Queens Park Rangers vs Stoke City. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road Stadium.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City at Loftus Road on Saturday; Ben Gibson's own goal cancels out Tom Cannon's Potters opener as points are shared in west London.
Saturday 23 November 2024 19:00, UK
Ben Gibson's own goal gifted a point to QPR, who remain bottom of the Sky Bet Championship and without a home win this season after a 1-1 draw with Stoke.
Tom Cannon put the visitors ahead in the 24th minute with his eighth goal of the season and fourth in his past five matches.
Zan Celar wasted a chance to score his first goal for QPR when he missed a penalty. However, Marti Cifuentes' struggling side equalised in the 62nd minute when Koki Saito's corner was inadvertently touched in at the near post by Gibson.
Rangers made a lively start but found themselves behind following an error by Jimmy Dunne.
After the defender gave the ball away, Eric-Junior Bocat set up Cannon, who cut inside and sent a superb curling strike beyond goalkeeper Paul Nardi.
Rangers almost equalised immediately, with keeper Viktor Johansson producing a fine save to deny Saito, and were then given a great chance to level when Bocat gave away a penalty by fouling Paul Smyth.
Despite Celar failing to impress since his arrival in west London, and fellow summer signing Nicolas Madsen having scored all 13 of the spot-kicks he has taken during his senior career, it was the Slovenian striker who stepped up - and dragged his kick wide of the target.
Rangers continued to threaten before half-time and Johansson gathered Madsen's header from Dunne's cross.
But they were on the back foot after the interval and Nardi needed to produce a double save to prevent a second goal, denying Cannon and then Bae Junho.
QPR responded with Sam Field's strike bringing another save from Johansson, Smyth blasting over, and Harrison Ashby's deflected shot hitting the outside of the post before the hosts eventually drew level.
Nardi kept them level by brilliantly tipping a shot from Cannon onto the post.
There was a late let-off for QPR when Junho fired in from 25 yards but the goal was disallowed, seemingly for a handball by the South Korean.
And Johansson then produced a fine save to push Alfie Lloyd's shot onto the post after the youngster had been set up by fellow substitute Lucas Andersen.
QPR's failure to go above second-from-bottom Portsmouth, whose match against Blackburn was called off, will disappoint under-pressure Cifuentes.
His team face a vital match at fellow strugglers Cardiff, who are currently five points clear of them, in midweek.
QPR's Marti Cifuentes:
"The club knows very well, since the summer, that there are areas I think we need to improve.
"From there, I'm going to work to the best of my capacity to make sure that this club is at the level that I think it can be and that I think it deserves, because this club has amazing potential.
"I'm here as a coach trying to do my best. And there are other things that someone else has to decide.
"I'm not sure that I've ever seen a team bottom of the table, 11 or 12 games without a win, and the manager goes out and everyone is singing and supporting the way the fans did.
"This is something that will be in my heart all my life - all my life. I feel amazing support from the players and fans.
"Everywhere I have been as a manager I achieved the target the club asked me to achieve. If now someone thinks there is a manager or a coaching problem, it's not my call."
Stoke's Narcis Pelach:
"We had to defend our box a lot, which I expected, knowing that they are in need of points, but we were always there.
"The competitive levels of the team were very good and we got a point on the road, which is positive. I'm pleased with the effort.
"It would have been an amazing three points away from home, but we need to go into the next game and focus on what we can control.
"We value every single point that we get in the Championship. Every point is valuable and very difficult to get.
"We wanted to be a team that is difficult to beat and we are getting there step by step."
