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AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: QPR v Everton, Premier League

We were at Loftus Road as Everton looked to continue their excellent start to the season against Queens Park Rangers.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. E-mail tony@thescore.ie, tweet@thescore_iepost a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.

Full-Time: QPR 1-1 Everton

First of all, here are the teams for today’s match…

QPR: Julio Cesar, Bosingwa, Diakite, Nelsen, Traore, Mbia, Granero, Park, Taarabt, Hoilett, Zamora
Subs: Green, Ferdinand, Cisse, Wright-Phillips, Mackie, Onuoha, Faurlin

Everton: Howard, Coleman, Distin, Jagielka, Baines, Mirallas, Neville, Osman, Pienaar, Jelavic, Anichebe
Subs: Mucha, Heitinga, Oviedo, Naismith, Hitzlsperger, Gueye, Duffy

Referee: Jon Moss

The match has kicked off and, two minutes in, we have a goal!!!

The home side clear an Everton corner and Junior Hoilett runs at the Toffees defence. And runs. And runs. Leighton Baines makes the mistake of standing off the former Blackburn man and deflects Hoilett’s shot past Tim Howard.

Poor by Everton, QPR celebrate.

Howard slips under pressure from Hoilett, but Everton just about clear. QPR press again with Adel Taarabt, who finds Jose Bosingwa, but Baines manages to block the lurking Bobby Zamora and the ball misses everyone. Poor start by Everton.

Looks like Steven Pienaar has cut his hair. Unconfirmed at this point.

Everton get a free-kick in a threatening position. Looks perfect for Baines by Nikica Jelavic steps up instead, and Julio Cesar easily palms it away.

Pienaar fouls Park to put his team under pressure. Corner of the box…

Esteban Granero sends a fine ball over but Ryan Nelsen heads it on to his own shoulder and wide.

Granero is a fine player. (#toogoodforPremierLeaguestrugglers)

Anton Ferdinand: Been there, done that, no t-shirt…

Sylvain Distin equalises for Everton! The French centre-half has a free header that strikes the post, before deflecting in off Julio Cesar. Questions of an own goal but it should go to the defender.

In the next attack, Phil Jagielka gets another free header that hits the post. QPR’s period of dominance has come to an end.

Diakite charges forward and finds Zamora, who is backing into Distin. Zamora lays the ball back to Hoilett but the QPR goalscorer blazes the ball over.

Bosingwa crosses after great work by Granero to keep QPR going forward, but Jagielka does brilliantly to head it away from danger.

A minute or so from half-time.

We have half-time – the Hoops will lament giving away an equaliser after some fine play. It was sloppy defending to let Distin get a free header. Junior Hoilett had given QPR the lead after just two minutes.

A decent enough match, hopefully the second half will be better again.

Kevin Mirallas does well to hold off Granero and almost fashions a chance for himself, but he is shepherded away by a QPR defender. Quiet start to the second half.

What an intervention by Phil Jagielka! Diakite slaloms into the box and crosses for his captain Ji-Sung Park, but the Everton defender gets his body in the way superbly. Would have been a goal otherwise.

Pienaar’s lack of pace lets him down after he’s slotted in by Mirallas. The South African hasn’t been at his best today – it must be the haircut.

The match has got very scrappy… and just as I write that, Pienaar is sent off for a second bookable offence after clipping Bosingwa from behind.

He will miss the Merseyside derby next week. Ouch. The booking looked harsh too.

Samba Diakite is booked. Definitely a sentence I’ve seen before.

Granero lifts a tremendous ball into the path of Zamora, whose shot is easily saved by Tim Howard.

QPR are struggling from set pieces – Distin heads across the goal and both Steven Naismith and Phil Jagielka almost put Everton into the lead. Unfortunately for them, the London side have a great goalkeeper.

The ball then falls to Jelavic but he shoots wide.

Hoilett shows some great feet to get past Leon Osman and shoot, but Howard saves. The rebound falls to Granero but it flies wide.

Park plays the ball on for sub Djibril Cissé but Howard gets there first. QPR are pressing, trying to make their one-man advantage count.

Steven Pienaar is trying the watch the match from the tunnel but fourth official Phil Dowd tells him to do one.

On the pitch, Hoilett is raging after a challenge from Seamus Coleman does not result in a penalty. Seen… them… given.

A free-kick from Adel Taarabt goes just wide of the Everton goal. Close enough.

Looking at the Coleman challenge again and it definitely should have been a penalty.

David Moyes brings on Johnny Heitinga for Jelavic.

Just two minutes left here – QPR should have capitalised on Pienaar’s sending off here but it looks like Everton might hold on for a point. Might. There could be lots and lots of delicious Fergie time.

More great defending from Jagielka, who steals the ball off the toe of Cissé after Park prods it towards goal. Man of the match, the England defender.

And, with that, the whistle is blown for full-time. An entertaining enough match but it tailed off in the second half, with the sending off of Steven Pienaar making for a fairly scrappy end to the game.

Thanks for keeping up…

As it happened: Sunderland v Newcastle, Premier League >

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