QPR were in a terrible position around Christmas time last year. Results were falling and Mark Warburton looked like a candidate for the sack.
QPR, however, stuck by Warburton and he pulled them around and mounted a charge up the table that nearly ended in a play-off place.
It wasn’t to be. However, the R’s have started this season in much better form than they did last time out.
Ahead of their next game, Mark Warburton’s men sit in 6th place in the Championship table, with 18 points in the bag from 11 games.
On Saturday they beat Preston North End 3-2 at home. An even first-half display saw them take the lead through Lyndon Dykes (17′) before Emil Riis Jakobsen (27′) levelled affairs.
The second half of the game saw a very early goal from Josh Earl (46′) with Jimmy Dunne (71′) bringing QPR back onto level terms. Soon after, the impressive Ilias Chair (74′) hit QPR’s third goal which proved to be the winner.
Here are three QPR players who did Mark Warburton proud in the hard-fought 3-2 win against the Lilywhites.
Lyndon Dykes – WhoScored rating 8.88
Striker Dykes was a handful for the Preston North End defence and ended the game with a goal and an assist. It was his 4th goal of the campaign.
He saw a lot of QPR’s possession (4%) and fashioned two shots at goal – his goal coming from his only shot on target. He was also strong in the air, winning five of the headed duels that he contested.
Distribution-wise, he wasn’t hugely accurate (66%), completing 21 of his 32 pass attempts. However, four of his completed passes were key passes leading to chances for teammates.
Ilias Chair – WhoScored rating 7.67
Chair was the scorer of QPR’s third goal – the assist being added by Lyndon Dykes. Playing as a 10 behind Dykes and Charlie Austin/Andre Gray, he saw a lot (5.4%) of the ball and had 57 touches.
His distribution was highly accurate (86%) and he completed 31 of his 36 passes. Four of these were key passes that fashioned chances for teammates.
He was always on the front foot and fashioned a game-leading six shots, two of which were on target. It was a busy all-around display that reminded those who needed it that Ilias Chair is a threat.
Rob Dickie – WhoScored rating 7.46
Dickie played on the right edge of a back three for Mark Warburton’s QPR on Saturday. He also had a solid game there.
He saw a lot (8.1%) of QPR’s possession and had a good distribution accuracy (70%), completing 45 of 64 passes in Saturday’s game.
Defensively he was a behemoth, winning all eight of his headed contests, making three tackles, three clearances and two interceptions. It was a display from the 25-year-old that he will want to take into QPR’s next game against fellow Londoners Fulham in two week’s time.
Data used here derived from the QPR vs Preston North End match profile on the WhoScored website
