Loftus Road — 31'
After McClean's goal, QPR responded the way home teams do — not with panic, but with fire.
They upped the tempo.
Switched play from wing to wing with venom.
The ball was moved quicker now, touches were tighter, and communication was louder.
Their supporters roared behind every throw-in and demanded energy from every overlapping run.
But Wigan didn't retreat.
If anything, the goal gave them shape.
Confidence.
They compressed space, closed channels, and cut-off angles.
Every player shifted as one unit.
The fullbacks tucked in tighter, and the midfielders double-teamed more aggressively.
Leo watched from the bench, eyes narrowed, fingers woven together between his knees.
This wasn't control.
This was survival — but smart survival.
QPR's best chance of the half came in the 38th minute.
A cross clipped in low from the right, dummied cleverly by their forward, then smashed first-time from the top of the box.
It beat the keeper.
But not the post.
