Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Ipswich Town - Match Report Saturday, 19th Aug 2023 17:08 Conor Chaplin’s first goal of the season saw Town maintain their 100 per cent start to their season and stay top of the Championship as the Blues beat QPR 1-0 at Loftus Road. Chaplin reacted sharply to his first shot being blocked in the 75th minute to claim all three points and set a new club unbeaten all-competitions record of 21 matches, surpassing a run achieved in the 1980/81 campaign. Town boss Kieran McKenna named an unchanged side for the third league game in a row with Vaclav Hladky in goal with Janoi Donacien and Leif Davis the full-backs, and Luke Woolfenden and Cameron Burgess the centre-halves. Skipper Sam Morsy was joined in the centre of midfield by former Rangers man Massimo Luongo. Behind central striker George Hirst, Wes Burns was on the right, Chaplin in the centre and Nathan Broadhead on the left. For the home side, former Town midfielder Andre Dozzell and one-time loan keeper Asmir Begovic started, the latter skippering, while former Blues academy schoolboy Morgan Fox was also in the side. Another ex-loanee, Jack Colback, was on the bench. There was one change from the team which won 2-1 at Cardiff last week with Lyndon Dykes missing out having picked up a knock in the 1-0 midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Norwich and Chris Willock coming into the XI. Prior to kick-off, there was a minute’s applause in honour of former QPR players Trevor Francis, John Hollins and Mike Hellawell, all of whom died over the summer. Town, in their orange and black away kit, were forced to defend an early long throw from the right, Fox fouling Davis and then shoving the Blues’ left-back after the free-kick had been awarded. Chaplin struck Town’s first shot in the fourth minute from the edge of the box but the forward’s effort deflected away from goal. On seven, with the game starting frenetically, Hladky was put under pressure as he sought to clear from inside his six-yard box by Rangers striker Sinclair Armstrong, who fouled the Town keeper. The Blues, with Three Lion Berke Bakay and former managing director Ian Milne watching from the directors' box, should have gone in front in the 10th minute when Davis whipped over a deep corner from the right which reached Burns, who powered his header well wide with a goal looking almost certain. Within a minute, a cross fell to Chaplin but the forward got the ball caught under his feet but in any case the linesman’s flag was raised. On 12, Donacien surrendered possession to Armstrong just outside the Town box on the right. The Irish U21 international was forced away from goal but eventually, the ball was played back to the youngster, who hit a powerful low shot across Hladky, off his far post, across goal and off the other before being cleared, the keeper appearing to have got his fingertips to it to push it onto the woodwork. It was a very fortunate escape for the Blues, who otherwise had been in control in the early stages and the ones prodding and probing for an opening but with Rangers harrying, hassling and giving them little time on the ball. As the quarter hour approached, Hirst cleverly turned away from his man but his 30-yard effort flew well wide. QPR went close for a second time in the 18th minute when Fox sent a looping header goalwards from Ilias Chair’s free-kick but Hladky was able to tip over from under his bar. Following the resultant corner, Paul Smyth was shown the game’s first yellow card for a rash tackle on Chaplin. On 21, Luongo joined Smyth in referee Geoff Eltringham’s book for a foul on Willock with the game going through a scruffy stop-start patch. Town were struggling to get into the Rangers final third with Rangers continuing to press determinedly. On the half hour, the home side again went close to going in front. After some casual play by Woolfenden, Armstrong hit another powerful strike which was saved low down by Hladky with the loose ball cleared ahead of the lurking Smyth. Within a minute, Broadhead struck a shot from distance wide with the Welshman still to really get into the game. QPR were on the front foot and after another loose Town pass, this time from Burns on the right, Chair brought the ball forward before hitting a powerful shot over Hladky’s bar. Town were forced into a change in the 37th minute, Donacien having picked up a knock. Clarke took over for his first league action of the season. Soon after, Dozzell played in Chair on the left of the box from where the Moroccan international shot wide from a tight angle. Town went close for the first time in some while in the 44th minute. Following a Davis throw on the left, Hirst exchanged passes with Chaplin before the striker’s effort from the edge of the box looped over. That was the last penalty area action of an under par first half from the Blues, who had started brightly - with Burns missing a golden opportunity to go in front - before being kept in check by the home side’s stifling press. QPR had had the better of the chances from there, largely as a result of Town giving the ball away too casually, and will feel they would have deserved to go in in front. Rangers made a change at the break, replacing Willock with former Blues loanee Colback, who was making his debut having joined the West Londoners in the summer. Town started the second half positively, Davis nodding a cross from the right back into the box but without finding a teammate. Soon after, Hirst took down a looped ball over the back line into the box but was flagged offside. On, 49, Chaplin played in Burns down the right but the Wales international’s clipped cross had too little on it and Begovic claimed. Two minutes later, Chair was booked for stopping Morsy from taking a free-kick. Town had been on top since the restart but in the 52nd minute Rangers broke from inside their own half and Armstrong burst into the area on the left before hitting a shot which Hladky blocked. Within a minute, the Rs had an even better chance from a corner. Chair worked space for a shot from an angle which was going wide but hit Armstrong and ricocheted on to Osman Kakay, who was unable to direct it goalwards from a matter of feet. It was a big let-off for the Blues, not the first during the game. Sam Field was booked for a late challenge on Clarke in the 55th minute, the QPR man having received treatment having come out much the worse of the two, the Town sub having maintained possession and the Blues won a corner. Town were looking more themselves in the second half with QPR perhaps tiring in the heat following their first-half pressing. As the game reached the hour mark, Luongo shot low but wide from distance. On 63, Armstrong went down with no one near him inside the centre circle and required treatment, while the other 21 players made for the touchline for a drink in the hot West London conditions. The young striker, who had been a thorn in Town’s side all afternoon, was replaced with Ryan Kolli. The Blues carved out a chance to break the deadlock in the 66th minute, Davis’s cross from the left finding Chaplin in space 14 yards out but the forward’s effort was diverted high and wide by Kenneth Paal’s challenge, something missed by referee Eltringham, who gave a goalkick, much to the annoyance of Chaplin and the Town fans behind the goal. QPR swapped Field, who presumably hadn’t recovered from his self-inflicted injury, for Elijah Dixon-Bonner, before Davis blazed over after a long throw from the right had been half-cleared to him 25 yards out. Town had what looked a very strong shout for a penalty in the 69th minute when Hirst got in behind Steve Cook as they chased a ball over the top. The Blues striker went to ground as they tangled with the recent signing from Nottingham Forest having his hands all over the ex-Leicester striker. On this occasion it was QPR who were the lucky ones. But that good fortune wasn’t to last them too much longer. In the 75th minute, after a Cook over-head kick from a corner had looped wide at one end, Davis played the ball in to Chaplin from the left. Last season’s 29-goal top scorer’s first effort was blocked by Colback but the forward was quickest to react and hit his second attempt low past Begovic and into the net. Chaplin delightedly celebrated his first goal of this campaign in front of the ecstatic 3,012 Town fans behind the goal. The Blues forward went looking for another, smashing a volley from the right of the box not too far wide in the 77th minute after a Burns cross had been half-cleared. Chaplin had another go two minutes later but his 25-yard effort was too close to Begovic, who claimed with little fanfare. Burgess headed over following a corner, then on 82, Town switched the unusually quiet Broadhead for Omari Hutchinson and Burns for Kayden Jackson. QPR almost scored a remarkable equaliser in the 86th minute when Chair spotted Hladky off his line from the touchline on the right, not far inside his own half. The ball was looping under the bar but the Town keeper watched it all the way and just managed to get back to tip it over his bar. As the game moved into seven minutes of injury time, Hirst won a corner on the right before he was replaced with Freddie Ladapo. Town also switched Chaplin for Marcus Harness, while Rangers withdrew Dozzell for Stephen Duke-McKenna. Town went close again in the fourth minute of injury time when Luongo turned a powerful effort towards goal from Davis’s pass from the left but Begovic did superbly to get down to his right to keep it out. Seconds before the whistle, Colback was booked for a frustrated foul on Hutchinson as the on-loan Chelsea man skipped away from him. A third win in three league games sees the Blues remain at the top of the Championship ahead of Leicester on goal difference, something the travelling fans delightedly chanted as the players made their way over to celebrate. The Foxes are the only other side in the division with a 100 per cent record. Town had been second best in the first half and might well have been behind, but were much better after the break with QPR unable to maintain the energetic press which had limited the Blues in the opening period. Prior to Chaplin’s typically predatory goal, Town should have been awarded a penalty, although the home side will be rueing Kakay’s miss. Having gone in front, the Blues only ever looked in any trouble as Chair’s audacious effort looped towards goal and a first win at Loftus Road since 2010 was seen out with relative comfort despite a couple of late Rangers free-kicks and corners. Town are the first promoted side to win their first three Championship fixtures since Southampton in 2011/12, a year in which the Saints went straight up to the Premier League. The Blues have set a new club record of 21 matches unbeaten in all competitions, beating a 20-game streak in 1980/81. Their league unbeaten run is now 22, closing in on the record 23 achieved in 1979/80. Town have the chance to match that when Leeds United are at Portman Road next Saturday and on current form, who would bet against them maintaining their brilliant start to life back in the Championship? QPR: Begovic (c), Kakay, Paal, Cook, Willock (Colback 46), Field, Chair, Smith, Fox, Dozzell (Duke-McKenna 92), Armstrong (Kolli 65). Unused: Walsh, Richards, Dixon-Bonner, Larkeche, Gubbins, Adomah. Town: Hladky, Donacien (Clarke 37), Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns (Jackson 82), Morsy (c), Luongo, Davis, Chaplin (Harness 92), Broadhead (Hutchinson 82), Hirst (Ladapo 92). Unused: Slicker, Ball, Evans, Taylor. Referee: Geoff Eltringham (County Durham). Att: 16,790 (Town: 3,012).
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