UK Edition
West Brom leave it late as Jake Livermore stoppage time goal sinks QPR
QPR 2 West Brom 3
Jake Livermore picked the perfect time to score his first goal of the season. The West Bromwich Albion captain struck in the fourth of five minutes of added time to send his side to within a point of the Championship top two.
It looked as if they had missed their chance when a feisty QPR had levelled for the second time in the game with 15 minutes left until Livermore shot home first time at the near post. But if this was not as decisive a win as their 7-1 victory in the reverse fixture at The Hawthorns in August, it was far more dramatic.
For QPR it was a heartbreaking sixth successive league defeat and an eighth match without a win, bringing the bottom three uncomfortably close. They finished the game with ten men, losing Luke Freeman to injury after using all three substitutes.
QPR were unchanged from the narrow home FA Cup defeat by Watford, while Albion manager Darren Moore made three changes to the team that beat Aston Villa 2-0 at Villa Park, including giving Jefferson Montero his first league start after the Ecuadorean arrived on loan from Swansea City on transfer deadline day.
And it was Montero who put Albion ahead after only five minutes. Right back Mason Holgate played a clever ball inside to Jay Rodriguez, whose instant backheel set up Jacob Murphy. His low, angled shot beat Joe Lumley, the goalkeeper, only for Darnell Furlong to block the ball on the goal line but the rebound fell for Montero to blast the ball back into the net.
QPR must have had flashbacks at that point, but they battled their way back into the match. Massimo Luongo played a tempting ball towards the head of Matt Smith as Rangers looked for a reply, but the giant forward mistimed his run, and Luke Freeman wasted a promising position from a free kick after Ahmed Hegazi was ruled to have tripped Jordan Cousins 20 yards out.
QPR could easily have two goals behind after 28 minutes, however, when Lumley, attempting to clear, swung at empty air instead of the ball. Rodriguez raced in but the goalkeeper recovered just in time to kick to safety.
But it was the visitors who were caught in possession as QPR drew level ten minutes before half time. Nakhi Wells took advantage, running at the defence and spotting Luke Freeman coming up on his left. The pass was perfectly into the stride, the shot smacked between Sam Johnstone and his near post.
Lumley, so nearly the villain earlier, was the QPR hero as he turned aside a fierce shot from Kieran Gibbs after the former Arsenal defender had made space with a sidestep.
QPR tore out of the blocks in the second half and looked far more likely to score but shot themselves in the foot just past the hour. A long forward ball was going harmlessly through to Lumley until Joel Lynch needlessly headed it back out to Murphy 22 yards out. He drove past Lynch and Jake Bidwell before lashing the ball low into the far corner.
Steve McClaren, the QPR manager, sent on Tomer Hemed after 70 minutes and the Israel striker equalised four minutes later, rolling the ball in calmly from the penalty spot after he had been held back by Craig Dawson. Then came Livermore's sucker punch.
Match details
Queens Park Rangers (3-5-2): Lumley; Furlong, Leistner, Lynch; Wszolek, Cousins, Luongo, Freeman, Bidwell; Wells, Smith.
Subs: Eze for Smith (45), Hemed for Wells (70), Osayi-Samuel for Wszolek (70)
Substitutes not used: Ingram, Eze, Scowen, Manning, Hemed, Osayi-Samuel, Kakay.
West Bromwich Albion (4-3-3): Johnstone; Holgate, Dawson, Hegazi, Gibbs; Field, Livermore, Johansen; Murphy, Rodriguez, Montero.
Subs: Harper for Montero (57), Barry for Johansen (65), Phillips for Field (81)
Substitutes not used: Bond, Bartley, Phillips, Barry, Edwards, Adarabioyo, Harper.
Booked: Livermore
Referee: J Brooks