Queens Park Rangers vs Bournemouth. The FA Cup Third Round.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance10,725.
Report as QPR throw away 2-0 half-time lead against Premier League Bournemouth; goals from Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Justin Kluivert secured their seventh win in nine matches; fourth-round draw on Monday from 7.50pm
Saturday 6 January 2024 18:40, UK
Bournemouth produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat QPR 3-2 and reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.
The Championship strugglers scored two goals in quick succession before the break through Sinclair Armstrong and Lyndon Dykes at Loftus Road.
But the Cherries came out after half-time firing and goals from Marcus Tavernier, Kieffer Moore and Justin Kluivert secured their seventh win in nine matches in all competitions.
QPR looked to strike early in the 10th minute. Andre Dozzell turned his man in midfield and combined with Dykes before his cross was too high for the striker to get on the end of.
The hosts continued their positive start in the 15th minute when Dykes forced Mark Travers into action.
Paul Smyth showed blistering pace to beat his marker and his cross onto the head of Dykes was denied by the acrobatic Travers, who got down quickly at his right post.
The Cherries started to warm into the tie and they went close after 21 minutes when Philip Billing's driven shot across goal narrowly missed the target.
Bournemouth struggled up to that point but a moment of brilliance from Billing to retrieve the ball off Luis Sinisterra, dribble and get a shot off highlighted their Premier League quality.
But it was the Championship side who scored first after 40 minutes.
A searching ball forward found Armstrong with his back facing Bournemouth's goal on halfway. The striker turned Marcos Senesi with ease and glided through on goal where he produced a placed finish into the bottom-right corner.
Straight after the restart in the 42nd minute Dykes got the goal he deserved and Rangers stormed into a 2-0 lead.
The attacker cut inside from the left and his long-range effort took a heavy deflection off Max Aarons, whose poor positioning saw the ball loop over the helpless Travers and into the net.
Bournemouth flew out of the blocks in the second half and grabbed a goal through Tavernier in the 48th minute.
Both sides scrapped for the loose ball in QPR's box after a set-piece but it fell nicely to Tavernier, whose effort took another heavy deflection before it bounced past Asmir Begovic.
Bournemouth equalised in the 58th minute through Moore.
Alex Scott's inswinging corner was whipped into the danger zone and Moore beat Begovic in the air to nod his side back into the game from six yards.
The visitors completed the turnaround after 69 minutes through Kluivert.
Billing, who had been outstanding all game, turned the ball over in QPR's defensive third before he picked out Kluivert at the back post.
Kluivert, son of former Barcelona and Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert, showed how clinical he can be when he finished first time to seal victory for Bournemouth.
Andoni Iraola hailed Bournemouth's half-time belief, saying: "We had to play with much more urgency. We were keeping possession without attacking spaces and we were not making the differences.
"Second half, we had a higher rhythm and we made the difference. It's good that we are in a good mental position because we have played good lately.
"I could feel at half-time that we believed it was possible. The mentality of the players was that we can do it. We felt, if we improved, we would have a chance."
Sky Sports News' Gary Cotterill:
"Cliche alert!
"This was a game of two halves. The half-time introduction of Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert signalled a much more dynamic Bournemouth, and within a quarter of an hour they were level.
"Two more set-piece goals conceded by QPR, that makes nine from 13 in the Marti Cifuentes era, almost 70 per cent of goals against them - no wonder they have been working on it in training.
"Bournemouth's third was from open play, and closed another FA Cup adventure for QPR. The team with the most third-round exits in history has another to add to the list. And it started so well."
QPR's next game is on Sunday January 14 when they host Watford in the Championship, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 12pm. Marti Cifuentes' side then have a home game against Millwall on Saturday January 20; kick-off 3pm.
Bournemouth's next outing is at home to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday January 21, live on Sky Sports; kick-off 4.30pm. The Cherries then play away to West Ham on Thursday February 1; kick-off 7.30pm.
