The play-off chasing Potters, who were looking for a third win in a row, enjoyed the better of the first-half opportunities against a visiting side content to sit back and soak up pressure.

Lamine Cisse, Tomas Rigo and Divin Mubama all went close during a bright opening 20 minutes from the hosts.

But too often Stoke’s lack of cutting edge was all too evident as they struggled to find a way through QPR’s well-drilled defence.

It was a similar tale in the second half for the mis-firing hosts, with a stop-start half doing little to help them get into their attacking stride.

Ashley Phillips and Bae Jun-Ho saw the best of City’s chances go begging, white Kealey Adamson blazed a golden chance to win it for Rangers in stoppage time.

Stoke started on the front foot with Joe Walsh beating away a fierce long-range snap-shot from Rigo inside the opening 10 minutes.

Cisse hit the side-netting after getting on the end of Rigo’s teasing cross minutes later as Stoke continued to set the early pace.

The lively Rigo fired wide from a tight angle after a good run by Jun-ho created an opening while
Mubama headed just over from a Sorba Thomas corner after 20 minutes.

Ben Pearson produced a brilliant sliding tackle to nick the ball away from Kader Dembele after the visitors sprung a three-on-one counter-attack.

Maksym Talovierov turned the ball behind as Richard Kone prepared to tap home Amadou Mbengue’s cross.
Mubama then scuffed an effort straight at the keeper in the 32nd minute after the Rangers defence failed to clear a Thomas cross.

Talovierov was unable to divert Mubama’s shot into the net after having little time to react following a City corner seven minutes later.

Mbengue did well to block a Thomas header after the Stoke winger connected with a Rigo cross in first-half stoppage-time.

The hosts were dealt a blow at the start of the second half when Mubama was carried off after being caught by a late tackle by Jimmy Dunne.

Phillips headed a deep Thomas set-piece wide from the resulting free-kick and Paul Smyth skied an effort over after creating half a yard of space just outside the box.

Walsh comfortably saved a well-struck effort by Jun-Ho after 74 minutes as Stoke began to enjoy a good spell of possession.

Phillips headed narrowly over from a dangerous Thomas cross with five minutes to go.

Adamson lacked composure deep into added time after finding himself in on goal.

Kone tamely headed straight at the keeper two minutes later from Adamson’s dinked cross.