Stoke 0 QPR (0) 1 – 29/4/23 3pm
Stoke’s collapse since the brilliant March run is completed with FOUR straight home defeats to lesser sides. This one was to strugglers QPR, despite over 80% possession!! The only goal came just after the break, and the time wasting meant over 10 minutes added. But City never stood a chance. Here’s how the game unfolded in real time:
Nigel Johnson’s last BBC game is Stoke’s last home game of the 2022-23 season, and City’s home form is dismal.Their last 3 are defeats! And one to bottom club Wigan! Meanwhile, QPR could do with a win to be sure of safety after only 1 win in 20 (& 9 defeats in 10) before last week’s seismic win at promoted Burnley!! which changes nothing.
4.01 As Lyndon Dykes comically slips over on the heavily watered pitch – handling the ball as he falls – Sterling (who replaces Hoever) has a chance to show off down the right. Meanwhile the rest of us get to comment on the grim Rangers strip – very much like the burgundy striped nonsense from C&A or Primark that your mum forced you to wear when you were young.
28.10 Stoke go for a total-football approach as Jagielka crosses from the right for Connor Taylor, but he’s thwarted by a defender’s lunge. Makes a change as most of this game has been taken up by these two and Fox exchanging passes along City’s back-3.
37.23 Gayle receives the ball unexpectedly in the penalty area unmarked. He’s so slow he’s never going to score, so it’s just as well that the linesman has flagged him offside. Not a decent spectacle at the bet365.
45+2 Chair reckoned he should’ve had a penalty after leaning all over Sterling, but the ref just ignore him.
HT City 0 Rangers 0
47.20 0-1 !!! Adomah puts in the rebound after Bonham saves from top scorer Lyndon Dykes strike. QPR fans break into “The Rs are staying up!!” which is a bit cheesy. Rangers had started far brighter, so thoroughly deserved the goal.
Attendance 22,486. Will they see Stoke’s FOURTH home defeat in a row??!!!
61.07 Nick Powell comes on to replace Gayle. Can only be an improvement. Hoever replaces Connor Taylor. Meanwhile Rangers move into time-wasting mode – slow-substitutes, phoney injuries (one player goes down after heading the ball!), stalling free-kicks etc
73.25 Goal mouth scramble but Josh Laurent’s header nor Campbell can put the ball over the line.
76.50 Lewis Baker on for Smallbone.
77.30 I never seen this before but the referee has to escort the QPR players off the pitch when being subbed because they’re walking too slowly!!
78.40 Powell tripped in the area is missed by the ref, but the Rangers players take the opportunity to roll around as if they’ve broken every limb in their body.
81.01 Bonham makes a brave save from Chris Martin.
87.01 Great move by Stoke started by Baker, and the shot by Tymon is turned away by keeper Dieng….but even though the linesman can see it’s a corner, the ref gives a goal kick!! Really weird!
90.00 NINE MINUTES TIME ADDED!! First time a ref has acknowledged so much time wasting.
90+2 Hoever’s sharp cross from the right is hammered by Tyrese, but just over. The two best chances so late, too late.
