Queens Park Rangers vs Swansea City. Premier League.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance17,729.
Thursday 1 January 2015 18:19, UK
Wilfried Bony came off the bench to net a dramatic late equaliser for 10-man Swansea City as they drew 1-1 with Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.
Harry Redknapp's men should have been down to 10 men themselves after Rob Green handled the ball outside his area with just five minutes on the clock. And having been reprieved, they went on to take the lead after 20 minutes through Leroy Fer’s 25-yard thunderbolt.
Former QPR man Wayne Routledge was sent off for the visitors with seven minutes remaining after kicking out at Karl Henry following a nasty tackle by the midfielder, for which he was booked.
Getting someting from the game looked a tall order for Swansea at that point, but Bony found space in the QPR box in stoppage time to skilfully toe-poke a last-gasp leveller.
Green had performed heroics in the QPR goal to keep the score down to just 2-0 in the reverse fixture earlier this season and he should have been walking down the tunnel with just five minutes gone as he clearly handled outside his area.
Gylfi Sigurdsson’s perfectly weighted through-ball sent Routledge clear one-on-one with the goalkeeper, who rushed out quickly to meet the striker and got to the ball but deflected it away with his arm outside the area. No foul was given.
QPR used that slice of fortune to their advantage and took the lead 15 minutes later in emphatic style. Clint Hill's forward ball was headed weakly away by Federico Fernandez and Fer controlled the ball, let it bounce for a couple of strides before unleashing a ferocious 25-yard strike into the top corner for his third goal of the season.
Swansea always looked a threat on the counter attack through Routledge and Nathan Dyer, but good openings were continually wasted by Bafetimbi Gomis, who was picked ahead of eight-goal Bony amid speculation of a move away from the club.
QPR striker Charlie Austin came agonisingly close to doubling his side’s lead early in the second half, but his header from eight yards bounced back off the base of the post.
Bony was introduced with 20 minutes remaining and his introduction injected spark into the game, but it then boiled over with seven minutes remaining as Swansea went in search of an equaliser. Minutes after Bony had tested Green with a 20-yard free-kick, QPR midfielder Henry flew into a tackle on Routledge that Swansea manager Garry Monk called a “leg-breaking challenge".
The Swansea winger was irate with the foul and there was a minor scuffle with Henry involving a tangle of legs. Both sets of players waded in, Henry was booked for the tackle and after speaking to his linesman, Routledge was given a red card for an apparent kick out on his opponent.
With the clock ticking past the 90-minute mark, QPR had a chance to take the ball into the corner but Junior Hoilett decided to shoot and presented possession back to Swansea.
A minute later, the visitors were level through a moment of magic from Bony. Ki Sung-yueng broke down the left before finding the striker in the box. With his back to goal, he managed to shift the ball on to his right foot and fire a quick-fire toe poke into the top corner.
The drama didn’t end there, though, as Austin had a wonderful chance to snatch the points back for the hosts with the last kick of the game.
After Joey Barton’s shot was spilled by Lukasz Fabianski inside the six-yard box, Austin reacted quickest but his shot was deflected over the bar when the ball seemed destined for the net.
Player ratings
QPR: Green (6), Isla (6), Dunne (7), Caulker (6), Hill (6), Vargas (6), Barton (6), Henry (7), Fer (7), Zamora (7), Austin (6).
Subs: Hoilett (6)
Swansea: Fabianski (6), Rangel (6), Fernandez (5), Williams (6), Taylor (6), Britton (6), Ki (7), Dyer (6), Routledge (7), Sigurdsson (6), Gomis (5).
Subs: Emnes (6), Bony (8)
Man of the match: Wilfried Bony.
