Defensive lapses are costly for QPR at Wigan

Wigan 2 QPR 1

QPR were punished for some shoddy defending as they suffered a third consecutive league defeat. 

Bright Osayi-Samuel’s deflected strike with 15 minutes remaining pulled a goal back for Rangers, who almost equalised when Toni Leistner blasted against the bar a couple of minutes later.

Rangers can therefore count themselves somewhat unlucky, but they paid the price for their shortcomings at the back against a Wigan side which had won just one of their previous 10 Championship matches.

Josh Windass opened the scoring after eight minutes and former R’s striker Leon Clarke netted on his Wigan debut 10 minutes into the second half.

The Latics went ahead when a routine ball forward caught out the Rangers defence.

Clarke flicked on and Windass drifted between centre-backs Leistner and Joel Lynch before firing past keeper Joe Lumley despite Jake Bidwell’s best efforts.

The goal came shortly after Rangers had almost gone ahead.

Massimo Luongo, back from the Asian Cup, won the ball and Nahki Wells’ shot was spilled by keeper Jamie Jones, who recovered to block Luke Freeman’s follow-up.

Jones was also called into action after the opening goal, pushing over Lynch’s header from Freeman’s corner.

Rangers continued to push for an equaliser, with both Pawel Wszolek and Bidwell failing to add a decisive touch to Freeman’s fine cross.

Wszolek was replaced by Osayi-Samuel at half-time but Rangers were more open to counter-attacks and another lapse at the back resulted in the second goal.

Anthony Pilkington got in behind Darnell Furlong and Leistner’s failure to cut out the winger’s cross enabled Clarke to score at the far post.

Leistner almost atoned when substitute Matt Smith nodded Freeman’s cross down to the German, whose half-volley crashed against the woodwork.

And Smith headed over from Wells’ late cross as QPR, now without a win in five league games, tried in vain to find an equaliser.