Qpr Vs Sheffield United — qpr vs sheffield united: O'Hare and Campbell secure 2-0 win at Loftus Road
In qpr vs sheffield united at MATRADE Loftus Road, Callum O'Hare and Tyrese Campbell scored first-half goals as Sheffield United won 2-0, leapfrogging Rangers and keeping the Blades' slim play-off hopes alive.
Qpr Vs Sheffield United — early goals set the tone at MATRADE Loftus Road
United led after 13 minutes when Sydie Peck and Tahith Chong combined down the right and Callum O'Hare squeezed his shot home at the far post from close range. The second came on 33 minutes when Peck set up Tyrese Campbell and Campbell lashed a long-range strike home from outside the box. Both strikes came from United's first two efforts on target, and Peck later forced a save from QPR goalkeeper Joe Walsh in the dying minutes. Attendance at Loftus Road was 17, 376.
O'Hare's scoring form and Campbell's long-range finish
O'Hare's strike was his ninth of the season, seeing him join Patrick Bamford on nine as the Blades' leading scorer. Campbell's goal was described as a superb long-range strike and is cited as his sixth of the season in one account and his first goal since November in another. Sheffield United's victory was their fifth in eight games, a run that helped them leapfrog Rangers in the table and suggested they could still make a late play-off push after a recent defeat to Coventry City.
QPR errors, injuries and tactical changes left Rangers short
QPR were described as injury-hit. Adam Davies started in goal for United, making only his fourth appearance of the season in place of Michael Cooper, who was ruled out with a knee injury. Rangers had been thrashed 5-0 at Southampton earlier in the week and had won only two of their last nine league games while losing three of their last four home matches. Midway through the game, Jonathan Varane went close to equalising but soon gave the ball away, a turnover that led to Campbell's second-half chance. A cross that led to O'Hare's opener was said to have deflected off sliding Rangers defender Jake Clarke-Salter towards O'Hare. Japhet Tanganga missed with a shot and Campbell also went close before his goal. At half-time Julien Stephan reacted by making a double substitution, sending on Paul Smyth and Rayan Kolli and switching to a 3-4-3 formation; Smyth later had a chance from Kieran Morgan's pass but shot wide of the near post after nudging the ball past Adam Davies.
Disallowed goal, missed chances and late headers
Rangers thought they had pulled a goal back 17 minutes from time when Richard Kone headed home Harry Vale's corner, but the goal was disallowed for offside; one match account noted the disallowed goal appeared to involve Smyth standing in front of Davies. Kone also sent a close-range header wide earlier and then headed a chance that Adam Davies kept out as Rangers' first effort on target. Isaac Hayden missed with a late header as QPR searched in vain for a route back into the match.
Post-match reaction and club note
QPR head coach Julien Stephan described a tough result and a disappointing performance, saying: "Tough result, tough performance. I'm disappointed conceding the goals so quickly in the first half. We didn't start the game like we expected to in terms of aggression or intensity. It was better in the second half, but we didn't succeed in creating strong momentum. " He added: "We scored one goal, I think. It should have been 2-1 at that moment and that would have changed completely the momentum for the end of the game. " Stephan also criticised decisions, drawing a comparison between competitions and saying the difference in decisions had a strong impact, and that his side had not shown enough quality, intensity and mental strength.
Stephan also noted tactical expectations and the effect of injuries: "We knew before the game that they were able to combine on their right side. The way they scored the first goal was exactly what we could expect. But if you don't respect the principle of play and don't close inside - simple things... We know the situation with the injuries and all the players we have out. It has a huge, huge impact on the quality we can have on the pitch. "
Sheffield United bounced back from their recent loss to Coventry City and the defeat that had dented the side's momentum on Wednesday, providing a response that kept their late push alive. Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder spoke after the match, but the content of his remarks is unclear in the provided context.
Separately, an official club page returned the message: "Sorry, it looks like the page you are looking for isn't available right now. "
Callum O'Hare celebrates opening the scoring for Sheffield United.
