Barbet’s goal gives QPR victory over Blackburn
Yoann Barbet’s goal gave QPR a victory and maintained their encouraging run.
Barbet’s winner, scored nine minutes into the second half, was the French defender’s second goal of the season and came against the run of play.
Blackburn were punished for failing to deal with Ilias Chair’s left-wing free-kick.
Rob Dickie stabbed the ball towards goal and Jarrad Branthwaite’s block inadvertently teed up Barbet, who gratefully thumped home from close range.
It gave Rangers their fourth win in five matches and their first goal in six home games.
Their previous three wins had all been away from the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, where Mark Warburton’s side had lost three consecutive matches and five of their past six.
Their season has been blighted by a failure to take their chances in front of goal – but this time it was their play-off chasing opponents who were beaten despite being on top for large spells.
Todd Kane missed a great opportunity to give QPR an early lead when he steered wide at the far post after good work on the left by Chair.
But Rangers were on the back foot for much of the first half, with the excellent Adam Armstrong causing them major problems.
He was denied by a fantastic save by keeper Seny Dieng, who somehow clawed the striker’s free-kick away from the top corner of the net.
Armstrong then went past Dickie on the left and pulled the ball back for Harvey Elliott, who fired wastefully over.
Armstrong continued to threaten, shooting wide of Dieng’s right-hand post after evading three challenges near the edge of the penalty area.
The pressure on Rangers continued after the interval, with Armstrong again drifting away from Dickie before shooting straight at Dieng, who also gathered a long-range effort by Ryan Nyambe.
And having weathered the storm, QPR went ahead.
Blackburn predictably went straight back on the offensive and Dieng produced another fine save to maintain his team’s lead, this time by diving to his right to push away Lewis Holtby’s low shot, with Dickie throwing himself in the way of Armstrong’s follow-up.
Armstrong’s frustration continued when his long-range strike brought yet another save from Dieng, whose performance enhanced his growing reputation.
QPR: Dieng; Dickie, Cameron, Barbet; Kane, Ball, Chair, Johansen (Bettache 74), Wallace; Dykes (Adomah 83), Austin (Bonne 74).
Subs not used: Lumley, Kelman, Willock, Kakay, Hamalainen, Thomas.
06/02/2021 @ 5:46 pm
Well deserved win by the whole team. Having said that, how many more games will we be asked to play with 9 or 10 men? Dykes & Bonne achieve next to nothing.