Tjaronn Chery nets late penalty as QPR salvage draw at Leeds
Giuseppe Bellusci endured another ending to forget as he conceded an 87th-minute penalty that allowed QPR to salvage a 1-1 draw at Leeds.
Chris Wood's opener had Leeds set for a first win in three but when Bellusci failed to catch Sebastian Polter as he made his way into the Leeds box, the Italian bundled him over.
Substitute Tjaronn Cherry emphatically converted the penalty, giving Bellusci another calamity to preside over after his last-minute meltdown at Rotherham on Saturday condemned Leeds to a 2-1 defeat.
Then his botched clearance led to Marco Silvestri giving away a spot-kick and boss Steve Evans may now wonder why he opted to give the Italian a second chance, especially as Leeds were on course to be deserving winners on the back of Wood's 70th-minute goal.
In the wake of the Rotherham game Leeds were eager to start quickly, and the recalled Stuart Dallas tried his best with a ninth-minute half-volley which Alex Smithies dealt with.
At the other end, Liam Cooper's last-ditch tackle shut down Jamie Mackie, who then had to limp off.
Leeds continued to press when they could, Wood having an effort charged down and Mustapha Carayol cutting in and shooting low at Smithies, but on the whole the quality and end product from both sides remained poor.
That was underlined when Dallas and Lewis Cook made a mess of a three-on-three break, while Junior Hoilett registered QPR's first effort with a curling strike over the bar of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, playing in the absence of the banned Silvestri.
Dallas tried to liven things up after the break with a fizzing volley that was deflected wide, while Luke Murphy should have done more than warm Smithies' palms when Cook squared to him in space.
Chances continued to present themselves to Leeds, Dallas again off target when well set, while Hoilett again represented QPR's best chance as his shot was blocked by Gaetano Berardi.
United's second-half improvement meant that when they took the lead in the 70th minute it was deserved. Murphy's floated ball into the box tempted Smithies off his line but a moment of hesitation cost him and Wood cashed in, prodding in for a first goal since December 29.
But with time running out and QPR posing little threat, Bellusci's error allowed Cherry to level things up.
Source: PA
