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Despite being right-footed, Thomas looked at home down the left, being equally able to cut inside or go round his man to great effect. Perhaps not as quick as Doudou, but certainly more composed. He's one for the future, and if there is any way in which we can secure him on loan next season, it will be a major coup. As first impressions go, there was little to find fault with him.
For half an hour we out-passed and out-classed Rovers. The only disappointment being our solitary one goal lead thanks to Thomson's 20th goal of the season. It was also proving to be his best performance I've seen from him in a QPR shirt. Normally it's Gallen you see more of, but Thomson was doing everything we've come to expect from Gallen and more. By his own standards, Gallen was hardly noticeable, and he still hasn't scored away from home since his return.
The only problems Tranmere posed stemmed from our own dallying at the back. Evans' enthusiasm it seems does not stretch to vocal commands and the defence as a whole really do need to learn to clear the ball away at the first opportunity.
Tranmere couldn't have played any worse in the second half, but their improvement after the break took even their own fans by surprise. I lost count of the number of times they made a mockery of our offside trap and broke free on goal with frightening consistency.
It made for an excellent spectacle. We were still causing plenty of problems of our own at the other end, but Tranmere started taking theirs where we failed. First Koumas, then Parkinson netted — both goals coming on the break with us struggling to get numbers back. Bignot and Forbes were constantly being caught out of position, with Tranmere often being awarded the freedom of Birkenhead.
Whilst there was still time for us to get something out of the game, thoughts of getting three points were now far away. We'd had no luck in front of goal after the break, with Thomson declining a penalty opportunity by managing to stay on his feet under the prolonged challenge of a defender, only to see his shot saved and then cleared off the line at the second attempt. Another effort cleared off the line after a fine run and shot by Thomas eventually did lead to the equaliser when Langley smashed home the rebound from 15 yards after being set up by a fine touch from Peacock.
From here the match could have gone either way, but as a form of revenge for Tranmere's last minute winner at Loftus Road earlier this season, it was pay-back time. A deep corner from Thomas was headed back by Rose for Thomson to nod home unmarked from a couple of yards out.
With four minutes of injury time, the match wasn't won yet. Evans had to produce the save of the match from Barlow, who was 12 yards out and unmarked. It looked a goal all the way, but Evans proved to be the last-gasp hero as much as Thomson.
The stats on the game reveal so much. Of Tranmere's 17 attempts on goal, 14 were in the second half. For QPR, 20 attempts on goal (12 on target) is the season's best by considerable length. 5-5 or 6-6 wouldn't have been an unrealistic final scoreline. We deserved the win though due to our first half dominance — now let's finish the season in the same style…
QPR: 4-4-2 – Evans 7 – Forbes 5, Palmer 7, Shittu 8, Bignot 5 – Langley 7, Peacock 7, Rose 7, Thomas 8 (90mins Griffiths) – Gallen 6, Thomson 9. SNU: Digby, Murphy, Foley, Pacquette.