REFEREE COST US VICTORY, SAYS LAMPARD
FRANK Lampard insisted a poor refereeing decision deprived his team of a win at Loftus Road, where they were leading through Jack Marriott’s 24th-minute goal before Geoff Cameron equalised three minutes into the second-half.
After Derby keeper Scott Carson had clawed away Luke Freeman’s free-kick, Nahki Wells pounced on the loose ball and pulled it back for Cameron to fire home.
But Rams boss Lampard insisted the free-kick, given by referee David Webb for a foul by Fikayo Tomori on Ebere Eze, should not have been awarded.
Lampard said: “We deserved to win the game and we didn’t – and this is a fact – because of a refereeing decision.
“It was not a foul by Tomori – absolutely not a foul. He gave a foul and they scored from the free-kick. It’s a mistake. It was obviously not a free-kick. Tomori got the ball.
“My players were very good, they gave absolutely everything and we lost [points] because of one decision.
“There were lots of decisions, it’s not worth me going into them. The critical one is that one that gave them the goal, but there were lots more.”
Marriott marked his first league start for Derby with his first league goal for the club. The striker volleyed in after QPR defender Toni Leistner failed to deal with Bradley Johnson’s long ball.
“It was a fantastic finish and he was outstanding. He’s been training fantastically and deserved to start,” Lampard said.
“It was a great finish and there has to be more to his game than that, and there is more – we saw that with his running back, tackling, holding balls up and competing with their centre-halves.”
Rangers lost Jake Bidwell shortly after Marriott’s goal to what appeared to be a shoulder injury, but they responded strongly and almost levelled when Wells’ right-footed strike from near the left-hand edge of the penalty area thumped against the woodwork. Eze and Luke Freeman fired wide as QPR continued to push for an equaliser.
It arrived soon after the restart courtesy of Cameron’s first goal since arriving at QPR on loan from Stoke – and only the American’s third goal in English football.
Rangers substitute Pawel Wszolek shot wide and Leistner over as the hosts went in search of a winner, and Wells headed wide from Freeman’s cross.
On-loan Chelsea youngster Mason Mount, who was called up by England this week, was kept quiet as QPR were quick to close down in midfield.
Lampard’s side remained a threat, however, and Harry Wilson’s swerving shot brought a save from Joe Lumley.
QPR boss Steve McClaren insisted he too had reason to be unhappy with Webb. “I think we’re both cheesed off with the ref and quite a few decisions,” McClaren said. We didn’t hold back, they didn’t hold back. It was a tough game to referee.
“He could have made some other decisions, but I thought it was difficult to handle a Championship game with that tempo and with that intensity.
“I thought it was a great game of football – a hell of an advert for the Championship.”