At first glance a lot of fans have seen the result at Deepdale and jumped to a conclusion about how poor the team were.

QPR were on par with Preston North End for almost the entire match, so much so you'd have been hard-pushed to recognise that they were a man worse-off than the hosts.

It's a quote which has been thrown around a lot this season, but at Deepdale QPR genuinely didn't deserve to lose.

A decision that changed the game

The game was ticking along quite nicely, with both sides having opportunities to break the deadlock when a decision changed the game.

Jamie Mackie, who was pressing the opposition in typical style, was adjudged to have left a foot in while challenging Preston captain Tom Clarke, leading to the referee issuing him a straight-red card.

Ian Holloway said after the game that he would be appealing the impending suspension, but it's too little too late as QPR were left to battle for 68 minutes with a man deficit.

The Hoops adapted pretty well to the disadvantage, but it's a case of what might have been had QPR been able to carry out their full game-plan at Deepdale.

Don't leave before the end!

It was one of the strangest things you're likely to see all season.

Alex Baptiste picked up a daft booking for throwing the ball away in stoppage time, and shortly after the referee blew the whistle for full-time.

However it was only the most eagle-eyed among us that saw a heated exchange of words followed by the raising of another red card in the direction of Baptiste.

Holloway said that the defender had been mouthing off to a friend who played for Preston, but the referee reportedly said that Baptiste had used abusive language at him.

It's certainly one that will be looked into, but it was a sour ending to an unjustified result.

Ilias Chair

It might not have been the perfect league debut for Chair, but he certainly didn't look out of his depth.

The youngster handled himself well in difficult circumstances, after Jamie Mackie's first half yellow card meant the Hoops had to change their system.

Chair, who was being utilised in the role of an advanced midfielder, was then moved to left midfield where he showcased his discipline and tactical knowledge, while also showing his class with a number of smart touches and turns on the ball.

Holloway hailed the midfielder after the game, and hinted that he may well be about to play a more central part to his team in the coming weeks, something which would be a good move based on today's evidence.

Ian Holloway

He gets a fair bit of stick from the QPR fans, but no-one who was in attendance at Deepdale could argue with his decisions on the day.

Ian Holloway - QPR vs Fulham

A bold decision to start Ilias Chair looked like it was paying off, before Mackie's red card forced his hand into changing the system.

Ollie reacted promptly and pulled the team into a 4-4-1 system until Matt Smith's introduction, a system which looked to put QPR in firm control of the game despite going up against a side who were a man better off.

He didn't panic and the game played out exactly how he would have wanted until a mental lapse in the closing stages.

It was a real sucker-punch to concede late on in the game, and subjected QPR to another defeat on the road.

Preston arguably should have made the advantage count, but the Hoops looked solid and organised in defence, and to be honest never looked in trouble as the hosts' build-up play was handled with ease by the defence.

However it would be awfully unfair to say it was deserved, and Ollie deserves credit for almost pulling off a great result against the odds.

An unfortunate loss

Following Mackie's sending off, it never looked like a game that QPR would realistically win; but they certainly didn't deserve to lose.

Holloway's side handled Preston with ease at time, looking strong and coordinated in defence and midfield, and coping with the majority of what the hosts threw at them.

Playing with one less player was always going to take it's toll both physically and mentally, and it's a shame that the display put in against a side with a numerical advantage was soured but a momentary lapse.

It's been said numerous times this season that QPR didn't deserve to lose a game, and not always has that actually been the case, but today I genuinely feel that the team can count themselves unfortunate not to have taken something away from the game.