‘There was nothing to lose’ – QPR boss Cifuentes delivers assessment of Sheffield United comeback
QPR boss Marti Cifuentes praised the character of his players after turning around a two-goal half-time deficit to earn an impressive 2-2 draw against Sheffield United.
Second-half goals from Jimmy Dunne and Lyndon Dykes earned Cifuentes’ side a point despite Jack Colback being shown a late red card.
A fast start from the hosts had seen them race into a two-goal lead through Gustavo Hamer and Kieffer Moore, but a vast improvement after the break saw QPR turn things around.
“It’s definitely a game with two halves,” Cifuentes assessed.
“The first one was very disappointing.
“We knew we could expect that start from Sheffield United in terms of putting on pressure.
“We know that they could push and put pressure on us from the beginning. [They are a] team just down from the Premier League, [their] first game at home with big expectation.
“It’s the start you expect, but unfortunately, in the first half, we didn’t cope with that.
“All the things that we missed in the first half, we had in the second.
“We were more dynamic on the ball. We were more fluid in possession.
“We had the capacity to challenge in one v ones where we want to challenge, breaking the first line of pressure and creating chances. There was definitely a big difference.”
The turnaround earned the Rangers their first point in the new season and helped restore some of the optimism built up during the West London club’s impressive end to the previous campaign.
Cifuentes believed last weekend’s disappointing defeat to West Brom and unconvincing midweek EFL Cup win at Cambridge helped motivate his side to stage a comeback at Bramall Lane.
“The team came from the last two games not giving us the feelings that we wanted,” he said.
“Sometimes, when you are angry and have something to prove, it is important to have the adversity we faced in the first half.
“What we spoke about half-time was that it was important to win the second half no matter what the score because we felt that scoring the goal could be a game changer.
“Even when we got the red card at 2-1, there was nothing to lose, and we needed to push, and I’m happy for the guys because we showed the resilience and the character we need to compete in this league.”
PICTURE: PA