Qpr Vs Sheffield United: Callum O'Hare and Tyrese Campbell steer Blades back to winning ways
Sheffield United beat Queens Park Rangers 2-0 at MATRADE Loftus Road in a result that underlined Blades momentum and left QPR with a miserable week. qpr vs sheffield united also handed the visitors a fifth win in eight games as Callum O'Hare and Tyrese Campbell struck the decisive goals.
Scoreline, venue and impact on both teams
The match finished 2-0 to Sheffield United at MATRADE Loftus Road (Loftus Road Stadium), with an attendance of 17, 376. The win allowed Chris Wilder's side to leapfrog Rangers and suggested United could still make a late play-off push after their earlier defeat to Championship leaders Coventry City. For QPR the defeat followed Tuesday's 5-0 mauling by Southampton and extends a poor run that has seen them win only two of their last nine league games.
How Callum O'Hare opened the scoring
United took the lead after 13 minutes. Tahith Chong exchanged passes with Sydie Peck down the right and Peck's cross, which deflected off sliding Rangers defender Jake Clarke-Salter, found an unchallenged Callum O'Hare at the far post; O'Hare squeezed his shot home from close range. The strike was O'Hare's ninth of the season, seeing him join Patrick Bamford on nine as the Blades' leading scorers.
Tyrese Campbell's long-range finish and attacking threat
The visitors doubled their lead on 33 minutes when Sydie Peck set up Tyrese Campbell, who lashed a superb strike from outside the box for what was described as his sixth goal of the season and the forward's first goal since November. Earlier in the half Japhet Tanganga had missed with a shot and Campbell himself had gone close before his successful strike.
Goalkeeper changes, saves and disallowed QPR rebound
Adam Davies started in goal for Sheffield United, making only his fourth appearance of the season after replacing Michael Cooper, who was ruled out with a knee injury. Davies kept out a header from Richard Kone — Rangers' first effort on target — and later Sydie Peck forced a save from QPR goalkeeper Joe Walsh in the dying minutes. QPR thought they had pulled a goal back 17 minutes from time when Kone headed in Harvey Vale's corner, but the goal was disallowed for offside; match coverage noted Smyth was standing in front of Davies in an offside position. Kone also sent a close-range header wide and Isaac Hayden missed with a late header as Rangers searched in vain for a goal.
Julien Stephan's assessment, substitutions and tactical changes
QPR head coach Julien Stephan made a double substitution at half-time, sending on attackers Paul Smyth and Rayan Kolli and shifting to a 3-4-3 formation. Smyth later had a chance when he latched onto a Kieran Morgan pass and nudged the ball past keeper Adam Davies but shot wide from an awkward angle. Stephan said it was a tough result and a disappointing performance, expressing disappointment at conceding goals quickly in the first half and saying the team did not start with the expected aggression or intensity. He added it was better in the second half but QPR failed to create strong momentum, and that a decision which disallowed the goal had a strong impact; he contrasted decision-making between the Premier League and the Championship and said injuries had a huge impact on the quality the side could produce on the pitch. Stephan also said United’s ability to combine on their right was expected and that QPR must respect basic principles of play and keep the ball in key situations.
Managers and final notes
Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder also spoke after the game, but his comments are unclear in the provided context. The result left United comfortable on the night and restored momentum after the Coventry defeat, while Rangers were left to reflect on defensive lapses and their recent heavy midweek loss at Southampton.
