QPR 1-0 Town - Match Report Saturday, 6th Feb 2016 17:01 Matt Phillips netted in the 88th minute to hand QPR a 1-0 victory over the Blues at Loftus Road. But for an excellent goalkeeping display from Bartosz Bialkowski Town would have been behind at half-time, but the second period was a more even affair in which both teams had chances and Phillips headed home late on to claim the three points. Mick McCarthy handed Luke Varney his first league start since May alongside Brett Pitman, the duo having combined to created Town’s late winner against Reading on Tuesday. Daryl Murphy and Ainsley Maitland-Niles dropped to the bench, while Luke Hyam missed out with a calf injury and was replaced in central midfield by Kevin Bru. For QPR, who included former Blues loanee Massimo Luongo from the start, full debutant Conor Washington came in for the sold Leroy Fer in an otherwise unchanged team. The game started in a blustery wind and with Town in their Barcelona-style second strip for only the second time. Blues keeper Bialkowski was forced in a double save inside the first 35 seconds. Phillips escaped down the right and hit a powerful shot from a tight angle which the Polish keeper pushed away from goal. The loose ball fell to Luongo but Bialkowski was there again to deny the Australian. Bru picked up his third booking of the season for a foul on Alejandro Faurlin in the eighth minute with the early stages of the match having been hampered by the swirling wind and a number of stoppages for injuries. There was a scare for Town in the 13th minute when Jonas Knudsen allowed himself to be robbed by Phillips, who took the ball into the area on the QPR right before Christophe Berra got across to dispossess him. Rangers continued to have the better of it and on 16 Washington cut the ball back to Sebastian Polter from the left but Berra got in the way of his effort at goal. The Blues again had Bialkowski to thank for keeping the scores level in the 19th minute when Phillips sent over a cross from the right which reached an unmarked Junior Hoilett at the far post. The Town keeper came off his line quickly to block and Sears did enough to prevent Polter from getting in a subsequent strike. On 21 a long wind-assisted Knudsen throw down the left beat Nedim Onuoha and reached Pitman, who slid in to cut the ball across the box but with none of his team-mates there to add the final touch. Two minutes later, Bialkowski batted away a Hoilett shot from 25 yards, then on 28 the Canadian international cut in from the left and hit a shot to the keeper’s right that he got down to save and then claim at the second attempt. Faurlin joined Bru in referee Charles Breakspear’s book in the 33rd minute for diving in somewhat recklessly on Sears, angering the Town players who surrounded the official. Five minutes later, Bru gifted the ball to Hoilett, who just failed to thread Polter in on the right of the area. As the half moved into its final five minutes the lively former Blackburn Rovers man curled another strike just beyond the top corner of Bialkowski’s goal from the right. Pitman struck Town’s first shot on goal of the game four minutes before the break from the edge of the box but keeper Alex Smithies was untroubled. Phillips again got away from Knudsen in the 43rd minute and crossed low to James Perch, who turned it past Bialkowski’s left post. A minute later, an interchange of passes on the right ended with Hoilett curling a shot past the opposite post. Town will have been much the happier to have gone in with the scoreline still 0-0 at the break with QPR having been on top throughout and having had all the game’s chances. But for a number of impressive stops from Bialkowski and some important blocks and interceptions from Berra, the Blues could have found themselves well behind at half-time. Town had struggled to gain control in midfield and had shown little going forward with the wind perhaps having favoured the home side during the first half, while Murphy’s physical presence had been missed up front. The Blues remained unchanged after the break and started the second half brightly, Fraser sending over a cross from the left but beyond Varney and Pitman. Town continued to threaten in the opening minutes, Pitman heading to Smithies following a corner on the right. But the home side began to get back on top and on 52 Faurlin wafted a pass towards Phillips into the area which held up in the wind and Bialkowski claimed. Three minutes later, Berra did well to get ahead of Polter to nod a cross from the left wide, then soon after Smith cut out a ball in from the right. Town switched Varney and Cole Skuse - who had appeared to be carrying an injury - for Murphy and Giles Coke, who was a youth player with QPR. Murphy immediately won a ball in the air which led to a chance, Fraser hitting a low ball across the six-yard box which no one was able to reach. Soon after, QPR swapped Faurlin for Daniel Tozser, then Onuoha was booked for a foul on Sears. On 63 Coke played in Fraser on the right of the area but Grant Hall saw the ball out of play, then three minutes later Murphy cushion down to Bru, who fed the Scotland U21 international but his effort failed to test Smithies. The Blues were in the game more than they were in the first half, however, even if the home side were still having more of the chances. In the 69th minute Berra did superbly to get across in front of Washington after Paul Konchesky had whipped in a cross from the left. Moments later, the recent signing from Peterborough twisted and turned on the edge of the box before shooting over. Hoilett was replaced by Jamie Mackie ion 70, having suffered an earlier knock when challenged by Coke. The Blues midfielder underwent lengthy treatment himself in the 74th minute after going down off the ball but eventually continued. As the game moved into its final 15 minutes Fraser charged down a Smithies kick but the ball flew out. Pitman headed weakly past Smithies’s left post, then at the other end Bialkowski saved a low Luongo shot from distance comfortably. Town twice went close to grabbing the lead with 10 minutes left on the clock. A long Knudsen throw-in from the left was flicked on and eventually found Pitman, who stabbed towards goal. Smithies saved and Sears got to the loose ball but the keeper was able to grab hold of the ball. With eight minutes remaining Bru sent over a corner from the right and Pitman hit a volley which Tozser blocked. The Blues had begun to look more threatening in the final minutes but with two minutes remaining the home side grabbed the lead. Sub Abdenasser El Khayati showed some clever footwork on the right before crossing to the unmarked Phillips, who headed into the roof of the net from eight yards. The Town players protested about a Polter handball earlier in the move, but to no avail. Pitman looked to get the Blues back on terms immediately, but shot weakly through to Smithies, then Bialkowski pushed away a powerful Tozser strike. The Blues continued to press in injury time, Knudsen sending over a low cross which Sears diverted to Smithies, then QPR eventually managed to clear a scramble in the box in which Smith saw an overhead kick blocked and Sears had another shot saved by Smithies. In the closing moments Fraser pulled up short with a hamstring injury and Larsen Touré briefly took over. Soon after, referee Breakspear’s final whistle confirmed the Blues’ second last-gasp defeat in their last two visits to Loftus Road. Having been very much second best in the first half, after the break the game had been more even with both sides having chances, the majority of Town's late on. But it was QPR - defeated 2-1 in the final minute at Portman Road on Boxing Day - who took one of their chances to claim their first home win since November 28th, their first at Loftus Road under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and only the second victory of the Dutchman's time in charge. Town, who travel to Bristol City next Saturday, drop to seventh, two points behind Sheffield Wednesday, who came from behind to win 2-1 at Birmingham, who are now eighth. QPR: Smithies, Perch, Hall, Onouha (c), Konchesky, Faurlin (Tozser 59), Luongo, Hoilett (Mackie 70), Phillips, Washington (El Khayati 81), Polter. Unused: Ingram, Angella, Chery, Petresso. Town: Bialkowski, Chambers (c), Smith, Berra, Knudsen, Skuse (Coke 58), Bru, Fraser (Touré 9), Sears, Varney (Murphy 58), Pitman. Unused: Henly, Foley, Digby, Maitland-Niles. Referee: Charles Breakspear (Surrey). Att: 17,044 (Town: 3,188).
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