MIDDLESBROUGH 1
BORO boss Tony Pulis raged at the officials after his promotionchasers stuttered again at QPR.
Goals at Loftus Road from Pawel Wszolek and match-winner Nahki Wells means the Teessiders have now gone four games without a win.
Rangers fully deserved all three points on a freezing afternoon, but after a poor display from his normally stingy team Pulis lashed out at referee Oliver Langford.
He raged: “I was disappointed. We started really poorly and gave them two great chances in the first five minutes – they took the second one.
“But then there is an incident in their box from a corner where Britt Assombalonga is rugby tackled down, and the ref is five yards away and doesn’t give it.
“I have been to see the referee. Then in the second half the official this side gives offside when their player has touched the ball last. Jonny Howson is 100 per cent not offside. Then the keeper takes the freekick with the ball rolling from 25 yards away.
“We had a second half booking for dragging back a player on the counter, they had a similar offence, not booked.
“We should do better, I don’t think we had a shot on goal in the first half, but the playing field has to be level.
“We know we need goals, the team is trying their damndest to win the game, and chasing goals has maybe affected the solidity of the defence.
“We know we need help in the January window, but we have to get on with it.”
QPR and former Boro manager Steve McClaren was delighted with a first win in five, and a rare victory against a club he took to a League Cup success and a UEFA Cup final.
He said: “I’m just delighted with the win. I thought it was a great performance, and we showed real determination. We could have scored more goals.
“We defended resolutely right to the end and we needed this, it was a big win. I didn’t really notice any bad decisions, but it can be swings and roundabouts.
“Nahki could have got a hat-trick. He’s a constant threat, a menace to defenders. I won’t talk about the play-offs though.” After four minutes Luke Freeman fed the overlapping Jake Bidwell on the left, and from his cross Wszolek bundled the ball in. Wells, on loan from Premier League Burnley, almost doubled the lead and was tormenting Boro’s usually dependable back four.
However, fortune swung Boro’s way shortly after the break. Rangers defender Joel Lynch limped off leaving his side down to 10 men after 50 minutes.
And after QPR failed to clear from Ryan Shotton’s cross before Josh Scowen could get on, the ball fell to George Saville, who rifled home.
But Wells (above) fully deserved a goal and it duly arrived on the hour, set up by Wszolek, with the striker shifting the ball on to his left foot before curling it home.
Boro huffed and puffed, but there was no spark from the visitors.
Tammy Abraham has scored eight goals in his last six league games for Aston Villa, as many as he had netted in his previous 38 league appearances for Villa and former club Swansea combined prior to this.
Blackburn have failed to win after having a two-goal lead in a Championship match for the first time since April 2015 when they drew 2-2 away at
Huddersfield Town.
Bolton are without a win in 12 league games (D3 L9), their longest such run since April 2016 (14 games without a win), which was during a season when they were relegated from the Championship.
Hull City’s Frazier Campbell has
scored six goals in his last seven league games, as many as he had in his previous 41 such appearances combined – he has already scored more Championship goals in 21 appearances this season (eight) than he managed in 36 in 2017-18 (six).
Ipswich Town’s 1-0 win over Wigan Athletic was their first at Portman Road in the Championship since April 2018 when they beat Barnsley 1-0, ending their 12-match home winless run in the league.
17 of Alan Browne’s 21 league goals for Preston North End have come at Deepdale (81 per cent), including each of his seven this season.