Sheffield United v QPR: Heckingbottom frustrated by decisions and yet more injuries
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What neither he nor HRH Prince Abdullah bin Musa’d bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, making a rare visit to Bramall Lane to observe the club he owns in the flesh, realised was quite how tough an examination it would prove, with Queens Park Rangers condemning them to defeat courtesy of Chris Willock’s second-half finish.
“You’d take that performance against a good side,” insisted Heckingbottom, before claiming United should have been awarded a penalty in added time. “It’s frustrating, yes, of course it is.
“It’s different if we’d have gone in front. But we didn’t.”
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Hide AdAlthough the result was disappointing, with United retaining their place at the summit of the Championship despite surrendering an unbeaten run stretching back to the opening round of games, Heckingbottom will be more concerned by the carelessness which has crept into his side’s play since the international break. It could be lethargy, given the stress placed on their resources by a spate of injuries which shows no sign of easing following news that George Baldock and Sander Berge both sustained knocks.
But the goal Willock scored was preventable, with the winger claiming his sixth of the campaign when a lapse in concentration was compounded by that rare collector’s item otherwise known as a Wes Foderingham mistake.
“It was blood and guts, hard yards,” Michael Beale, the QPR manager said. “They took us to where it hurts.”
Despite positioning himself as a plain-speaking gaffer, Heckingbottom isn’t averse to indulging in a spot of subterfuge. So after spending much of his pre-match briefing detailing how Reda Khadra could become a better makeshift wing-back, absolutely no eyebrows were raised when he plumped for a specialist one instead; Jayden Bogle starting following his cameo appearance during Saturday’s draw with Birmingham City.
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Hide AdWhereas United opted for one change, Rangers went for three despite arriving fifth in the table. The ploy worked, with the visitors possessing an energy to equal their guile and also enjoying a huge slice of fortune; the officials failing to spot Andre Dozzell tugging at Berge’s shirt inside the box.
“The annoying thing is, Sander’s got injured,” Heckingbottom said. “We’re hoping it’s not as serious as it looks.”
As you would expect of a squad previously unbeaten at home this term, United initially grabbed the contest by the throat. Chris Basham and Oliver Norwood both went close during the early skirmishes. Tommy Doyle went even closer with another long-range effort which drifted just wide of a post.
As the half unfolded, however, so Rangers’ threat grew. Well, the threat posed by Ilias Chair to be exact with the Moroccan seeing a shot turned behind after gliding beyond Chris Basham and John Egan, who had been booked moments earlier for hauling him down.
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Hide AdUnited responded, with Iliman Ndiaye firing wide and Bogle forcing Seny Dieng to parry.
Khadra made his entrance, when Baldock was forced-off with a knock. Whether it was a coincidence or not, the 29-year-old’s departure coincided with a collapse in United’s defensive solidity which Willock exploited following an interchange with Ethan Laird; the ball sneaking through Foderingham after Doyle had failed to track his run.
“We lost balance with the personnel,” Heckingbottom said. “But credit to QPR.”