Afternoon all! The one and only Championship game today should be a cracker as QPR take on Reading. Team news coming right up...
QPR XI: Green; Hughes, Dunne, Hill, Assou-Ekotto; Hoilett, Barton, Kranjcar, Traore; Keane, Doyle
QPR SUBS: Murphy, Onuoha, Jenas, Henry, Zamora, Maiga, Benayoun
READING XI: McCarthy, Obita, Gunter, Pearce, Gorkss, Akpan, Williams, McAnuff, McCleary, Le Fondre, Pogrebnyak
READING SUBS: Federici, Kelly, Hector, Guthrie, Robson-Kanu, Drenthe, Blackman
Gorgeous sunny winter's day in West London today:
Righty ho, let's take a look at those lineups. For the home side,
Harry Redknapp makes three changes as Junior Hoilett, Armand Traore and Will Keane start. Yossi Benayoun is also back on the bench.
Visitors Reading go with an unchanged lineup.
It's a big boost for
Nigel Adkins that
Alex Pearce had his red card
overturned by the FA earlier this week.
REFEREE WATCH! The man in charge today is
David Coote.
PREDICTION TIME! With 10 minutes until kickoff, it's time for my pre-match prediction. I'm expecting a cagey affair but reckon that QPR will come out on top by two goals to one.
When these two sides last met in the reverse fixture back in November it finished as a
1-1 draw.
© Getty Images
Just before kickoff, let me tell you what's been happening in the FA Cup today. Everton have just booked their place in the last eight with a
3-1 win over Swansea. Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest are goalless in the first half while at 4pm it's the game of the day as Arsenal take on Liverpool.
I'll bring you updates here on this page of any big goals and results, as well as the quarter-final draw, which takes place shortly. At Loftus Road, the pre-match handshakes have just been completed so we're ready to go!
Both of these teams have blue and white hoops as their home colour so Reading are in their black and red away kit.
A minute's applause to commemorate the life of football legend Sir Tom Finney has just taken place.
KICKOFF! A little behind schedule but we're now underway at Loftus Road.
QPR's top scorer Charlie Austin has to sit in the stands as he is out injured for the rest of the season:
Early opening for the home side as Keane flicks the ball into Doyle. The Irishman could have gone through on goal but he failed to take the ball in his stride.
UPDATE! The draw for the FA Cup quarter-finals has just been made and it's a belter, with potential Merseyside and Sheffield derbies as well as a rematch of last year's final:
Arsenal or Liverpool vs. Everton
Brighton or Hull vs. Sunderland
Sheffield United or Nottingham Forest vs. Sheffield Wednesday or Charlton
Manchester City vs. Wigan Athletic
Apart from that early Doyle glimpse of goal, there's been no goalmouth action yet. A very even start.
Pearce cynically scrapes his boot along Traore's calf but escapes a booking.
GOAL! QPR 0-1 READING (WILLIAMS)
The visitors take an early lead out of nowhere as Williams pushes the ball out to Le Fondre left of the area before making his way into the box. Le Fondre digs over a cross that's perfect for the American, who powers a header back across goal and past Green into the corner. Excellent technique.
Frustrations growing in the home side as Kranjcar slides in late on Pogrebnyak. Free kick to Reading about 23 yards out, right of centre...
McAnuff drifts over a low delivery that strains Williams's neck muscles again. This time he can't get enough power or direction to beat Green.
BOOKING! The challenges continue to fly in and this time Hoilett is shown yellow for a nasty lunge.
That goal has lifted Reading and they've just come close to a second. Le Fondre was unchallenged at the back post but couldn't pick out a teammate with his header back across goal. Good, calm defending from Barton in the middle to clear the danger.
QPR have their first shot but it's a naff effort from Kranjcar.
GOAL! QPR 1-1 READING (DOYLE)
Reading may have looked good going forward, but they've just shot themselves in the foot with some terrible defending. Traore got to the left byline too easily and although his cross didn't cause a goal, Hoilett picked the ball up and played in Keane. The Manchester United loanee was being played onside by Obika but couldn't score. Still Reading were unable to clear and Doyle pounced on the loose ball to bundle home.
OFF THE POST! QPR are now all over Reading and they almost go in front as Hoilett drives into the area before his cross is diverted against the outside of the near post.
CHANCE! From the resulting corner, Keane has a chance to open his Rangers account but can only flick his header onto the roof of the net.
The game is so much more open than I was expecting as Hoilett tests McCarthy with a rising left-footer.
BOOKING! Pogrebnyak uses his immense upper-body strength to muscle out of a QPR sandwich before he is hauled down by Hill, who is booked for the challenge.
They're just about to kick off at the Emirates and if you want to follow Arsenal against Liverpool as well as this game,
open this link in a new tab.
BOOKING! Another blatant shirt tug results in a caution, this time for Reading goalscorer Williams.
It's been a little calmer after that recent action-packed 15-minute spell. Adkins will no doubt be happy with how dangerous his side look on the attack but they need to sort it out at the back.
Obita runs into Hoilett and manages to win the free kick even though the Canadian couldn't really move. The resulting free kick is headed out for a corner.
CLOSE! Obita's initial corner was cleared but it came straight back to him and at the second attempt he whipped over a dangerous cross that somehow didn't get a touch off anyone before zipping wide. Superb centre.
Assou-Ekotto wins the ball off McAnuff in the middle before having a pop from at least 30 yards. It was well struck by the left-back but too close to McCarthy, who did well to hang on to the low skimmer.
THREE minutes of time have been signalled by the fourth official.
UPDATE! The deadlock has been broken at the Emirates and it's home side Arsenal who go in front against the run of play against Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with the goal.
Break in play as Hill receives treatment after a clash of heads with Pogrebnyak. Those two having a real ding-dong battle today.
HALF TIME: QPR 1-1 READING
We remain level at the halfway mark then after an enthralling half of football in the capital. Reading took an early lead through
Danny Williams but that was cancelled out by former Royal
Kevin Doyle.
If you're just joining us and want a quick update on the opening 45, check out our half-time report
here.
After getting off to a slow start, QPR have now had 54% of the ball and six shots to Reading's three.
UPDATE! Sheffield United are now level against Nottingham Forest and the prospect of a Steel City derby in the last eight of the FA Cup is back on. Arsenal still lead Liverpool by a goal to nil in the other game.
KICKOFF! We're back underway at Loftus Road, with neither manager making a half-time change.
BOOKING! Now 2-2 in the yellow-card count as McCleary obviously tugs over Hoilett.
Reading big man Pogrebnyak looks to have really done himself some damage and is hobbling heavily towards the touchline. Game over for him by the looks of things.
Finally the free kick is taken by Barton, who blazes it well over the top from 25 yards.
Barton isn't put off by that miss and has another go, side-footing Hoilett's cutback a yard or so over the top. Pogrebnyak seems to have recovered and is back on for the visitors.
Yet another stoppage as McCleary stays down after an apparently accidental forearm in the face from Assou-Ekotto.
Almost a hilarious own goal by Akpan as he slices Hughes's cross straight at his own goal, but luckily straight at McCarthy.
GOAL! QPR 1-2 READING (PEARCE)
The Royals are back in front as Pearce makes a clever run that sucks Hill under the ball before he powers home a header from close range.
GOAL! QPR 1-3 READING (MCCLEARY)
What a strike! All of a sudden Reading have a two-goal advantage as McClearly runs at Assou-Ekotto before unleashing a 25-yard strike into the far top corner. Sublime.
BOOKING! Barton earns his 10th booking of the season and will now miss the next two games.
BOOKING! It's going horribly wrong here for QPR and they almost concede a penalty as Kranjcar trips up McAnuff right on the edge of the box.
In between the two quick Reading goals, Redknapp sent on Bobby Zamora for Keane to freshen things up in attack.
MISS! Oh my, what a let-off for Reading. Hoilett's cross to the back post was deflected into the air and looped over McCarthy. Doyle came in but somehow couldn't reach it so it bounced agonisingly wide for the home side.
RED CARD! READING DEFENDER GORKSS IS OFF!
There's been plenty of silly tackles today and this one is the worst of the lot as former QPR man Gorkss jumps in late on Hoilett.
READING SUB: Adkins has to shore up his defence and sacrifices Le Fondre for Michael Hector.
UPDATE: There's been a second goal at the Emirates and it's another for Arsenal as Lukas Podolski doubles their lead.
At Brammall Lane, Sheffield United produced a brilliant second-half comeback to beat Forest and now it's up to Sheffield Wednesday to beat Charlton and set up a Steel City quarter-final.
The Gorkss dismissal has given QPR hope of pulling off an unlikely comeback and they threaten as Kranjcar moves into the area before his cross almost deflects inside the near post but McCarthy is alert.
QPR SUB: Redknapp sends on Benayoun in place of Assou-Ekotto, a move which should see Traore drop back to left-back.
Unless Reading fall to pieces here, they will be cementing their place in the top six and moving four clear of Brighton in seventh place.
QPR are seeing plenty of the ball but doing little to trouble McCarthy at the moment as Doyle heads way over.
READING SUB: Pogrebnyak's afternoon comes to an end as he is replaced by Hal Robson-Kanu.
JUST OVER! Barton almost halves the deficit with a sweetly-struck left-foot volley that whizzes an inch or so over the top.
Reading are going to have chances on the counter now and they should do better with this one but Robson-Kanu's pass to McCleary is lazy.
FIVE minutes added on here. Reading look to have it in the bag and the fight seems to have gone from the home side.
BOOKING! Obita is the seventh player in the book.
READING SUB: Time-wasting change made by Adkins as he takes off McCleary, who scored that ferocious third, for Stephen Kelly.
Good chance for the hosts to pull one back as Hill comes in at the back post but can't make good contact with a flick-on.
Another half-chance for Rangers as Hoilett, who has been impressive today, zips over a low cross that Gunter clears very well in his own six-yard box.
FULL TIME: QPR 1-3 READING
A massive, massive win for Reading as they inflict just a second home defeat of the season on QPR.
Rangers have now not won in three games and managed to pick up just one point against Derby, Burnley and Reading, who are all in the top six.
Thanks for joining us on
SM this afternoon. Make sure you now
go here to follow the closing stages of Arsenal versus Liverpool, which is now at 2-1 to the Gunners. Great game too.