Queens Park Rangers snatched a dramatic 1-1 draw against Aston Villa when Richard Dunne scored an own-goal in stoppage-time at Loftus Road on Sunday.
Neil Warnock’s side looked set to suffer a controversial defeat when Villa took the lead through Barry Bannan’s spot-kick after referee Michael Oliver harshly penalized Armand Traore for a tug on Gabriel Agbonlahor.
QPR felt they should have had a penalty of their own when Shaun Derry’s goal-bound header hit Alan Hutton on the arm, but Oliver and his assistants failed to spot the offense.
Photo: Reuters
Oliver then sent off Traore in the closing moments for a second booking, but QPR rescued a point when Dunne turned Heidar Helguson’s cross into his own net.
Villa’s failure to hold onto their lead means Alex McLeish’s side have now drawn five of their six Premier League games this season, while QPR remain level with their opponents on eight points.
Warnock was furious with Oliver’s performance.
Photo: Reuters
“I’ve had a look at our penalty appeals again and I think the statisticians have put the first Alan Hutton one down as a save. How can he not give it?” Warnock asked. “He can’t say he’s in a bad position. My boys deserve better than that. As for the penalty he gave? It’s embarrassing. Armand has blown on him. Referees should be seen and not heard, and the official made it all about him, which is a shame because he took away from what was a good performance from us.”
McLeish said: “I had to tell my players a few home truths at halftime because in the first half we were poor, very poor. I let them know that in no uncertain terms and sure enough we came out a lot better in the second half.”
Although Villa were able to count British Prime Minister David Cameron among their supporters at Loftus Road, even the presence of such a famous fan could not inspire McLeish’s team in the early stages.
QPR made a fast start and went close to taking the lead in the fifth minute as Adel Taarabt cleverly worked space for a well-struck effort from long-range that beat Shay Given, but cannoned back off a post.
There was a real purpose about QPR’s attacking play and both Shaun Wright-Phillips and Taarabt had close-range shots blocked in a 14th-minute melee.
McLeish’s men almost snatched the lead against the run of play when Bannan’s curling free-kick forced a superb one-handed save from Paddy Kenny just before halftime.
However, Villa did take the lead in the 58th minute when Oliver ruled that former Arsenal defender Traore had deliberately pushed Agbonlahor as they challenged for a cross.
Bannan stepped up to fire home the penalty and the Scottish midfielder nearly grabbed his second goal when Kenny made a good stop to keep out his near-post effort.
A low shot from Wright-Phillips forced Given into an excellent save, before Derry’s header from a corner hit Hutton on the arm.
When Tommy Smith’s appeal for a penalty, again for a Hutton handball, was rejected by Oliver, who then sent off Traore for a lunge on Marc Albrighton, it seemed as though QPR’s luck was out, but they equalized in the third minute of stoppage-time when Helguson’s cross was cleared by Stephen Warnock into Dunne, who could not stop the ball rebounding off him into the net.
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