Burnley manager Scott Parker likened a frustrating 0-0 draw against QPR to a boxing match which his team dominated without finding a knockout punch.
The Clarets were held to a stalemate by the west London outfit which saw them lose further ground on leaders Sunderland despite staying in second place.
Parker admitted he was “frustrated” at not taking all three points from a match which he insisted was one of their best performances of the season.
“Frustrated? Yes. Real frustration. They came with a gameplan which was to survive. It was a boxing match really and it was always going to go on to the 10th round or the 11th,” he said.
“You jab your way and jab your way and beat a team up and go to the head and hope you knock them out late on and it just didn’t materialise for us today.
“I understand the frustrations of not getting the job done or not converting the chances but sometimes that is the way it is. That’s football.
“That was probably one of our best performances. It was a half-pitch game today and we closed the door on absolutely everything and you are playing against a team who have packed the box. It was difficult.
“Some of these players have not played in a game like that in terms of a dominant team having to break down a low, low block. We need to be cute and clever and work movements. We need to be able to play in tight places and work your moments and overloads.
“We were a little bit short on that but we will carry on moving and progressing.”
This was a match Burnley dominated from start to finish, carving out 22 shots to the visitors’ two. But for all their possession and some neat patterns of football to take them to the edge of the box, converting promise into goals proved beyond them.
Bashir Humphreys probably had the best chance in the first period, his free header on 16 minutes from Jaidon Anthony’s corner fired over the bar.
Connor Roberts twice went close, looking sure to score on the half-hour mark only for Steve Cook to produce a brilliant saving tackle and then early in the second half hitting the bar from 20 yards.
QPR produced very little by way of goal threat with Paul Smyth’s crossbar rattler after eight minutes their only chance of note.
QPR manager Marti Cifuentes said he would have preferred a more expansive performance but said: “I am happy because of the work ethic that they showed and the togetherness in the pitch to work for each other. And because they play against a very good team who definitely pushed us.
“We like to be higher on the pitch and more in possession but it was according to the situation that we went through in the last couple of days with four players out, two in the last 48 hours and two more in the last night.
“Extremely important point for us and a clean sheet which is something that made us very strong this season. It was a big challenge but we managed to survive against a very good team.”
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