Praise for Smithies after QPR win

QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink insisted goalkeeper Alex Smithies deserved the credit for his side’s 2-1 win over Charlton.

Substitute Nasser El Khayati curled home an injury-time winner – his first goal for Rangers – after Jordan Cousins’ equaliser for the Addicks had cancelled out Matt Phillips’ opener.

But Hasselbaink was quick to praise the in-form Smithies, who produced a stunning save to deny Igor Vetokele shortly before El Khayati struck.

“At times you need a bit of luck and your keeper to be smart. I must say that Alex Smithies won us the game today,” Hasselbaink said.

“I am happy for Nasser but more happy for the team that we stuck at it, kept going, and in the end we finished them off even though we needed help from our keeper.”

Rangers’ victory might have been more comfortable had Phillips been able to take a chance to make it 2-0 before Cousins levelled.

Hasselbaink admitted: “I must say we put ourselves in that difficult situation as we had the chance to score and make it 2-0​,​ and if you take that you go on and score three or four.

“If that chance goes in it kills Charlton’s spirit. But it gave them more ‘animal’ to carry on.

“You know then that they are going to throw everybody forward and we are going to get a bit of space. Can you finish it off? We did.

“Charlton did well but we should have scored and made it 2-0. But then we showed character and it was not easy for us.”