Callum Styles rescued a point for West Bromwich Albion after the team rallied from a deficit to finish the match level at 1-1 with Queens Park Rangers in the Sky Bet Championship fixture held at The Hawthorns. The encounter began with an unfortunate own‑goal from QPR defender Chris Mepham in the 38th minute, a strike that arrived completely out of sync with the flow of the game.
Mepham's mishap gave the visitors a fleeting lead, but the advantage was short‑lived; just three minutes later Styles restored parity, extending the Baggies' impressive run of unbeaten home games to eleven matches, while QPR continued their unbeaten streak on the road this season. Although West Brom created a slightly higher volume of chances overall, the London side also generated a respectable number of opportunities.
Notably, former Manchester United midfielder Toby Collyer and full‑back Conor Townsend earned their first starts since re‑joining the club, and defender Chris Mepham was handed the captain's armband for the contest. The lineup featured three of five changes made after the previous weekend's 1-0 victory at Derby County, mirroring the number of alterations made by the visitors. The match kicked off with Albion asserting early pressure.
A wayward attempt from Rabby Nzingoula struck the foot of Felix Horn Myhre, deflecting the ball toward goal before it drifted wide of the post. In the 34th minute, Isaac Price delivered an inswinging corner that was punched clear by QPR goalkeeper Pierce Charles, who managed to keep the ball on the line as the hosts pressed for a breakthrough. Shortly after, Aune Heggebo connected with a cross from Collyer, unleashing a thunderous rising shot that seemed destined for the crossbar but instead struck the stanchion behind the goal. Against the run of play, QPR took the lead when Kwame Poku sent Rumarn Burrell on a blistering run.
Burrell out‑muscled his marker before forcing QPR keeper Max O'Leary into a diving save; the rebound ricocheted off Mepham's head and fell into the unguarded net, granting the visitors a 1-0 advantage. West Brom responded swiftly. In the 41st minute, Styles—deployed in an unfamiliar right‑back role—curled a low‑driven shot from just outside the penalty area into the bottom corner, marking his second goal of the season and leveling the score.
After the restart, Price came close to giving Albion the lead when his curling free‑kick was tipped away by Charles. A subsequent corner taken by Styles was met by Jayson Molumby, whose header drifted a yard wide of the far post. Both sides had to stay vigilant against counter‑attacks.
Poku forced O'Leary into a spectacular flying save after creating space inside the box and unleashing a shot from twelve yards. Meanwhile, Mepham's powerful header from a 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.
QPR continued to threaten, with Burrell's header from a Harvey Vale corner being smothered by O'Leary at the foot of the post. Late in the game, substitute Jimmy‑Jay Morgan had a golden opportunity to win it for Albion, but his powerful header from a Molumby cross sailed over the far post. Post‑match comments highlighted the performances.
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 coach Julien Stephan reflected on his team's effort, noting, "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." The draw leaves both clubs with valuable points as the season progresses. West Brom maintains its unbeaten home record, while QPR remains unbeaten on the road, setting the stage for another competitive fixture in the weeks ahead.