QPR 2-1 Coventry City: Rangers Come From Behind to Rock the Leaders

Match Details

• Competition: SkyBet Championship
• Date: Saturday 31st January 2026
• Venue: Matrade Loftus Road, London
• Final Score: QPR 2 - 1 Coventry City
• Attendance: 17,321
• Referee: Josh Smith (4th Official: Oliver Mackey)

Match Stats & Key Metrics

	QPR	Coventry City
Score	2	1
Half Time	0	0
Goalscorers	Kone 66', Madsen 73'	Eccles 53'
Formation	4-5-1	4-2-3-1
Yellow Cards	Kone 24'	Eccles 90+2', Thomas 90+5'
Red Cards	-	-
Substitutions	Bennie 22' (Dembele), Saito 71' (Smyth), Field 84' (Hayden)	Esse 35' (Mason-Clark), Wright 71' (Simms), Min-Hyeok 80' (Sakamoto)
Attendance	17,321

The Story of the Match

QUEENS PARK RANGERS came from behind to rock SkyBet Championship leaders Coventry City 2-1 in front of 17,321 fans at Matrade Loftus Road, thanks to goals from Richard Kone and man of the match Nicholas Madsen. Coventry City had opened the scoring through Josh Eccles from a Jack Rudoni assist in the 53rd minute, but the Sky Blues' away record continued to remain poor.

QPR came into the game in indifferent form, with one win against Sheffield Wednesday (home) 3-0 way back on 4th January, since when they had drawn against Oxford United (away) 0-0 and Stoke City (away) 0-0 and lost against West Ham United in the FA Cup 3 (away) 1-2 and Wrexham (home) last time out 2-3. Coventry City, managed by Frank Lampard, came into the game off the back of two wins against Millwall (home) 2-1 and Leicester City (home) 2-1, and three defeats against Birmingham City (away) 2-3, Stoke City in the FA Cup 3 (away) 0-1 and Norwich City (away) 1-2 last time out.

Coventry started the day top on 58 points with QPR 12th on 40. The reverse fixture earlier in the season had ended 1-7 to Coventry City, so QPR were out for revenge for a result that remains their joint-heaviest Championship defeat since 2004-05. QPR had won only one of their last seven games in the Championship, while Coventry had lost three of their last six league games, more defeats than they suffered across their first 23 matches of the campaign.

QPR head coach Julien Stephan started with a 4-5-1 formation with Joe Walsh in goal, then a back four of captain Jimmy Dunne, Ronnie Edwards, Steve Cook and Rhys Norrington-Davies, a five-man midfield of Kader Dembele, Nicholas Madsen, Isaac Hayden, Harvey Vale and Paul Smyth, with Richard Kone up front. QPR made one change, with Ronnie Edwards coming in for Amadou Mbengue. Coventry City manager Frank Lampard started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Carl Rushworth in goal, a back four of Milan van Ewijk, Bobby Thomas, Liam Kitching and Jay Dasilva, two holding midfielders in Jack Rudoni and captain Matt Grimes, three attacking midfielders in Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Josh Eccles and Ephron Mason-Clark, with Ellis Simms up front.

Coventry City kicked off the first half wearing a changed strip of all orange. QPR went close to an opener in the 11th minute after a Paul Smyth left-wing cross into the six-yard box where Richard Kone fired his right-footed shot into the side netting. With QPR's next attack Harvey Vale saw a right-footed shot saved by Carl Rushworth in the Sky Blues goal. Kader Dembele was replaced by Daniel Bennie in the 22nd minute after a clash with Ephron Mason-Clark.

Richard Kone was yellow carded for a foul on Josh Eccles in the 24th minute. Coventry City replaced Ephron Mason-Clark with Romain Esse in the 35th minute, and Rushworth made a great save in the 36th minute to deny a Kone header that looked destined for the opening goal. The teams went in level at half time.

QPR kicked off the second half, and Coventry City opened the scoring through a Josh Eccles header from inside the six-yard box, an assist by Jack Rudoni in the 53rd minute. But QPR came back to win it. Richard Kone levelled with a right-footed shot from an assist by man of the match Nicholas Madsen in the 66th minute, and then Madsen popped up with the winner, a right-footed finish in the 73rd minute, to seal the points and rock the league leaders.

Coventry City's grip at the top loosened with the defeat, leaving them joint top with Middlesbrough on goal difference on 58 points, while QPR secured a memorable win and a measure of revenge for the earlier 1-7 mauling.

Half Time QPR 0 Coventry City 0 (5 minutes added time)

Full Time QPR 2 Coventry City 1 (8 minutes added time)

Timeline of Key Events

• 11' - Chance (QPR) - Kone fires into the side netting from a Smyth cross.
• 22' - Substitution (QPR) - Bennie replaces the injured Dembele after a clash with Mason-Clark.
• 24' - Yellow Card (QPR) - Kone booked for a foul on Eccles.
• 36' - Save (Coventry) - Rushworth denies Kone's header with a great stop.
• HT - QPR 0-0 Coventry City (5 minutes added time).
• 53' - Goal (Coventry) - Eccles heads in from a Rudoni assist. 0-1.
• 66' - Goal (QPR) - Kone levels from a Madsen assist. 1-1.
• 73' - Goal (QPR) - Madsen fires home the winner. 2-1.
• 90+2' - Yellow Card (Coventry) - Eccles booked.
• 90+5' - Yellow Card (Coventry) - Thomas booked.
• FT - QPR 2-1 Coventry City (8 minutes added time).

Author's Standout Players

• Nicholas Madsen (QPR) - The man of the match was decisive, providing the assist for Kone's equaliser and then scoring the winner himself in the 73rd minute. A performance to rock the league leaders.
• Richard Kone (QPR) - Led the line tirelessly, went close in the first half and took his equaliser well after being denied earlier by Rushworth.
• Carl Rushworth (Coventry City) - Kept Coventry in the game before the break with a superb save from Kone's header, though he could do little about either QPR goal.
• Josh Eccles (Coventry City) - Gave Coventry the lead with a well-placed header and was a threat throughout before his side were pegged back.
• Joe Walsh (QPR) - Reliable once more between the posts and a calm presence as QPR saw out eight minutes of added time to protect their lead.