QPR 2-1 Luton Town: FLW report as Hatters fall to 10th consecutive away defeat | OneFootball

FLW report live from Loftus Road

Luton Town's dismal return to the Championship continued at Loftus Road on Monday night as they fell to a 10th consecutive away defeat in a cruel 2-1 loss to QPR.

The Hatters were looking the better side just after the hour when Morgan Fox's deflected decider left Thomas Kaminski stranded after Mark McGuinness' header had cancelled out Michael Frey's opener to leave the teams level at the break.

In the end, Marti Cifuentes R's will feel they were deserving of the three points, which lifts them to 13th in the table, as they failed to capitalise on a string of chances when the Hatters were chasing the game.

Luton's fifth defeat in six games leaves Luton 20th, just three points above the relegation zone, and will pile more pressure on Rob Edwards just four days on from his promise that he would not walk away despite their ongoing struggles.

QPR 2-1 Luton Town

An unchanged QPR XI meant appearance number 250 for Ilias Chair and it felt like the Moroccan magician was playing the hits in the first 20 minutes as he twice came close to crafting the opener.

Dropping his shoulder and cutting in from the left in signature fashion, he picked out Frey with a pinpoint cross that deserved more than the tame header that the striker put right at Kaminski. Next, he went down the outside and swung in a cross to Jimmy Dunne, who put a header against the crossbar and then blazed the rebound over from close range.

The opening exchanges had been something of a Chair clinic but the R's breakthrough in the 24th minute was all about Frey. The physical striker showed the delicate side to his game to set Paul Smyth speeding down the right with a flick around the corner and then his nous by popping up at the back post to convert Harrison Ashby's deep cross from a tight angle, squeezing an effort in off the post at the second time of asking. Replays showed a hint of handball but without VAR, it was a shout that was never being given.

Luton responded and will feel they were unlucky not to level minutes later when Ashby, Sam Field, and Fox made key close-range blocks in quick succession. That was the first warning shot for the hosts, whose control on the game was starting to slip as the Hatters grew in confidence.

The second came minutes before the break when Marvelous Nakamba curled a strike over the top from the edge of the box and they would not get a third as on the eve of the half, McGuinness rose highest at a corner to send a header in off the post.

Boosted by their equaliser, the visitors looked a side with renewed confidence and threatened early in the second half. Liam Walsh whipped a free-kick into the wall and then debutant Lamine Fanne, one of three changes to the starting lineup made by Edwards, blazed over the top after Carlton Morris' clever backheel.

The 20-year-old, who is a recent arrival after signing permanently from AIK in the summer and then being loaned back for the rest of 2024, pushed an edge-of-the-box strike the wrong side of the bar minutes later as Luton continued to push for a second.

But football can be a cruel game and 2024/25 took another miserable turn for Edwards in the form of a deflected go-ahead goal for the hosts just after the hour. A free-kick won against the run of play was rolled to Chair, whose long-range strike caught Fox as he tried to take evasive action and wrong-footed Kaminski.

As with the first goal, Luton roared back and went close through Morris, who overpowered his defender and then hammered his backpost header into the flying body of R's goalkeeper Paul Nardi.

The Hatters were searching for a response but it was Cifuentes that rang the changes and the introduction of 21-year-old Alfie Lloyd nearly proved a masterstroke. The forward made himself a nuisance for the opposition defence and could have put the game to bed – lifting a chip over Kaminski but wide of the post and then rattling the upright with a powerful strike.

As the clock ticked down, there was nearly a fairlytale ending for the milestone man as a quick break saw Chair cut inside onto his right in that all too familiar fashion. The only surprise was that he whipped his effort wide of the post.

That reprieve kept the Hatters alive and they got one more big chance in the seven minutes added on. McGuinness' flying header sailed inches over the bar – on such tight margins, games of football, and perhaps even managerial tenures, can be decided.

QPR player ratings

Paul Nardi - 7

Harrison Ashby - 7 (Jack Colback (69) - 6)

Jimmy Dunne - 6

Morgan Fox - 7

Kenneth Paal - 7

Jonathan Varane - 6 (Ronnie Edwards (61) - 6)

Sam Field - 7

Kieran Morgan - 7 (Jake Clarke-Salter (88) - 6)

Paul Smyth - 6 (Koki Saito (61) - 6)

Ilias Chair - 7

Michael Frey - 7 (Alfie Lloyd (69) - 7)

Unused subs: Joe Walsh, Elijah Dixon-Bonner, Nicolas Madsen, Rayan Kolli

Luton Town player ratings

Thomas Kaminski - 7

Amari'i Bell - 7

Mark McGuinness - 8

Tom Holmes - 6 (Daiki Hashioka (86) - 6)

Tahith Chong - 6

Liam Walsh - 7

Marvelous Nakamba - 6 (Elijah Adebayo (74) - 6)

Zack Nelson - 7 (Jacob Brown (77) - 6)

Reuell Walters - 6 (Jordan Clark (86) - 6)

Carlton Morris - 6

Lamine Fanne - 6 (Cauley Woodrow (85) - 6)

Unused subs: Tim Krul, Mads Andersen, Tom Krauß, Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu,

Attendance

The attendance at QPR v Luton Town was 14,025.

That includes 1,010 traveling Hatters fans.

Marti Cifuentes post-match reaction

"An important win for us definitely," said Cifuentes. "I would say despite some challenges and suffering at the end, it was deserved. We started the game really well. We're talking a lot about being able to produce in the beginning, to set the atmosphere and the standards, which I think the team has been doing lately at home."

He added: "It was very disappointing to go straight into halftime conceding that goal. We know that Luton are one of the best sides in attacking set pieces in the league. We have been doing really well in both boxes, defending and attacking set pieces, but unfortunately, we couldn't manage on this one with McGuinness.

"Very good response after a poor first 15 minutes of the first half. A bit lucky but when I look at the number of changes we created, I think we deserved to take the lead. At the end, we had to suffer because we didn't score the third goal but I'm happy because of the bench impact, because of the togetherness, because I see a team that really believe in what they're doing. Credit to the players because they are working to a really high level."

"Very good response after the first 15 minutes of the second half

Rob Edwards post-match reaction

Speaking after the game, Edwards said: "We had some good chances ourselves, it's another game I'm sitting here saying the same sorts of things. In a really finely balanced match, we've come out on the wrong end again."

He added: "The results are not good enough. You can see players are giving everything, you can see in similar performances recently. The results are not good enough and we are in a results business."