Hope Akpan earns Blackburn a point as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's QPR wait goes on
Hope Akpan's 85th-minute header scuppered Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's hopes of securing a first win as QPR manager in their 1-1 draw at Blackburn.
Hasselbaink swapped Burton for Loftus Road back in early December and had not tasted success in any of his first seven games at the helm in the Sky Bet Championship or the FA Cup.
That streak looked to be coming to an end when Leroy Fer struck midway through the first half against a lacklustre Rovers side.
However, for the fourth straight league game, the Hoops conceded in the final 10 minutes as Akpan guided Ben Marshall's long throw home at the back post to register Blackburn's first goal in 505 minutes.
Home boss Paul Lambert handed a debut to Elliott Bennett following his arrival from Norwich, leaving Marshall to slot in at right-back, and the latter's defensive qualities were needed when he prevented Junior Hoilett from getting a good connection on an early one-on-one with Jason Steele.
Rangers goalkeeper Joe Lumley was then afforded a let off when he dropped Corry Evans' shot into Jordan Rhodes' path and got away with it before the visitors went ahead through Fer.
Ex-Rovers winger Hoilett's cross had been intended for Matt Phillips but while he was unable to knock the ball past an advancing Steele, Fer was left with a simple back-post finish to make the breakthrough.
That failed to wake the hosts up initially - and they were fortunate Sebastian Polter could not sweep beyond Steele inside the six-yard box - before Blackburn finally threatened late in the half.
Rhodes failed to get clean contact on an overhead kick while Shane Duffy's header was hacked away from virtually off the line as QPR recorded their 15th straight first-half clean sheet in the league.
Rovers did not build on that as the second half started, though, prompting Lambert to call on Chris Brown and Darragh Lenihan after the hour mark.
Yet even that could not muster any sort of attacking pressure as Rangers' defence comfortably dealt with anything that came their way and what was shaping up to be a bad night became worse for Blackburn when Duffy limped off, potentially leaving Lambert thin at centre-back as the club awaits news on Matt Kilgallon's hip scan.
But, out of nothing, the hosts rescued a point with five minutes to go as QPR once again crumbled late on. Lumley could not get past Rhodes to deal with Marshall's long throw and Akpan was there to head past three defenders and salvage a point they barely deserved.
Source: PA
