Bobby Zamora believes QPR paid price for losing defensive discipline against Liverpool

Bobby Zamora admitted QPR’s ‘naivety’ proved costly in the dramatic finale to Liverpool's 3-2 victory at Loftus Road.

Substitute Eduardo Vargas twice equalised for the R’s in the dying stages on Sunday, but Steven Caulker’s last-gasp own-goal condemned the hosts to defeat, despite a battling display.

Zamora, described as ‘unplayable’ by manager Harry Redknapp, felt his side should have been more cautious after they levelled and revealed how the defeat has hurt the players.

“That was a real kick in the teeth for us,” Zamora told the club’s official website.

“I thought the performance from us, the work ethic, everything was there. It was just a bit of naivety on all three occasions for their goals. 

“Certainly in the last minute we’ve got to think about getting bodies behind the ball. It’s massively disappointing but, once again, at home you can’t ask for anything more from us performance-wise.”

Charlie Austin was denied by a superb save from Simon Mignolet, while Leroy Fer twice hit the bar for QPR, who cancelled out an own goal from Richard Dunne and Phillippe Coutinho before Caulker’s late hammer blow.

“We should possibly have had the game wrapped up by half-time,” said Zamora. 

“It would have been nice to go in at the break a couple of goals up, and make Liverpool go forward and hopefully open up more space for us. Unfortunately those chances in the first half didn’t go in, and we needed those.

“When you miss chances like that you wonder if it’s not going to be your day, but we came back well.

“I think some players were thinking of trying to win it, and some weren’t. We’ve all got to be on the same page and unfortunately I don’t think we were.

“But there are plenty of positives for us, we know that. I am sure we will analyse the game, and look at those, but at the minute it just feels like a massively disappointing defeat.

“We are gutted.”