Stoke boss Alex Neil insisted his side were denied an obvious penalty in the final moments of their 0-0 Sky Bet Championship draw at QPR.
Referee Matt Donohue waved away the visitors’ appeals after Ben Wilmot went down under a challenge from Kenneth Paal at Loftus Road.
Neil said: “The game shouldn’t be remembered for one incident. But I think it’s a clear penalty.
“I’ve watched it back and I don’t know what the referee’s seen there. It’s as clear as day. The lad has just run across his path and hits him on his back leg. I really didn’t understand how he couldn’t give the penalty.
“I couldn’t believe he didn’t give it. I said to the referee afterwards ‘I want you to look at it and if you feel you made a mistake I want you to let me know’.
“From my perspective, and now having seen it back, it doesn’t get much clearer than that.
“If you run across someone and clip their heel and it’s in the box then it’s a penalty. A foul’s a foul.
“If it’s outside the box, I think we all know it’s going to be a free-kick. So why in the 92nd minute does it change if it’s in the box?
“It’s a penalty. There’s no debate for me on it. Unless you’re tinted with QPR glasses, I think any neutral would say that’s a penalty.”
In game of few clear-cut chances, Stoke were the better team in the first half.
Rangers boss Mick Beale responded with an attacking change at half-time, sending striker Lyndon Dykes on in place of midfielder Andre Dozzell.
Beale felt the change had a positive impact but admitted his side struggled in the final third, saying: “They’re a really powerful team and they came with a good game plan. They’re a big, strong team.
“We responded in the second half with a change of shape and we really pushed.
“I thought we’d change it and I felt that had quite a big impact on the game. I thought their tactics had a big impact in the first half and ours did in the second.
“But we couldn’t find a goal – and if we can’t find it then I’m pleased with a clean sheet. If you can’t win then let’s not get beat (sic).
“I’ve got no complaints. Of course as the home team we want to win, but we just didn’t have that last pass.
“It wasn’t for want of trying – we had a right go in the second half but just couldn’t find the goal. We got in the right areas, we just couldn’t score.”
Rangers go into the international break sixth in the Championship table – a decent start to the former Aston Villa and Rangers assistant boss’ first job in management.
“I’m very comfortable in the job. It’s a transition I wanted to make,” he said.
“You’re really starting to see what I want. But there are baby steps with it.
“We’ve got 15 points from 10 games. We’re probably around the target we need to be at.”
