Burnley 0-0 Queens Park Rangers: Goaless at Turf Moor

Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley and Queens Park Rangers at Turf Moor on Saturday; Scott Parker's Clarets frustrated by Marti Cifuentes' QPR side in a goalless draw.

Saturday 26 October 2024 18:41, UK

Burnley had their promotion hopes dented when held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by struggling QPR in a one-sided Championship encounter at Turf Moor.

Despite a hatful of chances in a game Scott Parker's side dominated from start to finish, a breakthrough stubbornly refused to arrive.

A point proved enough for the Clarets to stay in second place ahead of Leeds on goal difference but a fourth draw in their last six games saw them lose further ground on table-toppers Sunderland.

For QPR this was a hard-fought and unlikely point which sees them remain second from bottom - a point ahead Portsmouth.

Burnley's nine-goal blitz in their opening two games of the season seems an increasingly distant memory for the hosts with them scoring only eight times in their subsequent 10 league outings.

And there was frustration all round at the final whistle given the Hoops, who arrived at Turf Moor without a win in their last seven league games, really looked for the taking.

The early exchanges were promising for both sides with Jaidon Anthony having an early chance smothered by the QPR goalkeeper Paul Nardi and Paul Smyth hitting the bar for the visitors from a tight angle after eight minutes.

But from there to the end it was relentless one-way traffic towards the visitors' goal.

Zian Flemming produced a neat spin on the edge of the area but put his shot high and wide. Bashir Humphreys should have put Burnley ahead but sent a free header from Anthony's corner over the bar.

Just short of the half-hour mark, Connor Roberts was clean through and just about to pull the trigger only to be robbed by a brilliant saving tackle from Steve Cook.

At the end of a first period which Burnley bossed, Josh Brownhill had a shot from distance but picked out Nardi who gathered the ball without having to move.

Neither manager made changes at half-time and the flow of the game did not alter either, Burnley pressing in vain and QPR manning the defences.

Roberts hit the crossbar from 20 yards with a dipping effort that had Nardi well beaten and Flemming went close with two headed efforts approaching the hour mark, sending one to Nardi and the other wide of the post.

With his team having carved out so many half-chances it was understandable Parker had resisted the chance to shuffle his pack until then.

But after 72 minutes the Clarets boss made a double change - Jay Rodriguez and Lucas Pires replacing Josh Cullen and Humphreys.

Enock Agyei and Andreas Hountondji followed them as Parker overloaded the front end but there remained no net result despite increasingly frenetic pressure and six minutes of stoppage time as QPR held firm.

The managers

Burnley's Scott Parker:

"Frustrated? Yes. Real frustration. They came with a gameplan which was to survive. It was a boxing match really and it was always going to go on to the 10th round or the 11th.

"You jab your way and jab your way and beat a team up and go to the head and hope you knock them out late on and it just didn't materialise for us today.

"I understand the frustrations of not getting the job done or not converting the chances but sometimes that is the way it is. That's football.

"That was probably one of our best performances. It was a half-pitch game today and we closed the door on absolutely everything and you are playing against a team who have packed the box. It was difficult.

"Some of these players have not played in a game like that in terms of a dominant team having to break down a low, low block. We need to be cute and clever and work movements. We need to be able to play in tight places and work your moments and overloads.

"We were a little bit short on that but we will carry on moving and progressing."

QPR's Marti Cifuentes:

"I am happy because of the work ethic that they showed and the togetherness in the pitch to work for each other. And because they play against a very good team who definitely pushed us.

"We like to be higher on the pitch and more in possession but it was according to the situation that we went through in the last couple of days with four players out, two in the last 48 hours and two more in the last night.

"Extremely important point for us and a clean sheet which is something that made us very strong this season. It was a big challenge but we managed to survive against a very good team."