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Wolves v QPR - five talking points

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Wolves capitulated as they blew a two-goal lead against QPR and endured their first defeat of the season.

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It was a shock turnaround at Molineux with Wolves seemingly in control after first-half goals from Benik Afobe and Kevin McDonald.

What went wrong for Kenny Jackett's side? Wolves correspondent Tim Spiers picks out five talking points.

Wolves showed their inexperience

First off, credit to QPR and in particular Matt Phillips, who showed his Premier League class.

Wolves never got to grips with the winger, while Charlie Austin showed flashes of his brilliance as the visitors tore through the home defence in the second half.

But for all QPR's excellence going forward, Wolves contributed heavily to their own downfall, particularly in defence where they showed naivety and inexperience.

When you've got two 20-year-olds in your back four - and a 22-year-old in Conor Coady to primarily protect them - there will be days like this.

But Wolves are gunning for promotion. Norwich's bid for Benik Afobe highlighted once again that if they don't reach the Premier League next summer, he and possibly a few more of their star players will be off.

So when the stakes are so high there is little room for error, and Wolves need to become more streetwise when it comes to winning Championship games.

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For all the pining for Bakary Sako's flashy wing-play in this new-look formation, against QPR they sorely missed the leadership and experience of Danny Batth in defence.

Kortney Hause played well against Hull but hasn't yet settled at centre half, while Dominic Iorfa had one of his weakest games in a Wolves shirt.

Batth is a good few weeks away from a return. Another defensive display like this might have Jackett dipping into the loan market for the experienced and wise-headed defender Wolves craved when they capitulated so badly.

Jackett's changes were ineffective again

Wolves boss Kenny Jackett

That wasn't the problem here - Adam le Fondre replaced Nouha Dicko at half time and Rajiv van La Parra got 27 minutes in place of James Henry.

But neither had an impact on the game, a nice turn and pass from Van La Parra to Afobe aside.

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It was puzzling as to why Dicko was withdrawn. Even more so when Jackett said he did it to make Wolves more 'compact'.

The change meant Afobe was pushed further forward with Le Fondre in behind, meaning Afobe's link-play with midfield was non-existent as he was often playing off the last defender.

Wolves also tired badly again in the final minutes, creating little apart from Kevin McDonald's deflected shot after Phillips gave QPR the lead 18 minutes from time.

For the first two games Wolves' problem was painfully slow starts.

For the last two the problem has been how they've finished the game. There's a happy medium in there somewhere.

Kevin McDonald was back to his best

Kevin McDonald scores to make it 2-0

He was back to his string-pulling best, especially in the first half when he ran the show from midfield, covering enormous ground, playing some delightful passes and winning plenty of tackles too.

His goal was a beauty (hands up how many were expecting a bobbler or a skier when he shaped to shoot?) and he was the linchpin that made Wolves tick as they played some scintillating football.

His influence wasn't as great in the second half - and it's true that McDonald is a far more effective player when Wolves are flowing in possession.

But that's his game, and he has been a hugely important and at times underrated player in the past two seasons.

He said after Hull that the contract issues were behind him (for now) and McDonald stayed true to his word.

Long may it continue.

There's a big call to make in goal

Emiliano Martinez has signed a season long loan with Wolves.

Wholesale changes are unlikely, it's not Jackett's style and he will react to defeat with the understatement with which he reacts to victory.

But who will be in goal?

Jackett has a big call to make after Emiliano Martinez produced a wholly unconvincing performance.

A couple of spilled saves in the first half - one which dribbled dangerously close to the goal-line - were followed by two poor attempts at saving both of Phillips' goals.

For the first, he was perhaps unsighted and/or fooled by a slight deflection, but with the ball going at that pace he's got to save it, and for the second he was wrong-footed.

If Jackett is going to drop an experienced, solid, popular goalkeeper who has been at Wolves for many years and done precious little wrong in that time, it had better be for a top-class keeper who is going to improve the team.

On this evidence, he has not done so.

Martinez comes with a lofty reputation, he excelled for Rotherham last season and is being groomed as a potential Arsenal keeper for years to come.

But against Newport, and now against QPR, he has not covered himself in glory.

Successful teams don't chop and change their goalkeepers. Jackett must either swallow his pride and recall Ikeme, or stick to his guns and back Martinez.

A penny for your thoughts, Kenny.

No need to panic

Conor Coady joins in the celebrations after McDonald's goal.

Wolves were electric at times in the first half, playing some scintillating football that QPR quite simply could not cope with.

The interchanging 'go where you want' formation, as coined by McDonald, was working a treat, with fast-paced and intelligent passing combined with good movement.

Afobe continues to score at will and this is a young, developing, exciting team that was playing against a side with many Premier League standard players in their ranks.

With Ikeme and Batth in XI for Wolves the result may have been a different one.

And if Jackett can iron out a few deficiencies here and there, such as finding a way to play with more width and offering protection for the full-backs, Wolves will prosper.

Jed Wallace looks primed to make a big impact when fit, while we haven't seen anywhere near the best of Le Fondre, and Sheyi Ojo has yet to be properly unleashed.

There are plenty of reasons to believe that this was a one-off, not a sign of things to come.

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