Queens Park Rangers vs Plymouth Argyle. Sky Bet Championship.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance16,339.
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle at Loftus Road on Wednesday | Marti Cifuentes' Hoops denied fourth straight win by goalless draw
Wednesday 13 December 2023 23:12, UK
Ten-player Plymouth battled to earn a point in a 0-0 draw with QPR at Loftus Road.
Dan Scarr was sent off in the 25th minute when the hosts counter-attacked after Sam Field won the ball, and the defender scythed down Ilias Chair with a crude challenge just inside the Argyle half.
Up to that point, Plymouth had been much the better side and sloppy Rangers
were fortunate to be on level terms.
Three times in the opening 10 minutes, the hosts gave the ball away cheaply.
Firstly, Field was yellow-carded with just 90 seconds on the clock for fouling Ryan Hardie after losing possession.
A similar lapse by Chair led to Hardie dragging a shot wide and Osman Kakay was the next culprit, with goalkeeper Asmir Begovic sparing the defender's blushes by denying the Plymouth striker with a near-post save.
Hardie then missed a golden chance, lifting the ball over Begovic but also the crossbar, after being played in by Finn Azaz's pass.
Lyndon Dykes headed Kakay's right-wing cross narrowly wide, but other than that Rangers offered very little until Scarr's dismissal.
They were then able to dominate with Chris Willock sending a right-footed strike just wide shortly before crossing for Charlie Kelman, who was unable to get a decisive touch at the far post.
But Plymouth dug in and defended well in the second half and the below-par QPR struggled to create clearcut chances.
Chair sent an effort well wide before keeper Conor Hazard comfortably kept out two tame Dykes headers, both via right-wing crosses from substitute Elijah Dixon-Bonner.
Hazard was more troubled by a long-range attempt from Jimmy Dunne, but nevertheless made the save.
He also gathered another couple of weak Dykes headers in the final stages, ensuring the Pilgrims secured the draw.
QPR were seeking a fourth consecutive win and one which would have lifted them out of the relegation zone - and level on points with Plymouth.
They remain in the bottom three, but the point saw them continue to close the gap on the teams above them.
Rangers have lost just one of their seven matches since the arrival of boss Marti Cifuentes, who inherited a side that lost six in a row and were in danger of being cut adrift.
This was also their third consecutive clean sheet, but their failure to break down stubborn Argyle highlighted that improvement is still needed, particularly up front.
QPR's Marti Cifuentes:
"The start of the game was very poor. The first 15 minutes were perhaps the worst since I've been here. We were terrible and conceded a lot of chances. In that sense you could say we were lucky to be 0-0 at half-time because it was not a good first half. Plymouth were extremely aggressive and extremely good in the first half.
"In the second half we pushed much more, but Plymouth defended very well and made it difficult for us to create really clear chances. We missed the quality in the last third that we've had in other games. I would say it was just one of those days. We're really disappointed about getting only one point. When we look back, it has not been a good performance. It's OK. Credit to the guys (for the recent improvement). But don't ask me if I'm happy, because I'm not. Today was a day to take three points. We take one, OK, but I'm always quite demanding."
Plymouth's Steven Schumacher:
"It felt like a long time (with 10 men). I've just said to the players that I'm proud because the effort we put in under those circumstances was top drawer. I felt we deserved something from the game. Everything QPR threw at us we dealt with really well. They had to put their bodies on the line throughout the game, and any point away from home is a good point.
"I'm pleased to come away with something, but there's a tinge of disappointment because I felt we should have scored in the first 15 minutes. We created the most opportunities, we just didn't make the most of them. That's the frustrating thing. We should have been holding on to a 1-0 rather than a 0-0. I wish we could have got one of them [chances] in. It would have been the perfect night."
