QPR made the long journey north on Saturday to take on Preston North End at Deepdale. They returned to the capital on the back of a 2-1 defeat.
It was yet another loss that perpetuated the R’s stumbling form and saw them end the day in 10th place in the Championship table. It was their fifth loss on the bounce.
The first half saw Preston and QPR go head-to-head across the opening 35 minutes. However, it was the Lilywhites and not QPR who struck the first blow, Jimmy Dunne (42′) putting through his own goal to give Preston North End a 1-0 lead at the half-time whistle.
Five minutes into the second half and Preston doubled their advantage, this time in a more conventional way. Striker Cameron Archer (50′) profited from Daniel Johnson’s assist to make it a 2-0 game. QPR refused to buckle and battled for the last 40 minutes. They got a late consolation goal through Andre Gray (90+2′) to make it a 2-1 game.
Despite this defeat, one QPR man stood out and impressed – Sam Field
The stats tell their own tale…
23-year-old Field was outstanding in defeat and put on a show for QPR in a losing effort. The former West Brom youngster arrived at the London club last July after a successful loan.
The former England youth international had made 45 appearances for the Baggies (two goals) ahead of his move. He has gone on to make 43 appearances (one goal) since arriving at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.
24 of those 43 appearances have come during this season’s Championship campaign. A campaign where he has established himself as a first-team regular after recovering from a knee injury.
As per WhoScored’s match data, his game and performance in a losing effort against Preston North End is a measure of why he’s become a regular for QPR.
He received the Man of the Match award with an 8.6 match rating. Playing at the heart of QPR’s midfield, he saw a lot of the ball (6.2%) and he completed 49 passes – one being a key pass and teammate chance.
What was more impressive was that he won four headers (100% success) and also made two clearances. To top this, he also has a game-leading six interceptions – three more than any other player on the pitch.
Next up for Sam Field and QPR is another trip north to face Huddersfield on Good Friday.
