In the Championship game on 19 September 2026, QPR beat Preston 2:2. Match numbers: shots on target 6:3, corners 9:3.
Match report
QPR and Preston played out a 2-2 draw in the Championship's eighth round on Saturday. The result keeps the hosts eighth on 12 points while Preston remain 22nd on 6, though the away side's first point of the campaign makes a difference to the way the table reads. By then the visitors had already shown they were not there to make up the numbers.
Johnny Kenny gave QPR the lead in the first minute, and then doubled his tally on 26 after a red card for Dennis Cirkin had left the hosts down to ten men. The substitution of Jonathan Varane in the 19th minute was the other notable change before half-time, and Leon Scarlett picked up a yellow card on 22 not long after. Preston kept the score at 2-0 until the second half.
Kwame Poku pulled one back for the visitors on 66, and Paul Smyth equalised in the 90th minute to complete a comeback QPR thought they had put to bed. Five substitutions were made by both sides in the second period, with Amadou Salif Mbengue and Leo Leroy both coming on for QPR in quick succession. The hosts had won their last two home games before this one, but the momentum shifted when Preston found no answer to the pressure.
QPR dominated possession at 60 per cent and registered 26 shots compared to Preston's 9, while expected goals stood at 2.61 for the hosts against 1.31. The figures suggest QPR created more, though the visitors were more efficient with their attempts. And here's the thing — Preston's goalkeeper made four saves to QPR's one, which is where the match was decided more than anything else.
The result means QPR stay level on points with the teams around them, while Preston's first point after losing their first six games changes the way the bottom of the table looks. They have still not managed a draw in eight rounds, but this was a step away from the pattern. The gap between them and safety remains 16 points, though the run must have ended somewhere.
