Queens Park Rangers vs Bristol City. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance13,683.
Saturday 23 December 2017 19:09, UK
Bobby Reid's late penalty rescued a deserved point for Bristol City in a 1-1 draw at QPR.
The Robins, fresh from their dramatic Carabao Cup quarter-final humbling of Manchester United, found themselves behind after Aden Flint's own goal eight minutes before half-time.
They put Rangers under sustained pressure in the second half and Josh Brownhill hit the post, Matty Taylor was denied by a goal-line clearance and Cauley Woodrow missed a sitter before Reid equalised with nine minutes remaining.
However, the decision by referee Andy Madley to award the penalty left QPR furious. Flint and Nathan Baker went down in the box as Rangers trio Nedum Onuoha, Grant Hall and Jake Bidwell attacked an incoming throw-in, prompting Madley to point to the spot. Reid kept his composure, tucking away his 12th goal of the season.
The opening goal came when Luke Freeman, playing against his former club, swung in a free-kick from the right and Flint, under pressure from Jack Robinson, inadvertently back-headed the ball into the far corner.
City were lively earn on. Korey Smith had a low shot tipped away by keeper Alex Smithies after being teed up by Taylor, who was later prevented from meeting Joe Bryan's left-wing cross by Robinson's well-timed challenge.
Rangers settled and Bright Osayi-Samuel, brought into the side along with Idrissa Sylla, saw a low shot saved by keeper Frank Fielding after being found in space on the left-hand side of the penalty area by Josh Scowen's clever pass.
The hosts then enjoyed plenty of possession before going ahead courtesy of Flint, who almost atoned for his error when he headed over from Bryan's corner six minutes into the second half.
Brownhill went even closer for the Robins a couple of minutes later, when he dinked the ball over Smithies and against the post after being teed up by Reid. nBidwell cleared the danger and from the resulting corner Taylor's header was hacked off the line by Scowen.
Woodrow, on as a substitute, then squandered a glorious chance to equalise. After Smithies had brilliantly kept out Reid's header from Bryan's cross, Brownhill headed the ball back to Woodrow, who blasted over the bar from seven yards out.
And after Reid eventually levelled, Woodrow missed a chance to win it for the visitors when he fired wide late on.
Ian Holloway: "I will see 20 corners or long throws that will not be interpreted the same way. The thing that's annoying is that I believe there are easy ways to solve this. We as a game should be pushing for that. Rather than someone sitting in the stands assessing the referee, if someone was sitting watching it on a five-second delay they might call it a very different way. Retire the referees who can't run as fast anymore, sit them with a monitor and let them talk to the referee.
"We need it implemented yesterday, not next year or the year after. Everything is ready for us to do it now. Emperor's new clothes. No one ever fights for the right thing. We're all in Brexit now and none of us knew we had to pay however many billions to get out of it, did we? They didn't give us that information and we're out of it now.
"These referees should have that information - that top man who can't run anymore, talking to the referee, saying, 'That's not a penalty'."
Lee Johnson: "I'm in love with my boys at the moment. To go from Wednesday and that energy expenditure, to produce that - particularly in the last 25 to 30 minutes - was outstanding.
"We played with such energy that he could have scored three or four in that last half-hour. We had them at home with their backs against the wall. It's amazing what my players are doing at the moment."
