Queens Park Rangers were soundly beaten 3-0 by Birmingham City in the Championship on Saturday. The heavy defeat at St Andrew's extends a concerning run of form for Julien Stéphan's side, who have now failed to win any of their last five league matches, a sequence that reads two losses and three draws.
Liam Millar was the chief tormentor, scoring twice. His first came in the 27th minute, finishing off a move assisted by Tomoki Iwata. Millar then doubled the lead shortly after half-time, again set up by Iwata, to put the game beyond QPR. Substitute Demarai Gray added a third in stoppage time, assisted by Luis Vasquez, to compound the misery.
A frustrating afternoon
Despite the scoreline, QPR matched their hosts in several statistical categories. They had more shots, 12 to 11, and won four corners to Birmingham's zero. Possession was nearly even, with Birmingham edging it 52% to 48%. Yet the clinical edge belonged entirely to the home side, who converted their chances while QPR saw four efforts saved by goalkeeper Beadle.
The visitors' frustration was evident in a flurry of second-half substitutions and bookings. Harvey Vale and Rayan Jawad Kolli were both shown yellow cards in the first half, with Kolli replaced by Richard Kone just after the hour mark. Jake Clarke-Salter and Paul Smyth also made way later on as Stéphan searched for a response.
This result follows a 4-1 victory over Derby County just three days prior. The recent form guide now shows a pattern of LLDDD, with the team having lost their last two away fixtures. They remain in the lower half of the standings and must quickly regroup.
Attention now turns to a key home fixture. Queens Park Rangers host Swansea City at Loftus Road next Saturday, 24 October, in a match that presents an immediate opportunity to halt this slide. The team will need to rediscover the attacking verve shown against Derby if they are to get their season back on track.
