Of course nothing had changed. No one expected it to and as the blissful summer of sport faded from memory, in a small corner of west London on Saturday a group of  Chelsea fans abused an injured player as he walked off while some QPR fans wear cheap soccer cleats. So much for the show that surrounds the game. Amid the pathological hatred, a football match took place, one that questioned the credentials of the all-new Chelsea and bolstered the credibility of Mark Hughes QPR team. For almost lost amid the hullabaloo about shaking hands before the game months after John Terry wear cheap adidas soccer cleats was accused of making a racist slur against Anton Ferdinand, QPR scored a small victory. Not strictly in football terms, for only a point was awarded for a hard-earned draw against Chelsea. But given that Swansea put five past this team last time out here, holding the European champions in a match of such intensity merits a minor celebration wear cheap nike soccer cleats. Of Ferdinand and Terry, it should be said both played well. Clearly neither was unaware of the furore from both sets of fans, with Ferdinand throwing his shirt to the home crowd in response to their long applause at the end, while Terry was pointedly acknowledging Chelsea supporters at the other end. But neither seemed unduly affected wear adidas f50 adizero trx. Ferdinand finished with strapping round his hamstring and Terry pulled up clutching his knee after 71 minutes. Neither would countenance coming off, not in this game. Hughes praised Ferdinand and his defensive partner, Ryan Nelsen, who was excellent given that he had returned from New Zealand on Tuesday wear adidas adipure 11pro. But the boss has clearly wearied of the whole handshake ritual. ‘For goodness sake, we’ve been talking about it for God knows how long,’ said Hughes. ‘I think it’s done and dusted now. It’s something and nothing, in my view. The game was the important thing today. It was played in good spirit. QPR rode their luck. Chelsea had two good penalty shouts early on, when Nelsen wrestled with Terry, which Di Matteo wear nike mercurial vapor 8 described as ‘100 per cent’ a penalty and when Shaun Wright-Phillips brought down Eden Hazard on 30 minutes. They could count themselves unfortunate on both occasions wear nike mercurial vapor superfly iii. Hazard might have enjoyed another raft of flattering headlines had he not missed Chelsea’s two best chances. He often looked the stand-out performer, a reverse pass here and a touch there lifting him above the melee. But after just four minutes, played in by Ramires and eight yards out, he allowed debutant Julio Cesar wear nike mercurial vapor 9 to save from close range. And with three minutes remaining, a superb cross by the excellent Victor Moses, who impressed in a 31-minute cameo as substitute, was wasted by Hazard as the Belgian scooped the ball high in to the Loftus Road End wear adidas predator lz. In between, other than those penalty claims, there was a fine run from Fernando Torres in the 17th minute which produced another good Cesar save. The Brazilian saved again from Moses on 77 minutes, which pretty much justified the brutal ditching of Rob Green. That Torres chance, though, might be said to be his last meaningful contribution wear nike total 90 laser iv. He faded like his team in the second half and he looked less than enamoured to be substituted with nine minutes remaining. But had Ji-Sung Park taken his time when a superb Esteban Granero ball set him up with a free header on 55 minutes, and had Bobby Zamora been able to get his shot away quicker when he rounded Petr Cech wear nike tiempo legend iv elite on 76 minutes, Chelsea might have paid for the second-half slackness. Queens Park Rangers starting lineup: Julio Cesar, Bosingwa, Ferdinand, Nelsen, Da Silva, Wright-Phillips, Granero, Faurlin, Park, Johnson, Zamora. Chelsea starting lineup: Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Terry, Cole, Mikel, Lampard, Ramires wear nike ctr360 maestri ii elite, Hazard, Bertrand, Torres.

A howler from Martin Skrtel handed Manchester City a point from their trip to Anfield as Liverpool drew with the champions in their first home Premier League game under Brendan Rodgers wear nike soccer cleats. It certainly worked if that was the case, because ­Liverpool looked so superior for so much of the contest you almost expected one of those charity-style oversized cheques to be passed directly onto the pitch from the directors’ box at the end. The Italian was outmaneuvered by his Liverpool counter-part Brendan Rodgers wear adidas soccer cleats, and his side were completely overrun in midfield by opponents who were denied the most comfortable of victories only by two crass errors of their own.  Defending with so many men so deep against a side with one striker – and whose mission statement is to keep the ball in midfield – looked perverse wear adidas f50 adizero trx. Liverpool will still be wondering this morning how they didn’t get their Anfield Premier League campaign under Rodgers off to the most spectacular of starts. Where Mancini was cautious to the point of timidity, Rodgers was courageous – following his instinct to throw in 17-year-old Raheem Sterling wear adidas adipure 11pro for his full home debut instead of employing the safe option of Stewart Downing – and asking his side to have belief in their ability to out-pass the title-holders. It worked for 70 minutes, with Joe Allen’s virtuoso performance in the middle orchestrating a compelling Liverpool display that offered rich promise going forward wear nike mercurial vapor viii. They created enough chances to have taken the game comfortably. As it was though, the impressive Fabio Borini put one effort wide after a fine early move, and twice Luis Suarez failed to finish, before City skipper Vincent Kompany so nearly turned a Steven Gerrard cross into his own net wear adidas predator lz. It meant City – who created just one meaningful moment in the first half when Tevez hit the far post – remained in the game even when Liverpool finally found the net on 33 minutes. It was a fine goal as Martin Skrtel wear nike mercurial vapor superfly iii thundered onto a Gerrard corner to send the ball crashing into the roof of the net. With Liverpool seemingly in total control, City were reduced to firing long hopeful balls to a talented attack made impotent by being completely cut off from their supply lines. In a rare moment of individual skill though, Tevez wear nike total 90 laser iv wriggled free on the left and Pepe Reina flapped woefully at the cross, sowing confusion which saw the ball bounce off defender Martin Kelly to sit up beautifully for Yaya Toure to tap in. Only then did Mancini recognise his tactics were wrong, and they reverted to a flat back four and pressed higher up the pitch wear nike tiempo legend iv elite, forcing Liverpool to pass under a pressure previously missing. With David Silva introduced – 25 minutes too late – finally City found the threat champions are supposed to pose. Skrtel passed blind back to the keeper, for Tevez to dart in, put Reina on his backside and roll the ball into the net. City could have won it at the end when substitute Edin Dzeko wear nike ctr360 maestri ii elite twice came close, but that would have added to the injustice Liverpool felt, not least when they were denied a clear penalty when leading 2-1 after Kolarov caught Glen Johnson wear adidas adiPower predator in the box.