West Bromwich Albion and Queens Park Rangers played out a 1-1 draw at the Hawthorns to keep their positive Championship starts going.
These two have been the surprise packages of the season so far, going into the game second and fourth, respectively. West Brom dominated the possession early on but they couldn’t make it count before QPR took a shock lead in the 38th minute.
The Rs launched a quick counter-attack through Kwame Poku and Rumarn Burrell, with the latter getting a shot away. It was saved but was rebounded into his own net by Chris Mepham.
It only took West Brom a few minutes to equalise, though, with Callum Styles curling a good effort low into the corner from outside the box. Although both sides had some opportunities in the second half, neither could find the breakthrough.
West Brom vs QPR analysis:
A poor afternoon for attacks
QPR went into this game as one of three Championship teams to have taken 100 shots in the league. They had only hit the target with 33 of their 101 efforts, but it will have had neutrals ready for a good game. Even with the Rs having gone two league games without scoring.
On paper it was an intriguing tie, with West Brom keeping back-to-back league clean sheets. But QPR barely tested the West Brom defence. And their own backline wasn’t in much trouble either. This wasn’t a cagey affair, as one might have expected between two teams high up the table. Particularly two teams who are performing vastly above expectations even at this early stage. It was just a game with very little going for the attacks.
Rabby Nzingoula had the first shot of the game in the sixth minute but it didn’t trouble the QPR goal even with a deflection. Fans had to wait 28 minutes for the next effort and it was a good chance for West Brom, but Aune Heggebo couldn’t direct Toby Collyer’s cross on target.
Then came the action-packed three minutes that would decide the game. QPR took the shock lead in the 38th minute after a good counter attack. Poku and Burrell were the two involved, with a good driving frun from the corner. Burrell showed good feet inside the box to get his shot away, forcing a save — QPR’s first effort and the game’s first shot on target. The Rs had fortune on their side, with the save rebounding off Chris Mepham into his own next. But just moments later, West Brom were level. Callum Styles was the scorer, giving the Baggies the goal they did deserve from their dominance of the ball.
Just four shots in the first half, things did slightly improve after half-time. West Brom finished the match with 11 shots to QPR’s four, hitting the target four times. But it still wasn’t the attacking performances both sets of fans will have wanted.
West Brom’s left-hand focus
West Brom’s attacking system was clear from very early on. They focused a lot of their attacks down the left, looking to test Amadou Mbengue who remains a centre-back playing out of position. Even if he has been QPR’s right-back for almost a year.
Conor Townsend was the marauding left-back, creating two chances and attempting four take-ons. He jad the third-most touches of any West Brom player (103) and attempted (32) and completed (28) more final-third passes than any of his teammates.
In front of him, Isaac Price created one chance and attempted two take-ons. Even their goal, though scored from the right, started on the left. West Brom had the ball on the left side with Nzingoula, who played the ball inside to Felix Myhre. The attacking midfielder then passed it on to Styles, who finished.
But it might have been worth West Brom trying to use the right more. Not just because Styles scored and led the Baggies for four chances created, two take-ons completed and two shots on target. Defensively, Mbengue did well for QPR. He made four tackles — the joint-most in his side along with left-back Dennis Cirkin — and won possession twice in the middle third.
QPR’s defensive mindset
A lot of fans want to see their teams on the ball, taking control of matches. If a team has the ball, they’re more likely to test the opposition defence and score goals. So some QPR fans may have been annoyed to see their side happy to cede possession at the Hawthorns. But there was method to the madness, even if it wasn’t the result Julien Stephan will have had in mind.
The three league games QPR have won this season, have all seen them have the lower percentage of possession. In their opening weekend win over Portsmouth, the Rs had just 45.6% of the ball. It was slightly lower for their victory against Blackburn Rovers (55.3%). And their win over Cardiff City saw QPR hold just 36.3% of the ball.
On the other side of the coin, they hadn’t won a game in which they had more possession than their opponents. In draws against Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic, QPR had 55.3% and 72.4% possession, respectively And in the defeat to Middlesbrough — QPR’s only league loss to date — they had 52.1% of the ball. So Stephan trusted his players to be able to do more without the ball than with it.
Against West Brom, QPR had 36.6% possession and didn’t look in much danger of losing. But, this time, they were let down by the attack — as mentioned. Having had at least 15 shots in five of their first six league games in the season, QPR managed just four at the Hawthorns. That might have been remedied with slightly more time on the ball. But you can see why Stephan set his side up the way he did. And they still left the Hawthorns unbeaten on the road.