QPR 1-1 Reading

Kaspars Gorkss's acrobatic volley gave
the Royals a deserved first-half lead.
But Rangers, who did hit the bar
through Esteban Granero's free-kick,
improved significantly after the break
and levelled courtesy of Djibril Cisse's
cool close-range finish.
Adel Taarabt almost won it late on but
Alex McCarthy saved with his feet.
Taarabt's chance on the break, after
great work by Cisse, was QPR's best
opportunity of an increasingly frantic
and end-to-end second period.
But although Reading could also have
won it late on when substitute Jimmy
Kebe's shot was blocked - and had
been much the better side before the
interval - the visitors will ultimately have
been relieved to hang on for a point
after being outplayed for much of
shapeless second half.
The point is enough to lift QPR off the
bottom of the table, moving them
above Southampton on goal difference.
But seeing as neither team had a
Premier League victory between them
prior to the game, two of the top flight's
bottom three had pinpointed this a
fixture against fellow strugglers as an
opportunity to put that right.
And the match - although predictably
short on real quality - at least provided
plenty of tension and excitement from
two teams desperate to get their season
up and running.
The Royals showed no signs of a
hangover from their astonishing
midweek Capital One Cup capitulation
against Arsenal and played with
confidence and discipline from the
outset.
Rangers old boy Gorkss misdirected a
decent early headed chance and the
busy Jay Tabb teed up Noel Hunt who
screwed his shot wide.
Their early dominance was rewarded
when Gorkss smashed the ball home
on the volley after Sean Morrison's
looping header came back off the bar.
Rangers manager Mark Hughes had
said his side must start winning after a
series of decent displays against some
of the division's top sides had only
produced three points from their
opening nine games.
But the patience of owner Tony
Fernandes, who has continued to
publicly back Hughes, will have been
tested again by a sub-standard first-half
performance.
Stuttering Rangers were sloppy in
possession and, in the main, restricted
to a series of long-range efforts.
The shooting threat came from
moments of individual quality from
Taarabt, Junior Hoilett and, to a lesser
extent, Jamie Mackie and Cisse.
Taarabt had at least four long-range
strikes and Cisse smashed a shot over
the bar after a purposeful run.
But the closest they came was when
Granero's fine free-kick produced a
brilliant fingertip save from McCarthy
during the home side's best spell of
pressure.
That dangerous period before the
interval - and, no doubt, a half-time
lecture from Hughes - sparked the
hosts into life.
And their improvement was rewarded
when Cisse cleverly controlled Jose
Bosingwa's right-wing cross with his
first touch and poked the ball past
McCarthy with his second.
Taarabt soon tested McCarthy again
and was then denied by the keeper's
superb reaction stop with his right foot.
At the other end, Reading's Jason
Roberts had a shot blocked, as did
Kebe after a mazy run.
But neither side could find the crucial
breakthrough and both remain winless
and in the relegation zone.
Reading manager Brian McDermott:
"It was a good point and a really good
away performance.
"We could have had a second goal and
I thought if we got that second goal, the
game would have been done and
dusted. But having said that, Alex
McCarthy made a couple of wonderful
saves and they hit the bar in the first
half.
"We showed great spirit I know these
players. People talk about picking the
players up [after losing to Arsenal], but
it was never an issue. We have a real
spirit and we just kept going.
"QPR have some real quality, and
Chelsea and Everton only drew here, so
this in not an easy place to come to.
We'll take the point."