QPR vs Manchester United: Score, Grades, Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Manchester United received second-half goals from substitutes Marouane Fellaini and James Wilson to escape from Loftus Road with a 2-0 victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. 

United manager Louis van Gaal was worried about the Hoops' style of play coming into the match. Stuart Mathieson of the Manchester Evening News passed along the boss' comments, which focused on QPR's effort to play balls over the top.

"QPR have a playing style that is difficult for us, we have seen that already," he said. "They play a lot of long balls, they have strong strikers and we have to beat them in spite of that."

The Red Devils seemingly heeded the warning as they weren't too urgent to force the pace in the early going. Both sides used a more conservative approach at the outset, unwilling to make the mistake that could lead to a quick strike for the other side.

It wasn't until just before the 15th minute that there was a notable scoring chance. Radamel Falcao fought to get free in the box for a clean look at goal, but he blasted the shot right at Robert Green. A far too common occurrence for the striker since joining the club.

QPR was finally able to start creating some attacking pressure a few minutes later. A well-timed run by Charlie Austin allowed him to get behind the United defense. His effort from a tricky angle forced David de Gea to make a key stop.

Pauly Kwestel of WFAN applauded the keeper's defensive bail out:

The chance marked the start of an extremely sloppy stretch for United. They had no rhythm or pace to create chances and were giving the ball away far too freely.

Austin almost made them pay around the half-hour mark as he tried to score a highlight-reel goal with a long-range volley on a quick counterattack. Luckily for United, De Gea was up to the task again.

Mark Pougatch of BBC Radio 5 Live summed up the overall effort from Van Gaal's side after 30 minutes:

The halftime whistle arrived without any further threats from either side. World Soccer Talk wrapped up a lackluster first half:

United showed signs of life early in the second half. They finally started to use the significant possession edge to their advantage by pinning QPR in their own end.

The Red Devils should have grabbed the lead in the 56th minute when Angel Di Maria delivered a perfect cross to Falcao. The snake-bitten Colombian didn't angle the header quite well enough, however, and Green came up with another strong stop.

They did find the scoreboard a couple minutes later, though. Fellaini, who was brought on by Van Gaal at halftime as part of a technical swap, took a pass from Antonio Valencia and Green's touch wasn't enough to keep out the ensuing strike.

WhoScored noted Fellaini's success coming off the bench:

QPR had a golden opportunity to equalize in the 75th minute. Poor communication by United allowed Eduardo Vargas to lead a three-on-one break the other way. He waited far too long to make a decision, however, and by the time he did his pass was off the mark.

Manchester United rushed back the other way and James Wilson sent a dangerous cross through the goalmouth, but Falcao once again failed to deliver the necessary finishing touch after a deflection from Steven Caulker. He was active all match long, but just isn't in the requisite form to take advantage.

Full Time Devils pointed out the lack of confidence in front of goal:

United did a commendable job of maintaining possession, slowing the pace and limiting QPR's chances over the final 10 minutes of the match. The best looks came from Mauricio Isla and Vargas, but De Gea was up to the task.

Then Wilson provided the finishing touch for United as he scored off his own rebound in the final minute of stoppage time. Manchester United celebrated the goal and the win:

There were no miracles on tap for QPR as the final whistle blew a short time later.

Queens Park Rangers Grades

Position	Player	Grade
GK	Robert Green	7
LB	Clint Hill	6
CB	Nedum Onuoha	6
CB	Richard Dunne (off 46')	6
RB	Mauricio Isla	7
LM	Leroy Fer (off 70')	5
CM	Karl Henry	6
CM	Joey Barton	5
RM	Eduardo Vargas	4
FW	Bobby Zamora (off 80')	5
FW	Charlie Austin	6
-	Substitutes	-
46'	Steven Caulker	6
70'	Adel Taarabt	4
80'	Niko Kranjcar	5

Manchester United Grades

Position	Player	Grade
GK	David de Gea	8
DF	Marcos Rojo	7
DF	Jonny Evans (off 57')	6
DF	Phil Jones	7
DM	Michael Carrick	7
LM	Daley Blind	6
CM	Wayne Rooney	6
CM	Juan Mata (off 46')	5
RM	Antonio Valencia	8
FW	Radamel Falcao	7
FW	Angel Di Maria (off 95')	6
-	Substitutes	-
46'	Marouane Fellaini	8
57'	James Wilson	7
95'	Ander Herrera	5

What's Next

Manchester United return to the pitch next Friday for a fourth-round FA Cup clash with League Two side Cambridge United at Abbey Stadium. Their next Premier League match comes on Jan. 31 against Leicester City at Old Trafford.

Queens Park Rangers were eliminated from FA Cup contention in the third round by Sheffield United. As a result, they don't play another match until they go out on the road to face Stoke City at Britannia Stadium on Jan. 31.

Post-Match Reaction

QPR manager Harry Redknapp said his side lacked the necessary confidence to beat United, per Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News:

Van Gaal praised the efforts of De Gea and joked he doesn't hand out compliments easily, as noted by UtdReport:

It was certainly a match where QPR had a great chance to earn at least a point after the first half. De Gea and United's impactful subs made sure that didn't happen.

Although the victory allows United to stay inside the top four, they will need to put together much stronger performances moving forward. The attack still lacked the necessary ferocity and Falcao must start burying his chances at a higher rate.