Struggling QPR slump to another defeat

QPR 1 Bolton 2

QPR’s horrible second half of the season reached a new low as they suffered another defeat.

Bolton, second-from-bottom of the table and beset by problems off the pitch, went ahead through Will Buckley’s goal and Callum Connolly doubled their lead with 19 minutes remaining.

Nahki Wells’ left-footed strike gave the home side hope but they were unable to find an equaliser.

Struggling Rangers, with just one league win since Boxing Day, have lost 11 of their past 14 matches and are not completely safe from relegation.

They made most of the early running and almost went ahead when Luke Freeman hit the post.

However, Freeman giving the ball away led to Bolton taking the lead against the run of play 10 minutes before half-time.

Freeman’s attempted to pass to Massimo Luongo was intercepted by Sammy Ameobi, who laid the ball off to Joe Williams near the right-hand edge of the penalty area.

And when Josh Magennis’ header from the resulting cross by Williams was parried by Joe Lumley, Buckley was on hand to score from close range.

Freeman, captain in the absence of the dropped Toni Leistner, had been QPR’s stand-out player up to that point.

After a low corner delivered by Freeman from the right led to confusion in the Bolton box, Pawel Wszolek laid the ball back to the Rangers playmaker, who side-footed against the woodwork.

Freeman also steered a free-kick narrowly wide of the target and saw a left-footed effort saved by keeper Remi Matthews.

Having dominated much of the first half, Rangers, who were without the ill Geoff Cameron, had every reason to believe they could launch a comeback in the second.

But they were unable to do and were fortunate not to concede a second goal five minutes before doing so, when Buckley blasted against the underside of the bar after being found by Ameobi’s low cross.

Ameobi was involved in the second goal, which came after another parry by Lumley.

The keeper could only palm Ameobi’s low shot as far as Connolly, who helped himself to his third goal since being signed on a season-long loan from Everton.

Striker Wells, on as a substitute, cut in from the right and fired past Matthews with nine minutes remaining, but Bolton held on.

QPR (4-1-4-1): Lumley, Rangel (Smith 63), Hall (Leistner 49), Lynch, Bidwell; Luongo; Wszolek, Scowen, Freeman, Osayi-Samuel; Hemed (Wells 70).
Subs not used: Ingram, Furlong, Cousins, Eze.

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