By Ben Kosky
Lyndon Dykes scored on his debut as QPR made a winning start to their Championship campaign. Here's how we rated each Rangers player in the 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
He may not have had a save to make, but Lumley looked faultless on crosses and his distribution was sound too, with quick thinking to release Bright Osayi-Samuel and ease the pressure that had built up after Rangers’ first goal.
Generally, the QPR right-back did the simple things well, linking up efficiently with Osayi-Samuel and making a crucial block to deny Sammy Ameobi – although a late slip almost allowed Lewis Grabban to level.
A promising initial impression from Dickie, who was virtually untouchable in the air. The new arrival got his head to just about everything that came his way and looked more than capable of playing a decent ball out of defence.
The Frenchman was solid alongside Dickie, making some key interceptions and might have scored with a far-post header – although he also let Grabban evade him to direct an effort just wide of the target.
An early challenge on Jordan Gabriel set the tone for Wallace, whose experience and composure were vital as he repeatedly got forward and created the opening for Dykes to win a penalty early in the second half.
Commitment and bravery are never in doubt where the new QPR captain is concerned. His passing accuracy is more variable. However, his through ball to Dykes did enable Rangers to put the game to bed in injury time.
An encouraging second debut for the midfielder, whose eye for a pass was very much in evidence and also showed his ability to pressure opponents into mistakes before making way for George Thomas in the last 20 minutes.
Forest defenders looked visibly fearful of Osayi-Samuel’s pace, which always made him a threat – and the winger continually manoeuvred his way into dangerous positions without making the most of them.
Playing in a more advanced role than last season, Amos looked eager to impress and showed some good touches early on, setting up a couple of openings for Dykes, but faded as the game progressed.
Chair put in plenty of hard work on the left-hand side, only to waste it at times with some careless decision-making – although he was in the right place at the right time to tap home Rangers’ second goal late on.
Rangers’ new centre-forward looked hungry for the ball throughout and scored in emphatic fashion from the spot after winning a penalty.
Replacing Carroll for the last 20 minutes, the Welshman provided plenty of energy but passed up on an early shooting opportunity and then gave the ball away in a dangerous position as Forest pressed for an equaliser.