Oxford United 0-0 QPR: Rangers Fire Another Blank at the Kassam

Match Details

• Competition: SkyBet Championship
• Date: Tuesday 20th January 2026
• Venue: Kassam Stadium, Oxford
• Final Score: Oxford United 0 - 0 QPR
• Attendance: 10,478
• Referee: Will Finnie (4th Official: Lewis Smith)

Match Stats & Key Metrics

	Oxford United	QPR
Score	0	0
Half Time	0	0
Goalscorers	-	-
Formation	4-2-3-1	4-4-2
Yellow Cards	Vaulks 58'	Dembele 55', Smyth 58'
Red Cards	-	-
Substitutions	Spencer 46' (Helik), Harris 70' (Lankshear), McDonnell 70' (Vaulks), Phillips 76' (Mills), Dembele 90+2' (Peart-Harris)	Norrington-Davies 65' (Esquerdinha), Field 75' (Hayden), Kolli 76' (Kone), Vale 85' (Dembele)
Attendance	10,478

The Story of the Match

QUEENS PARK RANGERS fired a second successive blank against Oxford United on a rainy night at the Kassam Stadium, the points shared in front of 10,478 fans in the SkyBet Championship after having drawn 0-0 away four days earlier at Stoke City.

Oxford United started the evening in 23rd spot, having come into the game off the back of one win against Southampton (home) 2-1, two draws against Bristol City (home) 0-0 last time out and Milton Keynes Dons in the FA Cup 3 (away) 1-1 (won 4-3 on penalties), and two defeats against Ipswich Town (away) 1-2 and Swansea City (home) 0-1. QPR arrived in 11th spot off the back of one win against Sheffield Wednesday (home) 3-0, one draw against Stoke City (away) 0-0 last time out, and three defeats against West Ham United in the FA Cup 3 (away) 1-2, Norwich City (home) 1-2 and West Bromwich Albion (away) 1-2.

Oxford United were winless in four league meetings with QPR (drawn one, lost three), but had never gone five without a win against the Rs. QPR had won this exact fixture last season 3-1 but had never won back-to-back league games at Oxford United before. Oxford were also without a win in their last 10 midweek Championship games (drawn four, lost six) since defeating Luton Town 3-2 in January 2025. QPR, meanwhile, had won each of their last three away league games played in midweek, last winning four in a row way back in August 1971.

Oxford United manager Matt Bloomfield started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Jamie Cumming in goal, then a back four of Sam Long, Michal Helik, Ciaron Brown and Jack Currie, two holding midfielders in Will Vaulks and Brian De Keersmaecker, three attacking midfielders in Stan Mills, captain Cameron Brannagan and Myles Peart-Harris, with Will Lankshear up front. QPR head coach Julien Stephan started with a 4-4-2 formation with Joe Walsh in goal, then a back four of Amadou Mbengue, captain Jimmy Dunne, Steve Cook and Esquerdinha, a midfield four of Kader Dembele, Nicholas Madsen, Isaac Hayden and Paul Smyth, with Richard Kone and Daniel Bennie up front.

QPR kicked off the first half as the rain lashed down in South Oxfordshire. Oxford United started well and took the early play to QPR, with Matt Bloomfield still seeking a first home win since his arrival. In the ninth minute Cameron Brannagan found Sam Long and the right-back whistled a right-footed shot just over Joe Walsh's crossbar. In the 12th minute Kader Dembele provided Paul Smyth with an inch-perfect cross-field pass of some 70 yards, and the winger ran at Long before crossing into the six-yard box, but neither Richard Kone nor Daniel Bennie could get on the end of it.

With QPR's next move down the left, the dangerous Irish winger Paul Smyth crossed into Bennie, but his right-footed shot was deflected for a corner which came to nothing. In the 28th minute Stan Mills saw a right-footed shot from outside the penalty area go wide of the left-hand post, and in the 29th minute Nicholas Madsen saw a right-footed shot blocked. Paul Smyth went closest to opening the scoring with a delicious right-footed shot from 22 yards from a Richard Kone assist, which was tipped away for a corner by Jamie Cumming at full stretch in the 33rd minute. It was to be the R's best opportunity on the night. The teams went in level at the interval, with Matt Bloomfield the happier of the two managers.

Oxford United replaced central defender Michal Helik with Brodie Spencer at the interval and kicked off the second half with the wind, which swirled around the three-sided venue as the rain continued to pour. In the 50th minute Richard Kone headed a curling Nicholas Madsen free kick over the crossbar. Oxford had a free kick in the 53rd minute taken by Brannagan into the near post, but QPR cleared their lines quickly.

Kader Dembele was yellow carded in the 55th minute. In the 56th minute Esquerdinha, the QPR left-back, was injured and stretchered off, to be replaced by Rhys Norrington-Davies in the 65th minute. In the 58th minute Will Vaulks was yellow carded, as was Paul Smyth for the Rs. Then Cameron Brannagan took a free kick into the QPR six-yard box, but Bennie headed clear and in the follow-up Will Vaulks saw a right-footed shot tipped over the crossbar by Joe Walsh, who was in good form. That was the U's best scoring chance of the game.

Steve Cook saw a right-footed shot from 25 yards whistle wide of the far post from a Smyth throw-in in the 67th minute. Oxford United made a double change with Will Lankshear and Will Vaulks replaced by Mark Harris and Jamie McDonnell in the 70th minute, the latter making his U's debut. Oxford improved after the double substitution, and in the 73rd minute a Myles Peart-Harris cross to the back post was fired high and wide by Stan Mills when he should really have scored.

QPR made a double substitution with Isaac Hayden and Richard Kone replaced by Sam Field and Rayan Kolli in the 75th and 76th minutes. Oxford replaced Stan Mills with ex-QPR man Matt Phillips in the 76th minute to boos from the travelling Rs fans. Paul Smyth saw a curling right-footed shot into the near post saved well by Jamie Cumming in the 77th minute as the Rs pressed for a winner.

In the 82nd minute a QPR corner taken by Madsen was punched clear. Late on, QPR head coach Julien Stephan replaced Kader Dembele with Harvey Vale in the 85th minute to add fresh legs, but the game was destined to end scoreless. Myles Peart-Harris was replaced by Siriki Dembele in the second minute of added time, but neither side could manage a late winner and the points were shared.

Oxford United remained 23rd on 24 points, four points adrift of Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers. QPR ended the evening in 12th on 40 points, three points off the play-off zone with Wrexham and Coventry City both at home to come before the end of January. It was QPR's third clean sheet in four matches, though the Esquerdinha injury will need a scan and assessment ahead of the weekend.

Half Time Oxford United 0 QPR 0 (2 minutes added time)

Full Time Oxford United 0 QPR 0 (9 minutes added time)

Timeline of Key Events

• 9' - Chance (Oxford) - Long whistles a right-footed shot just over Walsh's crossbar.
• 12' - Chance (QPR) - Smyth crosses from a Dembele pass but Kone and Bennie cannot connect.
• 28' - Chance (Oxford) - Mills' shot from outside the area goes wide of the left-hand post.
• 29' - Chance (QPR) - Madsen's right-footed shot is blocked.
• 33' - Save (Oxford) - Cumming tips Smyth's 22-yard effort away at full stretch.
• HT - Oxford United 0-0 QPR (2 minutes added time).
• 50' - Chance (QPR) - Kone heads a Madsen free kick over the crossbar.
• 55' - Yellow Card (QPR) - Dembele booked.
• 56' - Injury (QPR) - Esquerdinha stretchered off (replaced 65' by Norrington-Davies).
• 58' - Yellow Cards - Vaulks (Oxford) and Smyth (QPR) both booked.
• 65' - Save (QPR) - Walsh tips Vaulks' shot over the bar, Oxford's best chance.
• 67' - Chance (Oxford) - Cook's 25-yard effort whistles wide of the far post.
• 73' - Chance (Oxford) - Mills fires high and wide when well placed to score.
• 77' - Save (Oxford) - Cumming saves Smyth's curling effort at the near post.
• FT - Oxford United 0-0 QPR (9 minutes added time).

Author's Standout Players

• Joe Walsh (QPR) - Kept a third clean sheet in four matches with an assured display, notably tipping Vaulks' effort over the bar and denying Smyth's late curler was matched at the other end.
• Jamie Cumming (Oxford United) - The Oxford goalkeeper matched Walsh save for save, his full-stretch stop from Smyth in the 33rd minute the pick of the bunch.
• Paul Smyth (QPR) - The dangerous Irish winger was QPR's brightest attacking outlet, going closest to a breakthrough with his 22-yard effort and a late curling shot.
• Cameron Brannagan (Oxford United) - The Oxford captain was at the heart of his side's better moments, providing the pass for Long's early chance and threatening from set pieces.
• Steve Cook (QPR) - Marshalled the QPR back line superbly on a difficult night and went close himself with a 25-yard effort in the second half.