Sylla scores injury-time winner for QPR
QPR 2 Hull City 1
Idrissa Sylla scored an injury-time winner for QPR as they came from behind to win at Loftus Road.
Sylla netted after fellow substitute Matt Smith had scored a 74th-minute equaliser to cancel out Jarrod Bowen’s first-half goal.
Bowen scored 10 minutes before half-time. David Meyler sent in a cross from the right and Bowen held off a weak challenge from Kazenga LuaLua at the far post before stabbing the ball under keeper Alex Smithies.
But Rangers hit back when Smith headed in Luke Freeman’s cross, and Sylla then struck to give them the points.
A long punt forward from Alex Smithies – who had just produced a point-blank save to deny Sebastian Larsson – bounced all the way through to Conor Washington, who lifted the ball over keeper Allan McGregor and Sylla added the finishing touch.
It piled more misery on injury-hit Hull, who would have snatched a point had Smith not cleared Michael Hector’s far-post header off the line in the dying moments.
The Tigers, already without the likes of striker Abel Hernandez, lost Kevin Stewart just nine minutes into his debut.
Midfielder Stewart, signed from Liverpool this summer and returning to action after an ankle injury, hobbled off following a challenge on Washington.
Rangers, meanwhile, started well and Freeman missed a great chance to give them an early lead.
Washington found space on the right and pulled the ball back for the Rangers playmaker, who side-footed wide of the target from 12 yards out.
With his team later struggling to create chances, R’s boss Ian Holloway made a change 12 minutes into the second half, bringing Smith on for LuaLua.
Smith’s aerial threat immediately put Hull on the back foot and the striker headed straight at McGregor from Jake Bidwell’s left-wing cross and then headed wide from Freeman’s cross from the opposite flank.
Sylla then went close to levelling shortly after also being sent on by Holloway, turning in the box and seeing a left-footed shot hit the post and then bounce off McGregor and out for a corner.
But the equaliser came a minute later. Freeman tricked his way past Bowen on the left and delivered a perfect cross for Smith to score from close range.
Hull responded with a spell of pressure but were undone seconds after Larssson had looked certain to score.
Subs not used: Ingram, Furlong, Manning, Borysiuk.
