Callum Styles proved decisive for West Bromwich Albion, salvaging a point after the team rallied from an early deficit to finish 1-1 with Queens Park Rangers in a Sky Bet Championship clash at The Hawthorns. The match began with an unexpected twist when QPR took the lead in the 38th minute via an own‑goal from Chris Mepham, a moment that came completely contrary to the flow of the game. The advantage was short‑lived, however, as Styles struck just three minutes later, restoring parity and extending the Baggies' unbeaten run at home to eleven matches, while QPR remained unbeaten on the road this season.
Both sides generated a respectable number of chances, with Albion perhaps edging the tally but the London side also creating several clear opportunities. The line‑up featured a few notable returns: former Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer and Conor Townsend earned their first starts since rejoining the club, and Mepham was handed the captain’s armband for the encounter.
The starting eleven reflected three of five changes from the previous Wednesday’s 1-0 victory over Derby County, mirroring the number of alterations made by the visitors. From the opening whistle, West Brom pressed forward, forcing QPR into defensive positions. An early effort from Rabby Nzingoula went awry, ricocheting off Felix Horn Myhre and veering away from goal. Later, a dangerous corner delivered by Isaac Price was punched away by QPR goalkeeper Pierce Charles, who managed to keep the ball on the line as the hosts continued to look for a breakthrough.
In the 34th minute, Aune Heggebo met a cross from Collyer with a thunderous rising shot that appeared to strike the crossbar, only to rebound off the stanchion behind the net, denying the Baggies a lead. The turning point arrived just before halftime. Kwame Poku surged forward, outpacing Rumarn Burrell, and forced Max O'Leary into a diving save. The rebound fell to Mepham, whose head inadvertently directed the ball into his own net, handing QPR a 1-0 lead despite the play being against the prevailing momentum.
Not to be discouraged, Styles, deployed unusually at right‑back, responded in the 41st minute. From just outside the penalty area he curled a low, precise shot into the bottom corner, marking his second goal of the season and leveling the score.
The second half saw QPR continue to threaten on the counter‑attack, while West Brom sought to assert dominance. Price came close to giving Albion the lead with a curling free‑kick that Charles tipped away. Jayson Molumby then headed a corner from Styles narrowly wide at the far post.
Meanwhile, QPR’s Kwame Poku forced O'Leary into a spectacular save after cutting inside the box and unleashing a 12‑yard strike. On the opposite flank, Mepham’s powerful header from a Price corner forced Charles into a diving save, and the goalkeeper later had to react quickly to a low free‑kick from Styles after the full‑back was fouled on the edge of the area. Both teams exchanged further chances. Burrell’s header from a Harvey Vale corner was smothered by O'Leary at the foot of the post, and substitute Jimmy‑Jay Morgan missed a late opportunity to clinch the win for Albion, blasting over the far post after heading down a Molumby cross.
The match concluded in a hard‑earned draw, reflecting the competitive nature of the fixture. Post‑match, West Brom manager James Morrison praised Styles, saying, "I challenged Callum.
He can't just rest on being player of the season. He's got to go and show it again.
He's been rewarded with a new contract and I didn't want him to pick the big contract up and not be at that level of performance. I believe in Callum so much that I think I could play him anywhere and he would be just as good.
I said to him 'come inside onto your left foot and shoot' and it was a great finish. He's used to playing in midfield so he could come inside or he could stay wide.
When he was younger he played as a winger and he's played at wing‑back, so it was just about trying to get that balance right with Rabby Nzingoula. I thought they dealt with it really well." QPR’s Julien Stephan reflected on his side's performance: "When you face a team with very good confidence and strong results it's really important to be strong in your foundation and our defensive organisation was brilliant. Usually we are better with the ball and are able to create more danger.
Today it was more difficult for us to create with the ball, even if we had the best chance of the second half with Kwame Poku. But it was a lovely move for our goal.
I enjoyed it because it was part of our game plan after the ball was regained to be able to use the space behind their centre‑backs." Overall, the encounter highlighted West Brom's resilience at home and QPR's ability to stay unbeaten away, setting the stage for an intriguing remainder of the season for both clubs.