Austin powers past Collins as Tykes are caught out late on
ILIAS CHAIR kept QPR standing tall to finally end their Barnsley hoodoo.
Rangers now top the
2021 Championship table when it comes to points earned over the last eight months, but this was decidedly bottom of the barrel stuff until their Moroccan Messi turned on the style.
The division’s great entertainers came from behind again and have now scored eight goals in three games but looked to be heading for a fifth straight defeat to the Tykes.
Chair lifted the roof when he thrashed the hosts back in it with
14 minutes left, before having a huge hand in Charlie Austin’s injury-time leveller.
Boss
Mark Warburton said: “We had to be better than that. I told the players there is no excuse.
“We could have been three down but equally we could have won it in the end.
“We were so much better all over the pitch in the second half.
“They galvanised the fans. That was the loudest I have seen the stadium since I have been here but we’ve got to keep producing.”
After doing the double over QPR for the past two seasons, Barnsley looked good for an eighth London win in 10.
Defender Liam Kitching pumped the ball forward and Rangers wing-back Osman Kakay stepped out horribly late.
That allowed Dominik Frieser to beat the offside flag and fire the ball past Seny Dieng as the Rangers players looked for a flag that never came.
Kakay and his fellow defenders were soon chasing shadows again. Josh Benson’s dinked pass freed Callum Styles and he put it on a plate for Cauley Woodrow two yards out – the former Fulham striker’s 50th goal for the club was probably his easiest.
It could have been three when Dieng had to keep Clarke Oduor out, the hosts’ troubles illustrated by a double substitution 10 minutes before the break.
Woodrow should have made the game safe in the second half but missed – and it let Rangers back in.
They found hope when Chair got fed up of his colleagues wasting their chances and went alone, despite more than a hint of offside.
Austin finally buried one of his chances in injury time, sweeping home after more Chair brilliance out wide.
Barnsley boss Markus Schopp said: “We go away with a point but it really feels like a defeat.
“Our main problem is finishing, we were far too naive.
“We had a lack of experience, the game should have been over after half an hour.
“In the second half we started well enough but then we made our mistakes.
“We know the game. We had the moment to score again and it’s all about being better in certain moments.”
QPR: Dieng 6; Kakay 5, Dickie 6, De Wijs 5 (Dunne (46th) 6) Barbet 6, Thomas 5 (Ball (36th) 6); Johansen 7, Dozzell 5 (Adomah (36th) 6); Willock 7, Chair 8; Austin 7
BARNSLEY: Collins 7; Sibbick 7, Helik
7, Kitching 7; Brittain 7, Palmer 6 (Moon (60th) 6) Benson 7 (Halme 81st) Styles 7; Frieser 7, Woodrow 8, Oduor
6 (Cole (69th) 5)
STAR MAN: Ilias Chair
REF: G Ward