QPR v Fulham player ratings

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Fulham survived a late QPR barrage to secure victory at Loftus Road. Here’s how we rated the players in the west London derby.

QPR

Alex Smithies: 6

Could do nothing about Fulham’s goals, particularly the first when he was wrongfooted by a heavy deflection. Commanded his area well and was solid throughout.

Alex Baptiste: 6

Honest and hardworking, but was less comfortable on the right of the defence than he has looked in the middle. Was given a tough time by Sheyi Ojo in the first half.

Jack Robinson: 8

Desperately unlucky when the ball deflected in off him for the opening goal. He was excellent in the middle of the back three. Given his previous injury woes, his emergence as a reliable first-team regular this season has been a massive positive for Rangers.

Joel Lynch: 5

Competed and kept going even though he was struggling, but it was a poor, sloppy display summed up by the way he was dispossessed by Neeskens Kebano, who then tumbled to win a penalty.

Pawel Wszolek: 5

Has a great attitude and is always willing to work hard for the cause, but he is struggling for form at present. His delivery was poor and he missed a great chance when he dragged a shot wide in the first half.

QPR manager Ian Holloway: “We kept going and we should have actually got a point out of that. Sometimes in football you get what you deserve and sometimes you don’t, and unfortunately tonight we didn’t.”

Josh Scowen: 7

Not at his best, but this was still another very decent midfield display from Scowen, who was neat and tidy throughout and used the ball well.

Massimo Luongo: 7

Won numerous challenges in a tough midfield battle and would have scored but for a save from keeper David Button.

Luke Freeman: 8

Another quality display from the man now established as QPR’s talisman. His ability on the ball and clever movement bothered Fulham, as did his set-piece deliveries. He created a number of openings, including chances for Jake Bidwell and Conor Washington.

Jake Bidwell: 6

Did some good things in both halves of the pitch, including a cross which led to Rangers’ goal. But unfortunately it has to go down as a bad night for Bidwell because he missed a great chance to score before being caught out in the build up to the first Fulham goal.

Jamie Mackie: 6

Gritty, almost overstepping the mark on occasions, without really testing the Fulham defence.

Idrissa Sylla: 7

Held the ball up and linked play very well before being substituted in the second half.

Matt Smith: 6

Had chances after being brought on against his former club, sending a header wide before being denied by a goal-line clearance in injury time. Won the ball in the air to set up Washington’s goal.

Conor Washington: 7

Scored one and might have had another during a lively 20 minutes or so on the pitch.

Fulham

David Button: 7

Commanded his area, crucially gathering loose balls and was only undone by a deflected goal. Made a crucial save in stoppage time immediately after QPR pulled a goal back to secure the three points for Fulham.

Ryan Fredericks: 8

Opened the scoring with the help of a big deflection from Robinson, while his crisp through-ball to Rui Fonte should have been rewarded with an opening goal in the first half. Another near-complete display from the right-back.

Tomáš Kalas: 7

Stood strong against the physical presence of  Sylla and later former team-mate Smith, making a vital goal-line clearance to preserve Fulham’s lead late on.

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic: “I believe we deserved it. At the end of the game QPR brought us into their territory and pushed in the box with many players and we survived these complicated moments. They put many people forward and used their weapons and we showed our strength on the field.”

Tim Ream: 6

Made a few distribution errors and struggled in the air as Rangers piled the pressure on in the closing stages, but offered much in beginning Fulham’s attacks from the back.

Ryan Sessegnon: 7

Impressed defensively and had plenty of attacking play going through him. Should have done better when the ball fell to him in front of goal with 10 minutes to go, but the teenager produced another display beyond his years in a tense derby.

Kevin McDonald: 7

Shielded the defence reliably throughout the match and organised his side well from the middle, dropping deep to cope with QPR’s aerial threat late on.

Oliver Norwood: 7

Bravely put his body on the line and made a few vital interceptions as QPR bombed forward in added time looking for an equaliser. A tireless performance from the Northern Irishman.

Stefan Johansen: 8

Orchestrated play quickly with the wing-backs during transitions and showed bursts of energy, especially in the second half. Doubled Fulham’s lead with a composed finish from the edge of the box just after Fonte had missed a penalty.

Sheyi Ojo: 6

Dragged an early shot wide and spoiled a couple of good chances either side of half-time before being stretchered off with a shoulder injury, landing awkwardly following a challenge by Joel Lynch.

Yohan Mollo: 6

Showed flashes of skill and pace on Fulham’s multiple counter-attacks, though he saw little of the ball in the final third and was taken off as boss Slavisa Jokanovic strengthened the back line with Denis Odoi in the second half.

Rui Fonte: 6

Missed Fulham’s fourth penalty against QPR in three matches and should have opened the scoring in the first half, but made amends shortly afterwards by teeing up Johansen for the second goal.

Neeskens Kebano: 7

Came on for Ojo with more than half an hour to play and made another strong impact off the bench, winning a penalty after his goal against Forest in midweek.

Denis Odoi: 6

Slotted into a back three midway through the second half, getting the wrong side of the impressive Freeman on a couple of occasions