The lowdown on QPR 0 Cardiff 0 – Rangers miss chance to pull clear of relegation danger in dull draw

 QPR remain just five points above the Championship relegation zone following their goalless draw against Cardiff City at Loftus Road.

Here is the lowdown on the game.

THE LINE-UPS

QPR: Nardi, Dunne, Edwards, Morrison, Paal, Field (Varane 54), Colback, Andersen (Bennie 54), Smyth, Lloyd (Dembele 54), Min-Hyeok (Morgan 61). Subs not used: Walsh, Fox, Ashby, Madsen, Sutton

Cardiff: Horvath, Rinomhota, Fish, Bagan (Daland h/t), O’Dowda, Mannsverk, Colwill, Davies (Tanner h/t), Ashford (Meite 66), Alves (Robinson h/t), Salech. Subs not used: Turner, Goutas, Robertson, Turnbull

SNAPSHOT OF THE GAME

QPR missed the opportunity to put distance between themselves and the relegation after drawing with struggling Cardiff.

There were few chances of note for either side in a game bereft of attacking quality throughout.

Paul Smyth had QPR’s only effort on target in the first half, forcing an awkward save out of Cardiff goalkeeper Ethan Horvath with a shot from distance.

The visitors currently occupy the final spot in the relegation zone, and they also struggled to create opportunities to score.

However, they may feel aggrieved that they were not awarded a penalty after the interval when striker Youssef Salech appeared to be brought down by Ronnie Edwards in the box.

The introduction of Kader Dembele helped Rangers in the second half, with his corners providing a couple of uncomfortable moments for Horvath, while the goalkeeper also kept out another effort from Smyth that was heading for the top corner.

TACTICAL APPROACH

Having started last weekend’s defeat at Stoke City without a recognised striker, Marti Cifuentes opted to select Alfie Lloyd to lead the line at Loftus Road.

The 21-year-old, who has been managing an ongoing fitness issue, put himself about bravely before coming off early in the second half.

Cifuentes also decided to bring Sam Field back in to midfield following his recovery from an ankle injury – he was also taken off not long after the break.

Injury absentees in attack massively stunted Rangers threat in front of goal but they showed enough defensive resilience to earn a point.

STAR MAN

Jack Colback. Put in another good shift in midfield, making two tackles and three interceptions in what was a scrappy game. Cifuentes looks set to lean on the experienced midfielder heavily to make sure Rangers pull clear of relegation danger.

BEST MOMENT

The final whistle. Although an ounce of tension crept into the game in the final ten minutes or so, this was otherwise a completely forgettable affair. Both sides appeared to lack quality and confidence, perhaps showing why they find themselves in relegation danger as the season reaches its conclusion.

MOAN OF THE MATCH

The waste of an afternoon in the sunshine. Following the slog of football throughout the winter, matches in the spring sunshine are supposed to be the part of the season. However, there really was very little to enjoy on show at Loftus Road on this occasion and many in the crowd were surely left feeling they’d not made the most of their afternoon.

A TALKING POINT DOWN THE PUB

Do Rangers have enough to avoid a relegation battle? Injuries are piling up for QPR for the second time this season. The first occasion saw them go on a run of one win in 16 matches at the start of the campaign, and they have now won just two of their last 12 as another spate of problems has left Cifuentes short of quality and experience in several areas. They have kind enough fixtures and enough points on the board to suggest relegation should be avoided but now is not the time to start getting complacent.

WHAT THE BOSS HAD TO SAY

“It is what it is. Obviously the expectation was to get three points. I felt it was a very important game.

“First half I felt we were perhaps a bit more dominant than Cardiff were, we had a few situations but unfortunately not enough to take the lead. We felt in a game like this it would be important to take the lead.

“The second half they started better than us. They had some Championship experience coming from the bench and in games like this it’s an important part of it.

“I value the effort the guys made in a game that was not easy to play. I will never be happy with a draw but having said that I don’t think its an unfair result.”

PICTURE: ROB AVIS