Wigan goal a cruel blow, says QPR boss Harry Redknapp

QPR boss Harry Redknapp admitted he was devastated as an injury-time Wigan equaliser left his side seven points from safety with six games left.

Ten-man Rangers led through Loic Remy but Shaun Maloney's 94th-minute free-kick meant Sunday's match ended 1-1.

"That was the cruellest last kick of the ball I have ever been involved in in football," Redknapp said.

"I need people to lift me, I don't know about the players. I need lifting, that is how I feel."

QPR remain 19th, one place below Wigan but seven points below the Latics and Sunderland, and Redknapp thinks closing out victory would have made a big difference to his side's survival bid.

"If we had won, it would have given us a lift to go on a run and stay up," Redknapp added.

"It was an excellent performance from the players. To play as we did with 10 men, I felt we deserved three points and it was so cruel.

"As hard as we were trying to hang on for the last 20 seconds, we cannot give free kicks away like we did [for Maloney's goal]. We should have run the ball down into the corner and played down the clock."

QPR had played 70 minutes with 10 men following Bobby Zamora's red card for a high and late challenge on Jordi Gomez, and Redknapp did not dispute the decision to send off his striker.

"I think it looked like a red card," he said. "Bobby's not a malicious player but it was a clumsy challenge - his foot was high.

"It was a reckless challenge and it's not like Bobby to make challenges like that. He's not a reckless player.

"No one's more sorry than Bobby but we'd have beaten them today with 11 men, I'm sure. Even with 10 men, we should have won the game.

"You don't always get what you deserve in life and football and we didn't get what we deserved. We deserved to win."

Rangers have a tough run-in but Redknapp says they have a chance of staying up because of the "spirit" in his squad.

"The players I've brought in are doing great and have scored goals," he explained. "Andros Townsend was magnificent today and Jermaine Jenas worked his socks off in the middle of the park.

"We're a much-improved team but when you're playing catch-up all year, like we have, then it's difficult.

"I can't ask for any more than the players have given. We have to keep going. We can't give up."

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez said he had mixed feelings, having seen his side rescue a point in injury time after a disappointing display.

He said: "There is relief, but frustration as well. That was an incredible chance for us to win away from home but we couldn't get it and that is frustrating.

"We couldn't take advantage of the man advantage. We are a better side than that; we were cagey. We took things quickly when we should have been more relaxed, we delayed play when we should have been quicker. I don't think we enjoyed our football and that is a crime.

"From a free kick we got outside their box, we conceded a wonder goal and it would have been all too easy to accept defeat.

"But the free kick from Shaun Maloney is as good as you will see and gave us an incredible result."