Off the back of four clean sheets for Northern Ireland, Pierce Charles was again in majestic form, securing QPR a hard-earned point in a 1-1 draw at West Ham United.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper proved unbeatable in stoppage time, pulling off a breathtaking double save to deny the hosts a late winner.
The Manchester City loanee first lunged to thwart Jarrod Bowen’s 91st-minute penalty, then he instantly recovered to tip Arne Engels’ powerful header from the rebound over the crossbar.
Rangers boss Julien Stephan admitted he had not seen many better double-saves. “I don’t know if I have ever seen a save like this,” he said. “But if it’s not the case, I can say now that I saw an unbelievable double save.”
“I don’t see a lot of limits to him in the future. I think he has a maturity for his age. He’s very humble, a hard worker, a top, top, top personality, and has a top mentality.
“He’s a very modern goalkeeper. We are very lucky to have him with us this season.”
Meanwhile, Tottenham loanee Jamie Donley marked his return from international duty with a stunning strike as Luton Town ran out 4-1 winners in their League One trip to Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend.
Fresh off starting all four games during the international break, the 21-year-old put the Hatters 2-0 up in the 27th minute. He curled a delightful left-footed shot into the top corner.
Talking about his goal to the club website after the game, Donley said: “It fell to me, and I just thought, let me have a shot and luckily it went in.
“Personally, I should have scored a couple more as well,” added Donley who also provided an assist for Luton’s opener. “I’ll take the goal that I scored though.”
Also in League One, Barnsley took an early lead through Patrick Kelly’s 13th-minute strike, his first goal of the season, but hosts Stockport County rallied to eventually run out 3-1 winners.
In League Two, Ronan Hale scored twice as Gillingham won 4-1 at Rotherham United to move up to fourth place in the table, and another former Irish League striker Lee Bonis scored his 4th of the season as Chesterfield drew 2-2 at Crawley Town.
Defender Daniel Ballard missed Sunderland’s Premier League contest at home to Brighton & Hove Albion after picking up a hamstring injury on international duty, though Trai Hume did play the full ninety minutes as the Black Cats lost 2-0 to the Seagulls.
Elsewhere, Shea Charles started as Fulham fell to a 2-1 defeat at Ipswich Town to slide to the bottom of the table. While over at the MKM Stadium, Paddy McNair and Braiden Graham both watched from the bench as Hull City and Everton played out an entertaining 2–2 draw.
Despite welcoming back Brad Lyons from a two-month knee injury, Aberdeen suffered their fourth league defeat of the Scottish Premiership campaign following a 1-0 home loss to St Johnstone.
Two members of Gareth McAuley’s Northern Ireland U19 squad were on the scoresheet over the weekend. Shay Reid found the net for Preston North End in their 2-2 draw against Burnley in the U21 Premier League Cup, while Alfie McIlroy scored a consolation goal for Blackburn Rovers during a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland in the U18 Premier League Cup
