Bolton 2 QPR 1
Ivan Klasnic’s 86th-minute goal won a crucial relegation clash for his team and nudged QPR closer to the drop.
Djibril Cisse’s second-half equaliser looked to have rescued a point for Rangers in a game they could not afford to lose given their daunting run-in to the season.
They went behind when Darren Pratley punished their sloppy defending by heading in from Martin Petrov’s cross.
Bolton’s breakthrough came after Rangers were denied a goal despite Clint Hill’s header from Joey Barton’s corner having clearly crossed the line.
The visitors then benefited from another poor decision by the officials when Cisse, who was in an offside position, latched on to Shaun Wright-Phillips’ through-ball and finished well.
But Klasnic won it for Wanderers, collecting Ryo Miyaichi’s pass and sidefooting home, sending their fans wild and leaving Rangers in the bottom three after results elsewhere went against them.
Cisse’s goal was the French international’s second for QPR and saw him deliver on a promise to atone for the sending-off on his home debut that led to his recent suspension.
But Mark Hughes’ side were unable to find a second goal despite a period of sustained pressure and paid the price when Klasnic struck.
It was a hammer blow for Rangers, who appealed in vain for an injury-time penalty when Nedum Onuoha went down under a challenge from Nigel Reo-Coker.
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This post was last modified on 12/03/2012
