Portsmouth vs QPR

Portsmouth's opening day at Fratton Park couldn't have gone much worse, despite them having plenty of the ball. QPR raced into a 3-1 lead by half-time and never looked like giving it up, punishing the home side on the counter time and again. Portsmouth actually shaded possession at 54% and had the edge in corners too, but none of that mattered once QPR found their rhythm early on. The visitors were clinical when it counted, and that first-half spell effectively settled the game long before the hour mark. The final scoreline of 1-3 tells its own story, even though the shots on target were level at six apiece. Portsmouth had 17 attempts in total to QPR's 13, but too many efforts lacked precision or came too late to change the outcome. It's an opening defeat that will sting given the home advantage and the territory Portsmouth enjoyed, but QPR took their chances when they mattered and leave the south coast with a fully deserved three points.

QPR beat Portsmouth 1-3 at Fratton Park, and the numbers from the match back up how the game played out. Even without the extra share of possession, which finished 54% in favour of Portsmouth, QPR made the most of the chances that mattered and did enough to see the game out. The shot count told a similar story, with 17 attempts from Portsmouth against 13 from QPR over the course of the game. Portsmouth had their moments and did not make it easy from start to finish, but ultimately came up short on the day. Small margins like this one tend to add up over a season, and results such as this are often what separates teams in the table further down the line. Here is a closer look at exactly how the two sides compared, statistically.