Gareth Ainsworth, the manager of QPR, expressed his frustration with his team’s “naivety” after they received their second red card in consecutive matches. QPR faced a 2-1 defeat against Championship leaders Leicester at Loftus Road, where Andre Dozzell scored the equalizing goal but was subsequently sent off.
The red card came after Abdul Fatawu reacted angrily to a challenge from Dozzell, who raised his hand in response, resulting in a yellow card for the retaliation and another for the foul.
This incident followed Jimmy Dunne’s red card during the midweek defeat against West Brom, where he also received two quick yellow cards.
Ainsworth stated, “Naivety has cost us again. It’s cost us over the past two games. Out of the four bookings that have cost us two red cards, I think there’s only one legitimate foul in there, and the rest has been just stupidity.”
He emphasized that Andre had played into Fatawu’s gamesmanship, leading to the referee having no choice but to issue a second yellow card. Ainsworth also mentioned that QPR had a plan in place that was working until the red card incident.
Ainsworth acknowledged the team’s spirited performance, which may have relieved some pressure on him, as he remains confident in their ability to avoid relegation. However, he admitted that a loss to fellow strugglers Rotherham in the upcoming match would raise concerns about his future.
QPR is currently one position from the bottom of the table, having lost six consecutive matches and winning only once at home since October of the previous year. Ainsworth stated, “I’m proud of that performance. I can hold my head up high and say we gave absolutely everything. As long as that keeps happening, we’ll accumulate enough points to stay in this division.”
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