A second-half Glen Kamara strike cost Lincoln City a point at Loftus Road, and sent the home fans back up the M1 with tears in their eyes after a battling performance.
The Imps made five changes to the side beaten at Watford, with Daniel Oyegoke a notable returning name. Mikkel Ladefoged was cleared to play, joining Freddie Draper up top in a 4-4-2. Conor McGrandles also returned from his spell injured to partner Yunus Konak, while League One stalwarts Dom Jefferies and Reeco Hackett returned.
The Imps made changes to the side beaten at Watford, with Daniel Oyegoke a notable returning name. Mikkel Ladefoged was cleared to play, joining Freddie Draper up top in a 4-4-2. Conor McGrandles also returned from his spell injured to partner Yunus Konak.
It took just 20 seconds for the first yellow card of the afternoon, with McGrandles going into the referee’s notebook for a rash challenge. It was a deserved booking, but one that would come at a cost, with the midfielder now facing a suspension after the international break.
Queens Park Rangers made the brighter start, with Jonathan Varane having the first effort after three minutes. Oyegoke’s weak headed clearance fell to the midfielder, whose effort appeared to take a deflection before going wide, although a post obscured the view. The hosts continued to press, with Kwame Poku seeing a shot blocked by Sonny Bradley after six minutes, the resulting throw coming to nothing.
There was another early booking after eight minutes, this time for Rangers’ Paul Smyth, who pulled back Deji Elerewe as the defender looked to get away. However, the home side remained firmly on top, and their early pressure brought the opening goal after 11 minutes. City failed to clear their lines, allowing Richard Kone to profit with a relatively straightforward header that gave the hosts a deserved lead.
The Imps were struggling badly to establish any foothold in the game, and they almost gifted Rangers another opportunity after 20 minutes. Konak was played into trouble in possession, before Adam Reach’s attempted backpass almost beat George Wickens. The goalkeeper managed to clear behind for a corner, sparing City further embarrassment.
From the resulting delivery, Ladefoged managed to get the ball away, but Smyth was waiting to volley over the bar. It had been almost entirely one-way traffic, with Rangers looking comfortable and City unable to string together any meaningful possession.
The travelling support had been in excellent voice before kick-off and throughout the opening five minutes, but the home side’s dominance had quietened the away end considerably. By the midway point of the half, only a small pocket of City supporters were still trying to generate some noise.
City finally fashioned an opportunity after 24 minutes, although it did little to suggest the momentum was about to change. A free kick found Draper, who attempted to bring the ball under control before volleying towards goal, but his effort was well wide of the target.
Then, almost from nowhere, the Imps were level after 29 minutes. A misplaced Rangers pass presented Draper with an opportunity, and the striker showed strength to hold off a challenge before feeding Dom Jefferies on the overlap. The midfielder lifted a delightful finish into the net, bringing City back into a game that had looked beyond them only moments earlier.
The equaliser transformed the contest, with Rangers suddenly looking nervous in possession and City sensing an opportunity. A corner followed after the hosts struggled to clear their lines, with Ladefoged flicking the ball on for Reeco Hackett, whose effort took a deflection and flew over the bar.
City were now pouring forward, and within another minute they had several chances to complete an unlikely turnaround. Hackett found himself with a wonderful opportunity at the back post, only to see two efforts blocked in quick succession, before Bradley also had a shot charged down. It was a remarkable change in momentum, with the visitors suddenly looking the more likely side to score.
Rangers did manage to break from the resulting corner, with Poku getting the better of Konak before the City midfielder brought him down to halt the attack. The hosts gradually regained their composure, and by the 39th minute they were threatening again. A decent delivery into the area found Harvey Vale, but his header drifted over and wide of the target.
As half-time approached, City launched another attack with Reach’s deep cross headed over by Ladefoged, but it came from a tasty moment of football as the Imps grew in confidence.
Bars are scaled to the best figure in this match, and each rank is against the players who actually registered that stat — "3rd/12" is third of the twelve who managed one. This is a within-match ranking, not a league-wide one, which a single match cannot give. Radar axes are scaled the same way, and are left out for goalkeepers, whose near-zero attacking figures would draw a meaningless dot.
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