West Ham were held by QPR after a controversial first-half penalty and a stoppage-time save from Pierce Charles denied them the chance to move top of the Sky Bet Championship. Nicolas Madsen put QPR ahead after 18 minutes, Jarrod Bowen levelled before the break, and Bowen then saw a late penalty kept out by Charles.
The opening penalty
The first major flashpoint came when QPR were awarded the penalty that led to Madsen's opener. Lee Hendrie called it a mistake on A Bola, saying: "This is definitely not a penalty. Not at all. It's a glaring error". Nuno Espírito Santo was also unhappy, while Tomáš Souček said the referee later admitted he had made a mistake.
Souček's own account added to the frustration around the decision. Speaking to A Bola, he said: "I was so happy to have made the tackle... It's a huge mistake. And I've already seen it on television and it's even worse than I thought, but there is nothing to be done. I wanted to speak with the referee but he did not accept it, only at the end of the game did he tell me that he had made a mistake. It's hard to accept."
Bowen's response and the late miss
Bowen dragged West Ham back into it after his first shot was blocked and he scored his seventh goal of the season to make it 1-1. That finish mattered because West Ham had lost their grip on the game after conceding early, and Bowen kept giving them a route back.
The ending was harsher on him. In the 90th minute, Amadou Mbengue tugged Pablo's shirt and Bowen stepped up for the stoppage-time penalty, but Charles saved it and then tipped Arne Engels's follow-up over the bar.
West Ham remain in second place in the Championship, one point behind Swansea, and the draw meant they missed the chance to go top. Their recent league form has been uneven, and this was another night where Bowen did his part without the points following.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
