Tottenham Hotspur 3 QPR 1: Bale impresses with double while Warnock hails Ferdinand

The midfielder scored a goal in each half at White Hart Lane and Rafael van der Vaart also found the net to equal the club’s record of scoring in five successive league games.

Jay Bothroyd pulled one back for QPR in the second half but Tottenham were in commanding form and move up to fifth in the league standings.

“It’s just good to get goals and the three points that lifts us into the top six,” Bale said. “It was a great team performance.

Bale scored his second goal, a superb strike from the edge of the box, to steady the home fans’ nerves in the 72nd minute.

“They (QPR) were just starting to come on top and putting a bit of pressure on us and it was a very important goal,” he said.

“The confidence is growing. We’ve been playing well and concentrating on our own football. Scoring goals is part of our game and we’ve been doing that.”

Man of the match Scott Parker is backing Tottenham to do well this season as they continue to string good performances together.

“I think they came out in the second half and put us under a bit of pressure but overall we fully deserved the win,” Parker said.

“We played some good football.

“I’m enjoying it immensely and playing alongside players like Gareth and winning games is nice as well.

“We can go places this year if we believe in ourselves and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

QPR manager Neil Warnock praised the character and performance of Anton Ferdinand despite seeing his team go down at Tottenham.

Eight days ago Ferdinand was the subject of an alleged racial slur by John Terry in QPR’s 1-0 win over Chelsea at Loftus Road.

It was announced on Tuesday that England captain Terry, who denies the allegations, will be the subject of a Football Association investigation into the claims, and Ferdinand has been the focus of intense media scrutiny for a week as a result. Warnock deemed the 26-year-old to be psychologically ready to play in the derby at White Hart Lane.

Despite seeing his team lose in what was largely a one-sided affair, Warnock heaped praise on Ferdinand and insisted the FA investigation had no impact on his team’s preparation or performance.

“I thought he (Ferdinand) was head and shoulders above everyone else – the man of the match,” Warnock said.

“I don’t think he made a mistake. He hasn’t put a foot wrong since he came here. He definitely has the potential to play at the top level and England.

“It was a great performance from him.

“Did I think that (the race row) affected Ferdinand? Not at all. He was absolutely magnificent. It doesn’t affect us at all.

“It speaks volumes about his character, absolutely.”

The FA will continue their investigation into the race row this week, but Warnock does not envisage the saga affecting his team’s efforts on the pitch.

“We have moved on already,” the Rangers boss said.