Sub Davies Isa winner
By NEIL McLEMAN at Loftus Road
ISAAK DAVIES celebrated his new contract by coming off the bench and inspiring Cardiff to a stunning comeback against sloppy QPR.
Andre Gray had given Rangers the first-half lead but the match changed in four crazy second-half minutes. Wales Under-21 striker Davies entered the game and netted the equaliser and then won the free-kick for Rubin Colwill to whip home a David Beckham-style winner.
Rangers boss Mark Warburton was furious with his side – and accused them of “playing at testimonial pace”.
But Cardiff manager Steve Morison, who agreed a new deal until the end of next season this week, was left to praise his two academy graduates.
Davies, 20, this week signed a new deal until 2025 after becoming a first-team regular.
And Morison said: “He is a great kid. He is just learning and evolving all the time. The lads buzz off him. And it was a big moment of quality from Rubin. It is an unbelievable free-kick. He was fantastic in the game. It just shows how good we are when we are at it and we are not just going to swan off into the night for the rest of the season and just go through the motions.”
Gray had given Rangers the lead after 39 minutes with his first home goal at the club after Perry Ng failed to clear Moses Odubajo’s cross in the box.
Davies was sent on after 56 minutes in an attacking double change by Morison. His super solo run after 70 minutes ended with a powerful shot at Marshall that the former Cardiff keeper could not stop crossing the line.
Three minutes later Davies won a free-kick – and earned Rob Dickie a booking – when he was tripped.
And Colwill stepped up to curl his shot into the top corner for a spectacular winner – but again the former Scotland keeper should have saved it.
Fifth-placed QPR have now won only one game in eight in all competitions and Warburton showed the strain in his post-match press conference.
“We lost it by dropping the tempo and playing at testimonial pace after 50 minutes and giving a good opponent not enough respect,” he said.
“I don’t lose my rag very often but that was not us in the second half. That is unacceptable. If it doesn’t hurt, you shouldn’t be in the team and in the camp.”
Subs not used: