QPR 2-1 Coventry

Match Report

I had a bad feeling about this one. We needed a reaction after conceding two goals in added time against Wrexham, so the last people we wanted to be playing were top-of-the-league Coventry who beat us 7-1 in the reverse fixture. Plus, to add to all our injuries, we were missing Amadou Mbengue after his reckless challenge in the last game (although Koki Saito was on the bench). Then again, beating Coventry in these circumstances would be a very QPR-ish thing to do.

Julien Stéphan made two changes to the line up he put out against Wrexham, replacing the benched Mbengue with Ronnie Edwards – at last! – and Kieran Morgan with Isaac Hayden. That meant we came out in a 4-2-3-1 formation as follows: Joe Walsh in goal; Edwards (at right back), Jimmy Dunne, Steve Cook and Rhys Norrington-Davies in the back line; Nicolas Madsen and Isaac Hayden in defensive midfield; Karamoko Dembélé, Harvey Vale and Paul Smyth as the attacking trio; and Richard Kone leading the line.

Their first shot, predictably enough, came within two minutes of the start, although it was well wide. Our first shot was in the 8th minute, when Dembélé basically rolled it straight at the keeper. We put together a succession of attacks in the 10th to 12th minutes, ending with a shot from Kone that hit the side netting. Our second shot on target came in the 13th minute from Vale after some great hold up play from the Ivorian.

Dembélé went down injured in the 19th minute and the medics swarmed on. He was replaced by Daniel Bennie.

Kone almost scored in the 36th minute when he caught the keeper off his line and tried to lob him with a header. But the backpedaling Carl Rushworth just managed to get a finger tip to it and pushed it over the bar.

Smyth won a free kick just outside the box on the left hand side in his usual style in the 43rd minute. Madsen took it, but hit the ball straight at the keeper. In the 45th minute, Smyth went over again, this time in the penalty area, but the ref waved it away.

Overall, we played well in the first half, with Smyth and Kone keeping up the pressure and Cook, Dunne and Edwards defending well. We had eight shots in total, four on target (one hitting the woodwork), compared to their six, none on target. Our xG was 0.35 to their 0.23. But it was disappointing that we didn’t manage to take any of our chances. Would that come back to haunt us in the second half? Judging from QPR’s recent form, we wouldn’t be able to keep up this pace for much longer.

Our first chance of the second half came in the 52nd minute when Vale tried to volley it into the net from the centre of the box and might have scored had he actually connected with the ball.

They scored in the 53rd minute – a header from Josh Eccles, unmarked, on the left hand post. Should Edwards have been there to intercept? It looked like we’d momentarily gone to sleep.

Bennie got in behind and had half a chance in 64th minute, but headed it straight at the keeper, only for Kone to equalise in 66th minute. Madsen crossed it into the box and Kone back heeled it past the keeper. It was a really good goal and a fitting reward for a great centre forward performance from the Ivorian.

Another chance fell to Bennie in the 69th minute when Vale found him in the box and he got a toe to it, but the keeper saved.

Koki came on for Smyth on 71st minute. Two minutes later, Madsen got our second. Saito put in a cheeky pass to Vale on the right of the box, the former Chelsea man put in a dangerous cross, the keeper pushed it away, but it fell straight into the path of the onrushing Madsen, who slotted it home.

Two-one to the hosts. Could we hang on? Twenty five minutes of squeaky bum time followed.

Hayden hobbled off in 84th minute, to be replaced by Sam Field, which turned out to be our last substitution of the game, although Kone looked completely spent for the last 15 minutes.

Bennie had another chance in 88th minute after Vale played him in behind with a fantastic little chip. But he put it wide of the far post. That was the third chance the Australian missed, but he still had his best game in a QPR shirt, giving the Coventry defenders a torrid time all afternoon.

The fourth official allocated seven minutes of added time. Where did that come from? Could we hold on or would we do another Wrexham? The fan behind me in the Lower Loft, staring at the counter ticking towards 97 minutes at the other end, said: “Is that clock stopped? It’s going fucking slowly.” We all knew how he felt.

But, heavens be praised, we managed to keep them at bay and hold on for all three points. After last week, never have I felt so relieved to hear the first few beats of ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ and Charlie, Ludo and me stayed behind for 10 minutes to celebrate.

What a satisfying result. We were better than the best team in the league for almost the entire game. My worries about the R’s fading in the second half proved unfounded. We had 15 shots to their nine, eight on target compared to just two of theirs. Overall, we had 38% possession, which is how we like it. What a way to staunch the wound inflicted by losing to them 7-1! Let’s hope it has restored Walsh’s confidence. He was hardly tested in this game, making just one save as far as I could see. But he did enough to justify keeping the jersey in the next game.

We’ve now moved up a place to 11th, but we’re still four points off the play-offs. Next up Charlton on Friday at 8pm, where, if we’re being QPR-ish, we’ll lose 2-0, with goals scored by Lyndon Dykes and Charlie Kelman.

You can watch the highlights on Sky Sports here.