Willock shows his class as Queens Park Rangers outline promotion credentials against Reading

Chris Willock’s arrival at Queens Park Rangers on the last day of the summer transfer window in 2020 came with minimum fuss.

The 23-year-old had come to London from Benfica B and was looking for an opportunity back in English football.

Now starting regularly for Mark Warburton’s side, Willock is quickly becoming a key cog in his side’s push towards promotion in the Championship.

Playing off the shoulder of Scottish forward Lyndon Dykes, the pair combined frequently to drive QPR up the pitch. Dykes’ aerial prowess allowed flick-ons to be collected by Willock, who used his body superbly throughout to shield the ball, win fouls from the opposition and keep possession.

The perfect example of the striking due linking as planned brought about the opening goal.

When receiving the ball under pressure, Willock shielded the ball then turned Reading midfielder Josh Laurent despite him grappling with the forward’s shirt. A good advantage was played by referee Jeremy Simpson to allow Willock to cross perfectly onto Dykes’ head to fire past Luke Southwood.

During his 71 minutes on the pitch at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, the former Arsenal youngster excited fans with his every touch. The combination of an excellent first touch and decision making in the final third created an abundance of chances on the day for his side.

In a dominant first half display, Dykes attempted to return the favour by setting up Willock only for him to curl over what would have been a fitting finish for his performance.

His strike partner was involved in the second goal for the hosts. Wing-back Albert Adomah crossed the ball for Dykes to score his second header of the afternoon courtesy of a kind deflection off Reading defender Tom Holmes.

The gulf in class between the sides was evident throughout the 90 minutes, with the opening 10 minutes the only time Reading threatened QPR’s backline.

As Mark Warburton’s team push towards a promotion place, a victory against a team in dire form is absolutely necessary and they made it 3-0 before the half was out.

From a Reading corner, Dykes would head the ball away as it reached Luke Amos. The former Tottenham youngster played the ball up to Willock, who was surrounded by two Royals defenders.

Shaking off their challenges and managing to wrestle away possession, the 23-year-old played the ball into the marauding Amos to go clean through on goal. After hitting the post earlier in the half, this time the midfielder made no mistake by finishing off the underside of the bar and presenting Willock with his second assist of the afternoon.

As the half-time whistle blew, QPR fans got to their feet to applaud the performance. The connection between the fans and players was evident in West London as the R’s continue their impressive run of form.

The second half was about seeing the performance over the line for the home side. Reading’s morale was evident but a goal back and with some of the attacking players they possess, confidence could have played a factor.

QPR continued their assault of the Reading goal and forced a corner when Willock advanced with the ball and saw his shot blocked.

The resulting corner from the impressive Stefan Johansen found Jimmy Dunne to head home unmarked within the box and put the game beyond any conceivable doubt.

Chris Willock’s display ended with 20 minutes remaining as the home faithful returned to their feet once more to give a standing ovation for an impressive display.

His teammates even applauded his efforts on the pitch, with Johansen clearly mouthing the words ‘outstanding’ to him as he came off the pitch.

There was still time for further chances for substitute George Thomas and Dykes to claim the match ball but perhaps the best chance came for Reading striker Lucas Joao to claw one back, with January signing David Marshall producing a wonderful save to maintain the clean sheet.

Victory over Veljko Paunović’s side now sees QPR sit fourth in the Championship table, just two points from second-placed Blackburn Rovers in that automatic promotion place.

A tough run of fixtures await but the unity and togetherness in W12 ensures everyone is pulling in the same direction to achieve promotion.

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