tony Mowbray recovers from an illness.

In the week, Cifuentes admitted that the arrival of Rowett could throw some unexpected challenges at this side but remained confident that the London outfit could get a result against their fellow strugglers.