QPR 2-2 Preston North End: Match Report

In the 90th minute Paul Smyth volleyed home left footed into the top corner of the net to make it 2-2 as the Hoops came back from 0-2 down and with only ten men. Nicolas Madsen saw a free kick on the edge of the Preston penalty area saved by Daniel Iversen in the 90th+3 minute but the Hoops had to settle for a share of the spoils after a brilliant second half fight back with only ten men.

Queens Park Rangers started the day in 6th place with 12 points from 7 games whereas Preston North End started the day in W12 in 23rd spot with 3 points from 7 games above bottom placed neighbours Burnley.

Queens Park Rangers came into the game off the back of a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns against West Bromwich Albion last time out. Previous to that they lost 0-1 at home to Middlesbrough, beat Cardiff City 2-1 at home and Blackburn Rovers 2-1 away at Ewood Park and drew 0-0 at home to Bolton Wanderers.

Preston North End came into the game with one win against Blackburn Rovers at home at Deepdale 2-1 and five defeats the latest was a 0-1 home loss to Lincoln City then 2-1 away defeat at Watford, 1-3 home defeat by Bristol City and a 0-4 home defeat to Everton in the Carabao Cup 2nd Round Cup tie.

The previous three results have been Preston North End 1 QPR 1 at Deepdale, QPR 1 Preston North End 1 at Loftus Road and Preston North End 1 QPR 2 at Deepdale. QPR were unbeaten in six league games against Preston North End (won four, drawn two) although both meetings last campaign were 1-1 draws.

Preston North End had lost four of their last seven league visits to W12 (won two, drawn one) and they had failed to win in their last three (drawn one, lost two). Preston North End had lost six of their seven Championship games this season. Ahead of kick off QPR remembered former goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko who sadly passed away earlier in the week.

Queens Park Rangers manager Julien Stephan started with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Pierce Charles in goal then a back four of Amadou Mbengue, captain Jimmy Dunne, Ronnie Edwards and Dennis Cirkin then two holding midfielders in Nicolas Madsen and Glen Kamara then three attacking midfielders in Kwame Poku, Jonathan Varane and Leon Scarlett with Rumarn Burrell up front.

Preston North End caretaker manager Jason Euell, in charge after the sacking of Paul Heckingbottom, started with a 5-3-2 formation with Daniel Iversen in goal, then a back five of Stanley Mills, Harry Clarke, Jordan Storey, Andrew Hughes and Andrija Vukcevic then three holding midfielders in Leo Leroy, captain Jordan Thompson and Alfie Devine then two strikers up top in Callum Lang and Johnny Kenny.

Queens Park Rangers kicked off the first half and it was a shaky start for the Hoops in W12 as the visitors Preston North End scored in the 19th second of the opening minute with a fast counter attack which Johnny Kenny converted with a right footed shot after beating Jimmy Dunne to the ball as he fired past Pierce Charles to make it 0-1 to the visitors in 1 minute. The assist was from Stanley Mills with a long pass out of defence.

Queens Park Rangers were rocked back against the side in 23rd spot in the table and the home side were forced into chasing the game from the opening exchanges of the first half.

Dennis Cirkin went close with a left footed shot for Queens Park Rangers in the 11th minute which went just wide of the near post. In the 15th minute the game came to life again as Dennis Cirkin was given a straight red card for a heavy challenge on Leo Leroy which was really only worth a yellow card if that.

Queens Park Rangers replaced Jonathan Varane with Kealey Adamson in the 19th minute as Julien Stephan shuffled his defence due to the sending off of Dennis Cirkin.

In the 22nd minute Leon Scarlett was yellow carded. Preston North End's Andrew Hughes was yellow carded in the 24th minute for a foul on Kwame Poku.

Preston North End went 2-0 up in the 26th minute after Johnny Kenny converted with a right footed shot from inside the Queens Park Rangers penalty area to double the lead and secure his second goal of the game after he was given much space inside the box by Queens Park Rangers defenders.

In the 33rd minute Kealey Adamson crossed to the back post but Kwame Poku was not quick enough to get on the end of it and the ball went out of play.

Queens Park Rangers forced a corner in the 36th minute through Kwame Poku. The corner was taken by Nicolas Madsen to the back post but came to nothing.

Preston North End led 2-0 at half time against ten man Queens Park Rangers. Preston North End kicked off the second half 2-0 up. Queens Park Rangers replaced Leon Scarlett with Koki Saito in the 46th minute.

In the 47th minute Kwame Poku saw a left footed shot from 12 yards out go wide of the far post as the Hoops pressed to pull a goal back early in the second half. Ronnie Edwards saw a right footed shot go wide in the 48th minute after he came up from the back line. Koki Saito was booked in the 55th minute for dissent.

Amadou Mbengue saw two right footed efforts blocked as the Preston North End defensive unit started to move into a hardened defensive mode with Queens Park Rangers throwing everything forward to try to get back into the game. With an hour gone the Hoops still trailed 0-2.

Koki Saito came forward on a fast counter attack in the 57th minute but his right footed shot went just wide of the near post with Daniel Iversen beaten.

Preston North End goalkeeper Daniel Iversen was cautioned for holding onto the ball too long in the 61st minute and referee Thomas Parsons awarded the home side a corner but nothing came of it.

Queens Park Rangers came forward in the 64th minute and felt they had a penalty shout but the referee waved away appeals. Paul Smyth came on for Amadou Mbengue for the home side in the 65th minute.

Kwame Poku pulled a goal back for Queens Park Rangers with a solid left footed shot from a Jimmy Dunne knock down inside the Preston North End penalty area to make it 1-2 in the 66th minute.

Preston North End brought on Liam Gibbs and Jusef Erabi in the 67th minute for Leo Leroy and Johnny Kenny.

Kwame Poku saw a left footed shot from 22 yards out from goal saved easily by Daniel Iversen in the 78th minute. Glen Kamara was fouled on the edge of the Preston North End penalty area in the 79th minute and referee Thomas Parsons awarded a free kick which was taken by Nicolas Madsen but it struck the defensive wall in the 80th minute.

Queens Park Rangers replaced Rumarn Burrell with Alfie Lloyd in the 82nd minute. In the 86th minute Ronnie Edwards saw a close range right footed shot blocked inside the six yard box.

Queens Park Rangers rattled the crossbar in the 87th minute as Alfie Lloyd came close to an equaliser.

Preston North End replaced Andrija Vukcevic and Stanley Mills with Pol Valentin and Odel Offiah in the 89th minute.

In the 90th minute Paul Smyth volleyed home left footed into the top corner of the net to make it 2-2 as the Hoops came back from 0-2 down and with only ten men. Nicolas Madsen saw a free kick on the edge of the Preston penalty area saved by Daniel Iversen in the 90th+3 minute but the Hoops had to settle for a share of the spoils after a brilliant second half fight back with only ten men.

The teams go into the international break until 9 October when Queens Park Rangers visit West Ham United and Preston North End host Millwall a day later on 10 October.