QPR bottom after home defeat by Portsmouth
QPR are bottom of the Championship after a dire home defeat against fellow strugglers Portsmouth, who came from behind to secure their first league win of the season.
Karamoko Dembele’s first goal for Rangers gave them an early lead but Pompey hit back with Freddie Potts’ first goal since arriving on loan from West Ham.
And Callum Lang’s penalty 12 minutes into the second half gave Portsmouth their first victory since last season’s promotion from League One.
Rangers went ahead after a ninth-minute error by Nicolas Schmid, who raced outside his area and headed Jimmy Dunne’s long ball straight to Dembele, who lobbed the embarrassed Pompey keeper.
But the visitors hit back nine minutes later, when Lang got the better of Morgan Fox and his low ball into the danger area ricocheted off QPR midfielder Nicolas Madsen to Potts, who fired home from near the penalty spot.
Rangers playmaker Ilias Chair, fit again after a back injury and starting a game for the first time this season, squandered a great chance to restore his team’s lead on the half-hour mark.
Again Pompey were undone by a ball over the top, this time from Sam Field, leaving Chair through on goal, only for him to attempt a cheeky chip over Schmid which was gratefully gathered by the Austrian.
Paul Nardi was then called into action at the other end, diving to his left to push away a long-range effort from Christian Saydee.
And just before half-time, Schmid further atoned for his early mistake, doing well to keep out Dunne’s deflected header.
Schmid produced another save early in the second half, this time from Dembele long-range strike, and Rangers seemed to be turning the screw before Fox gave away a penalty.
As Fox attempted to clear his lines on the left-hand side of the box, Lang nipped in and was hacked down by the R’s defender before calmly tucking away the resulting spot-kick.
QPR threw plenty of bodies forward in search of an equaliser but never looked like finding one – Schmid comfortably kept out a header from substitute Koki Saito as Portsmouth comfortably held on for a deserved three points.
QPR (3-4-2-1:) Nardi; Dunne, Cook, Fox; Ashby (Smyth 64), Field (Morgan 64), Madsen, Paal (Saito 73); Dembele (Andersen 81), Chair (Celar 64); Frey.
Subs not used: Walsh, Santos, Clarke-Salter, Bennie.
