West Bromwich Albion missed the chance to close the gap on the top four as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Queens Park Rangers in a thrilling and controversial Championship match at Loftus Road.
QPR pay tribute to Bowles
The match was preceded by a minute’s applause in memory of QPR legend Stan Bowles, who passed away last month at the age of 75. Bowles was one of the finest players in the club’s history, scoring 97 goals in 315 appearances and winning five caps for England. His family and former teammates were present at the stadium, where a mosaic of his name adorned the stand named after him.
Field strikes first against former club
QPR, who were looking to move away from the relegation zone, took the lead in the 17th minute through Sam Field, who scored against his former club. Field, who came through the academy at West Brom and joined QPR in 2021, pounced on a loose ball after goalkeeper Alex Palmer spilled a cross from Paul Smyth and slotted it into the empty net.
Johnston and Diangana turn the game around
West Brom, who were aiming to keep up with the promotion contenders, responded with two quick goals to turn the game around. In the 25th minute, Mikey Johnston, who is on loan from Celtic, scored a stunning goal from 25 yards out, curling the ball into the top corner with his left foot. Two minutes later, Grady Diangana doubled the lead with a composed finish after a clever pass from Alex Mowatt.
Palmer saves penalty and Kipre escapes red card
QPR came out strongly in the second half and were awarded a penalty in the 51st minute when Steve Cook was fouled by Jimmy Dunne in the box. Michael Frey stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Palmer redeemed himself with a superb save, diving to his right and pushing the ball away. However, QPR were furious that they were not given another penalty seconds later, when Field’s header from the rebound was cleared off the line by Cedric Kipre’s hand. The referee and his assistants did not spot the infringement and only gave a corner to the hosts.
Field equalises late on
QPR continued to press for an equaliser and had a goal disallowed for offside in the 72nd minute, when Frey turned in a cross from Ilias Chair. But they finally got their reward in the 81st minute, when Field scored his second goal of the night with a deflected header from a corner. Field became the first QPR player to score a brace against West Brom since Les Ferdinand in 1995.
Furlong denies QPR a winner
West Brom were hanging on for a point in the final stages, and had to rely on a goal-line clearance from Darnell Furlong in the 85th minute, when he headed away a spectacular overhead kick from Cook. Furlong, who is also a former QPR player, prevented his old club from snatching a dramatic win.
What does it mean?
The result means that West Brom remain fifth in the table, five points behind fourth-placed Southampton and six points behind third-placed Leeds. QPR move up to 19th, one point above the bottom three. Both teams have 10 games left to play in the season.