Saturday March 31, 2012 Day 31 Finished Loftus Road

Queens Park Rangers 2 - 1 Arsenal

  • Taarabt 22’
  • Diakité 66’
  • Walcott 37’

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  1. Diakite goal downs Arsenal

    Diakite goal downs Arsenal

    Arsenal's seven-game winning streak in the Premier League was brought to an unexpected halt by QPR in a 2-1 defeat at Loftus Road. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Queens Park Rangers
    • Arsenal
    • - Don't forget you can watch highlights of this match, along with every Premier League game, from 00:01 on Monday morning (UK only).
    • 90+6' FULL TIME. QPR hold on for a 2-1 victory! What a result that is for the home side. Meanwhile, Arsenal can be caught again by Spurs if their rivals win tomorrow.
    • 90+5' It appears as though the assistant referee has been struck by something from the crowd. He is fine but has informed referee Dean. Replays show he was hit by a coin.
    • 90+5' Szczesny is up for a late free kick...
    • 90+4' Barton draws a booking when trying to slow up play.
    • 90+3' A Gervinho cross appears to strike Onuoha on the arm but play continues. He could have done nothing about it after the ball bounced up off the turf.
    • 90+2' A change for QPR as Zamora is replaced by Shaun Wright-Phillips.
    • 90+1' We will have four minutes of added time.
    • 90' Van Persie takes the free kick but can only strike the wall. A chance wasted for Arsenal.
    • 90' Ferdinand goes into the book for a silly challenge from behind on Chamakh.
    • 89' Stat from Infostrada: "Robin van Persie hasn’t scored in his last two matches for Arsenal. He hasn’t yet had a run of three PL matches this season in which he didn’t score."
    • 88' arton is in real pain after challenging in the air for the ball and then landing heavily on his shoulder. That looked a nasty one.
    • 86' QPR go close! Mackie cuts the ball back for Barton in the box and the midfielder sees his first-time effort palmed over the bar by Szczesny.
    • 85' Diakite tries an audacious attempt from 45 yards but pings the ball wide of the goal.
    • 84' Stat from Infostrada: "Arsenal have scored a goal in injury time in five of their last seven PL matches."
    • 82' Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on for Arteta and Marouane Chamakh replaces Gibbs as Arsenal go for it. They need to.
    • 80' Van Persie gets his head to a corner from Arteta but the captain is stretching and diverts the ball behind for a goal kick. Arsenal are beginning to run out of time here.
    • 79' Taiwo drives into the box after a glorious bit of work from Taarabt but Koscielny blocks to send the ball behind for a corner. QPR can't fashion a chance from the set-piece.
    • 77' Arsenal look to be heading towards a defeat here - ending their run of seven wins and giving Spurs the chance to draw level in their game against Swansea tomorrow.
    • 75' Koscielny with a fine block to deny Mackie after Taarabt and Zamora combine well in the final third. Good football all round.
    • 73' Song tries to scoop a pass over the top of the defence but QPR head clear. He loves a scoop pass, does Song.
    • 72' Song slips and QPR threaten to punish Arsenal again but Barton's attempted pass for Zamora is cut out by Koscielny.
    • 71' Stat from Infostrada: "Arsenal have lost five of their six PL away matches this season in which they conceded at least twice, with their 5-3 win at Chelsea being the only exception."
    • 69' Arsenal make a change as Gervinho replaces Ramsey, who had been ineffective wide on the left.
    • 67' Rosicky drives a shot at goal from 25 yards as Arsenal seek a quick response but Kenny has no trouble holding onto the ball.
    • 66' GOAL! QPR 2-1 Arsenal! The home side punish a Vermaelen mistake to the full. The Belgian defender slips on the edge of the box, allowing Mackie to take possession and cut the ball back for Diakite, who finishes superbly with his right boot.
    • 65' Song goes into the book for bringing down Barton and then having stern words with his opponent.
    • 64' Taarabt pulls out the stepovers when he should have been looking to pass on the break and is dispossessed. That's a waste for QPR.
    • 63' Song slips in Rosicky with a neat first-time pass and the ball is then worked to Ramsey. However, he fails to carve out a chance when being shepherded away from goal.
    • 62' Vermaelen and Mackie go head to head after a clash and referee Dean reacts by booking both players. Something over nothing really.
    • 60' Nice effort from Taarabt. He drives a shot at goal from 35 yards and although it swerves in the air, Szczesny gets his body behind it and holds onto the effort.
    • 59' Great save from Kenny! Van Persie collects a pass through the centre of the pitch, spins away from Hill and drives into the box before seeing his firm effort turned behind by the Rangers keeper.
    • 58' Van Persie tries the shot from a tight angle and Kenny can only parry his inswinging effort away. Arsenal fail to capitalise though.
    • 57' Arsenal appeal for a handball against Taiwo again following a well-constructed move and this time they get the decision. Free kick to the right of the goal.
    • 55' Ramsey tries to set Van Persie free in the box with a floated pass but the ball soars out of play. It was the right idea but the execution was poor.
    • 54' Stat from Opta: "Since his arrival in England, Thomas Vermaelen has scored more goals (12) than any other Premier League defender."
    • 52' Arteta rolls the set-piece square to Vermaelen but the Belgian's blasted effort smacks into a QPR player and bounces away. Those kinds of free kicks are so low percentage it's hardly worth the bother.
    • 51' That Gibbs chance aside, Arsenal have been rather sluggish in the opening minutes of the second half but they win a free kick when Hill brings down Arteta.
    • 50' Replays show that Koscielny did not actually get a touch to the ball and that Mackie got in front of him. QPR wanted a penalty for the admittedly clumsy challenge.
    • 48' Koscielny is forced to stick his boot in to prevent Mackie from getting a shot away and diverts the ball into the arms of Szczesny. QPR want a back-pass but referee Dean waves play on.
    • 47' Koscielny is forced to stick his boot in to prevent Mackie from getting a shot away and diverts the ball into the arms of Szczesny. QPR want a back-pass but referee Dean waves play on.
    • 46' KICK OF!
    • - Let me know what you made of that first half on Twitter now. Follow @tomEurosport
    • 45+1' HALF TIME. Walcott's fine finish levelled matters for Arsenal after Taarabt's crafty opener.
    • 45' Walcott appeals for a handball against Taiwo when he sees his cross blocked but referee Mike Dean is unmoved and awards a corner rather than a penalty.
    • 44' Taarabt's outswinger flies through the group of players assembled in the box but a QPR shirt can't get on the end of it. Up the other end, Van Persie is offside when testing Kenny.
    • 43' Nice skills from Taarabt as he rolls the ball away from Arteta to win a free kick for the home side. Mackie then shows some silky skill of his own to draw a foul from Ramsey.
    • 42' Now Rosicky gets in on the act with a weak shot following a neat combination with Song 25 yards from goal. Arsenal much more impressive now.
    • 41' Walcott and Van Persie combine again but this time a cross from the former is cut out before it can reach the latter on the edge of the six-yard box.
    • 40' Arsenal are playing with much more confidence now and after receiving the ball from Arteta 20 yards from goal Ramsey attempts to surprise Kenny with a low effort that flies just wide of the far post.
    • 38' Arsenal are the masters at coming from behind at present. They are well accustomed to making things hard for themselves.
    • 37' GOAL! QPR 1-1 Arsenal! Walcott with the leveller for the visitors. Van Persie plays in his team-mate with a fine short pass and after seeing his first effort cannon off the post, Walcott is on hand to tuck the rebound home with a neat volleyed finish with the instep.
    • 36' Taarabt attempts some fancy footwork by the touchline but is robbed by Bacary Sagna.
    • 34' Walcott dinks in a cross from the right but Van Persie slips and Ferdinand remains on his feet to take possession of the ball and clear for QPR.
    • 32' Mackie is caught offside again as he chases onto a ball over the top, but eventually he will time one of his runs correctly and Arsenal will be in trouble.
    • 31' Stat from Infostrada: "Arsenal have won each of their last four PL matches when conceding the opening goal."
    • 29' Derry slips as a Walcott cross comes in low from the right but Anton Ferdinand is on hand to mop up and clear for QPR.
    • 28' Mackie gets away from Kieran Gibbs on the right flank but is forced to check back when the full-back catches up with him and ends up dragging his shot across the face of goal.
    • 26' Taarabt was booked for his celebrations by the way. Brilliantly, he whipped out a fez and stuck it on his head.
    • 25' Arsenal have been very poor so far and are deservedly behind. They lack any spark or control at the moment.
    • 24' Stat from Opta: "Arsenal have won more points from losing positions than any other team this season (19). No side have dropped more points from winning positions than QPR in the Premier League in 2011-12 (15)."
    • 22' GOAL! QPR 1-0 Arsenal! Rangers are rewarded for a sustained spell of pressure as Adel Taarabt puts them in front. It is poor defending from Vermaelen as he allows Taarabt to collect a pass from Diakite and spin away from him before the midfielder caresses his shot past Szczesny from the edge of the box.
    • 21' Chance for QPR. Diakite squares for Zamora and he makes a yard of space 20 yards from goal before drilling in a low effort that poses no problems for Szczesny.
    • 20' Mackie and Wojciech Szczesny collide in midair as the keeper comes to claim a high ball but it's all smiles as they pick themselves up from the turf.
    • 19' Zamora sticks out a leg to divert the ball into the path of Mackie on the edge of the box but he is halted by a fine interception from Koscielny.
    • 18' Arteta and Ramsey indulge in some intricate passing on the edge of the box but the move breaks down when Walcott passes to a QPR shirt. Disappointing.
    • 17' Van Persie produces a fine touch to elude his marker 25 yards from goal but gets his attempted pass to Walcott all wrong.
    • 16' Stat from Infostrada: "QPR have had six players sent off this season – five of them at Loftus Road. If they get a red card today it will set a new PL record for teams having the most red cards at home in a single season, beating Bolton’s 5 in 2001-02."
    • 15' The set-pieces keep coming for QPR. This time Thomas Vermaelen is rightly penalised for raising his boot too high when trying to keep the ball away from Zamora. Arsenal clear from Taarabt's delivery though.
    • 14' Arteta and Barton clash in midfield and the QPR midfielder comes off worse after being caught by a high boot. Tarrabt swings in the free kick and finds Zamora, who from near the penalty spot heads over the bar. A good chance.
    • 12' Now the home side win a free kick on the right wing and Arsenal head behind for a corner. QPR win another corner when Aaron Ramsey blocks from Mackie.
    • 11' More pressure from QPR as Taarabt sees a rather hopeful effort from the edge of the box blocked by an Arsenal shirt.
    • 10' Excellent work from Song. First he cuts out a cross from the left and when the ball rolls into the path of Zamora, the midfielder robs him of possession with a fine tackle.
    • 9' Now Adel Taarabt plays in Mackie with an intelligent pass but the forward is caught offside once again.
    • 8' Clint Hill goes through the back of Walcott 20 yards from goal to give away a silly free kick. Van Persie takes it and drills in a low effort under the wall that takes a tiny deflection off Shaun Derry and sees Paddy Kenny save at the second attempt.
    • 7' Stat from Opta: "QPR have won just two of their last 18 Premier League matches (W2 D4 L12)."
    • 6' Barton tries to lift a pass over the top of the Arsenal defence for Jamie Mackie, charging down the right channel. However, the forward is offside.
    • 5' Tomas Rosicky slips a quick pass into Van Persie but the striker loses his footing as he hits the byline and a goal kick is awarded.
    • 4' Robin van Persie delivers the set-piece from the right and although the ball finds Alex Song in the box, he is dispossessed as he tries to dive between two QPR players.
    • 3' Arsenal are seeing plenty of the ball in these opening exchanges and Walcott finds space in the box before seeing his fierce cross deflected behind for a corner.
    • 2' Taye Taiwo wastes little time in clattering into Theo Walcott. I believe that is what is known as 'letting him know you are there'.
    • 1' KICK OFF!
    • 15:00 Referee Mike Dean leads the two teams out of the tunnel to a warm reception at Loftus Road. Arsenal are in red and QPR in their classic blue and white hoops.
    • 14:55 You can get in contact with me on Twitter during today's game. Let me know your pre-match predictions, or get a rant out of your system if you prefer. Follow Tom Adams on Twitter!
    • 14:50 Leaving today's match aside for a second, I should alert you to the news that Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has said he will retire from football immediately after being diagnosed with acute leukaemia. Petrov to retire
    • 14:45 Arsene Wenger is patrolling the touchline area for Arsenal today, but the big news on Friday was that he has been hit with a UEFA suspension following some rather critical comments he made about a ref following Arsenal's 3-0 win over Milan. UEFA hits Wenger with ban
    • 14:40 Barton claimed prior to his move to QPR in August that Arsenal were interested in him, despite his play-acting to get Gervinho sent off when the Gunners played Newcastle in the first game of the season. As always, he will be the centre of attention today as QPR aim to move out of the relegation zone with a point or better.
    • 14:35 Laurent Koscielny returns for Arsenal after injury ruled him out of the 3-0 win against Aston Villa and he replaces Johan Djourou in defence. Elsewhere, Aaron Ramsey replaces Gervinho and will play out wide. For QPR, Joey Barton returns to the starting XI after being dropped for the defeat at Sunderland, while Djibril Cisse is suspended and replaced by Jay Bothroyd.
    • 14:30 TEAMS: QPR: Kenny, Diakite, Hill, Derry, Taarabt, Mackie, Barton, Taiwo, Ferdinand, Onuoha, Zamora. Subs: Cerny, Gabbidon, Campbell, Bothroyd, Buzsaky, Young, Wright-Phillips. /// Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Song, Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey, Walcott, Van Persie. Subs: Fabianski, Djourou, Santos, Benayoun, Gervinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh.
    • 14:25 Some stats from Opta: "Arsenal have won a lower percentage of games against QPR than versus any other opponent in Premier League history (22%). Arsenal have seen more opposition players red carded against them than any other team this season (5). QPR have picked up more red cards (6) than any other team in the top flight this season, half of which have come since Mark Hughes took over."
    • 14:20 Arsenal have won their past seven Premier League games to usurp Tottenham and move into third place, and with their rivals playing at home to Swansea tomorrow the Gunners have the chance to open up a six-point gap with a win today.
    • 14:15 Hello and welcome to our live text commentary on the Premier League game between QPR and Arsenal at Loftus Road.

  • Summary

    • 86' QPR go close! Mackie cuts the ball back for Barton in the box and the midfielder sees his first-time effort palmed over the bar by Szczesny.
    • 75' Koscielny with a fine block to deny Mackie after Taarabt and Zamora combine well in the final third. Good football all round.
    • 66' GOAL! QPR 2-1 Arsenal! The home side punish a Vermaelen mistake to the full. The Belgian defender slips on the edge of the box, allowing Mackie to take possession and cut the ball back for Diakite, who finishes superbly with his right boot.
    • 60' Nice effort from Taarabt. He drives a shot at goal from 35 yards and although it swerves in the air, Szczesny gets his body behind it and holds onto the effort.
    • 59' Great save from Kenny! Van Persie collects a pass through the centre of the pitch, spins away from Hill and drives into the box before seeing his firm effort turned behind by the Rangers keeper.
    • 58' Van Persie tries the shot from a tight angle and Kenny can only parry his inswinging effort away. Arsenal fail to capitalise though.
    • 48' Koscielny is forced to stick his boot in to prevent Mackie from getting a shot away and diverts the ball into the arms of Szczesny. QPR want a back-pass but referee Dean waves play on.
    • 40' Arsenal are playing with much more confidence now and after receiving the ball from Arteta 20 yards from goal Ramsey attempts to surprise Kenny with a low effort that flies just wide of the far post.
    • 37' GOAL! QPR 1-1 Arsenal! Walcott with the leveller for the visitors. Van Persie plays in his team-mate with a fine short pass and after seeing his first effort cannon off the post, Walcott is on hand to tuck the rebound home with a neat volleyed finish with the instep.
    • 28' Mackie gets away from Kieran Gibbs on the right flank but is forced to check back when the full-back catches up with him and ends up dragging his shot across the face of goal.
    • 22' GOAL! QPR 1-0 Arsenal! Rangers are rewarded for a sustained spell of pressure as Adel Taarabt puts them in front. It is poor defending from Vermaelen as he allows Taarabt to collect a pass from Diakite and spin away from him before the midfielder caresses his shot past Szczesny from the edge of the box.
    • 21' Chance for QPR. Diakite squares for Zamora and he makes a yard of space 20 yards from goal before drilling in a low effort that poses no problems for Szczesny.
    • 14' Arteta and Barton clash in midfield and the QPR midfielder comes off worse after being caught by a high boot. Tarrabt swings in the free kick and finds Zamora, who from near the penalty spot heads over the bar. A good chance.
    • 8' Clint Hill goes through the back of Walcott 20 yards from goal to give away a silly free kick. Van Persie takes it and drills in a low effort under the wall that takes a tiny deflection off Shaun Derry and sees Paddy Kenny save at the second attempt.
    • 14:30 TEAMS: QPR: Kenny, Diakite, Hill, Derry, Taarabt, Mackie, Barton, Taiwo, Ferdinand, Onuoha, Zamora. Subs: Cerny, Gabbidon, Campbell, Bothroyd, Buzsaky, Young, Wright-Phillips. /// Arsenal: Szczesny, Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Gibbs, Song, Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey, Walcott, Van Persie. Subs: Fabianski, Djourou, Santos, Benayoun, Gervinho, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Chamakh.

Team Line-up & Ratings

  • Line-up

    Live Team Line-Up

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      5.8 7
      Defenders
      5.5 7
      Yellow Card 5.6 7
      5.3 5
      5.8 6
      Midfielders
      5.6 6
      Yellow Card 5.5 7
      Goal Yellow Card 6.1 8
      Strikers
      Yellow Card 6 7
      Goal Yellow Card 7.5 7
      Substitution Out90′ 6.1 8
      Subs
      Substitution In90′ 6.5 -
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      6.9 6
      Defenders
      6.5 6
      6.7 7
      Yellow Card 6.3 5
      Substitution Out81′ 6.5 6
      Midfielders
      Substitution Out81′ 6.4 5
      Yellow Card 6.4 6
      Goal 7.1 7
      6.4 6
      Substitution Out70′ 5.8 5
      Strikers
      6.7 5
      Subs
      Substitution In81′ 6.2 -
      Substitution In70′ 5.2 6
      Substitution In81′ 4.4 -

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