West Ham’s penalty pain costs them top spot in Championship after QPR draw

The Hammers were unable to leapfrog back to the top of the Championship after a 1-1 London derby draw with QPR The QPR goalkeeper Pierce Charles made a stunning double save from a Jarrod Bowen penalty in stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw at West Ham. The 21-year-old, who kept four clean sheets and saved a penalty for Northern Ireland over the international break, pulled off more heroics to deny the Hammers top spot in the Championship. Bowen had already equalised for West Ham, cancelling out a hugely controversial first-half penalty from Nicolas Madsen.

But the Hammers captain saw his spot-kick saved and Charles then somehow pushed the rebound from Arne Engels on to the crossbar. West Ham were earlier on the wrong end of a dreadful penalty decision after Tomas Soucek was penalised for fouling Paul Smyth. Replays showed the challenge was well outside the area and that the Hammers midfielder got the ball. A VAR review would have definitely