QPR 2 STOKE CITY 2

By Ayodele Odumade at Loftus Road

Queens Park Rangers somehow managed to hold Stoke City to a 2-2 draw, when it seemed for large parts of the game that they could be on the end of a drubbing by a Stoke side, which was well organized and threatening each time they approached the last third.

In the 11^th minute Victor Moses took the ball on the left wing and crossed into the box, where Peter Crouch nodded the ball down to Mame Diouf who nodded it in from close range, to give Stoke the lead. They nearly doubled their lead a minute later when Moses took the ball again on the left wing, twisted and turned but Rob Green saved his shot.

Up until the midway point QPR just could not get hold of the ball and gave Stoke a free reign in West London as they stood off the visitors while they passed the ball around. Stoke showed a lot of promise and their outlet was Moses.

At the half our mark, Stoke had another chance. It was tormentor in chief again Moses. He took the ball and passed to Crouch on the edge of the Rangers box, but Crouch’s shot was just wide of the post.

Niko Kranjcar immediately hit a shot down the other end, which was just over the bar.  You could not see where a goal was coming from for QPR but that is exactly what happened just before half time. A corner was swung into the Stoke box and Steven Caulker met it with a header, which went into the net off a Stoke defender totally against the run of play.

Five minutes after the break. QPR reverted to type. Mauricio Isla was closed down by Moses, who robbed him of the ball and promptly crossed to Crouch, who had so much time and space to sweep the ball past Green and restore Stoke’s lead.

Stoke should have made it three. They passed QPR to death in the 55^th minute but when the ball fell to Nzonzi he blazed it over the bar.

Harry Redknapp was forced to make two changes due to injuries to Joey Barton and Jordon Mutch (both hamstring).  As poor as they were it appeared their best chance of getting back into the game could be from a set piece and so it proved.

With time running out, Steve Sidwell gave away a free kick on the edge of his box and there was only ever going to be one QPR player to take it. Up stepped Niko Kranjcar and he hit the ball to the left of Asmir Begovic, who had no chance as it nestled in the top corner.  QPR it appeared had got out of jail with an insipid lifeless performance for most of the game.

Right at the death a cross was put into the QPR box, which was heading towards Crouch at the back post but Rio Ferdinand was alert and headed the ball to safety for a corner.

Mark Hughes will be fuming and wonder how his team did not win this game. But as long as the game remained 2-1 QPR were in with a chance. And so it proved as they managed to escape with a point.

Redknapp said “It is a good point today, make no mistake, when you come back from 2-1 down with five minutes to go.” 

To stay in this league QPR are going to need more quality in the final third of opponents half. If only the transfer window had shut before Jose Mourinho came calling for Loic Remy….