Frank Lampard insisted a poor refereeing decision cost Derby victory against QPR after a 1-1 draw at Loftus Road.
The Rams were leading through Jack Marriott’s 24th-minute goal before Geoff Cameron equalised three minutes into the second half.
After keeper Scott Carson had clawed away Luke Freeman’s free-kick, Nahki Wells pounced on the loose ball and pulled it back for Cameron to fire home.
But Lampard insisted the free-kick, given by referee David Webb for a foul by Fikayo Tomori on Ebere Eze, should not have been awarded.
He said: “We deserved to win the game and we didn’t – and this is a fact – because of a refereeing decision.
“It was not a foul by Tomori – absolutely not a foul. He gave a foul and they scored from the free-kick.
“It’s a mistake. It was obviously not a free-kick. Tomori got the ball.
“My players were very good, they gave absolutely everything and we lost (points) because of one decision.
“There were lots of decisions, it’s not worth me going into them. The critical one is that one that gave them the goal, but there were lots more.”
Marriott marked his first league start for Derby with his first league goal for the club.
The striker volleyed in after R’s defender Toni Leistner had failed to deal with Bradley Johnson’s long ball.
“It was a fantastic finish and he was outstanding. He’s been training fantastically and deserved to start,” Lampard said.
“It was a great finish and there has to be more to his game than that, and there is more – we saw that with his running back, tackling, holding balls up and competing with their centre-halves.
“It was exactly what I want from Jack. He’s been working really hard and I’m delighted for him.
“There was more than a goal poacher in Jack.”
QPR boss Steve McClaren insisted he too had reason to be unhappy with Webb.
“I think we’re both cheesed off with the ref and quite a few decisions,” McClaren said.
“We didn’t hold back, they didn’t hold back. It was a tough game to referee.
“He could have made some other decisions but I thought it was difficult to handle a Championship game with that tempo and with that intensity from two committed teams.
“I thought it was a great game of football – a hell of an advert for the Championship.
“There were two teams who went for it – really went for it. Either team could have ended up winning it. A draw was probably a fair result.
“I’m proud of the players in terms of contributing to what was a pulsating, high-tempo game of football.”
Cameron’s goal was his first since arriving at QPR on loan from Stoke and only the American’s third goal in English football.
“We were disappointed with the goal we conceded and said that we had to show character in the second half,” McClaren added.
“It was a big second half for us. We scored early and didn’t settle for that and nor did Derby. We went for it and they did.”
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