Seven weeks later than planned, this match was worth waiting for. Queens Park Rangers confirmed their status as one of the Coca-Cola Championship’s most exciting attacking forces, even if they had to settle for a single goal last night — and a penalty at that.

Jim Magilton, the QPR manager, looks to be shaping a squad capable of satisfying the promotion ambitions of the club’s backers, but a moment of defensive carelessness allowed Crystal Palace to leave Loftus Road with a draw.

“It’s two points dropped but you look at the chances we created,” Magilton said. “Tonight was a night where you rue the chances missed, but I can’t fault the effort.”

Unlikely as it may sound, this was a long-awaited fixture: it was postponed from September 15, when heavy rain rendered the pitch unplayable. QPR have won five times in the league since, including three successive victories in which they scored four goals in each.

West London was wet again yesterday: with sufficient water to slicken the surface and encourage one of those frantic, open games that is all the more entertaining for being slightly haphazard.

There was nothing hit-and-miss about Julián Speroni. The Palace goalkeeper made three excellent saves, the best a reflex stop to deny Rowan Vine, a substitute, inside the final ten minutes. The result and Speroni’s performance had Neil Warnock, the Palace manager, in jocular mode afterwards.

“He’s the best ’keeper in this league by a mile,” Warnock said. “Thank goodness nobody rates him. There’s nobody better in the Premier League. He won’t be leaving here while I’m manager. Unless I leave and take him with me.”

QPR — “our rich neighbours”, as Warnock described them — were the better side: sharper, smarter, slicing Palace open on the counter-attack. Adel Taraabt, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, is one of the most talented creators in the division, but Wayne Routledge, the Palace old boy, was the biggest threat yesterday.

He was a frequent pest to his former team, whose idea of an offside trap seemed to be to stand near halfway in a wonky line and hope for the best when the ball whizzed past them.

Magilton’s team took the lead in the nineteenth minute when Danny Butterfield fouled Taarabt in the penalty area and Akos Buzsaky scored from the spot. Stern John hit a post for the visiting team 11 minutes later.

The home side’s work was undone with an hour gone when Fitz Hall manhandled Freddie Sears, a substitute, inside the box, and Darren Ambrose converted the penalty. Palace grew in confidence and Alan Lee should have headed them into the lead with 20 minutes left, but his effort was too close to Radek Cerny.

QPR resumed their dominance and strove in vain to find a winner. But the draw still lifted them to sixth. There will be plenty more chances to come.

Queens Park Rangers (4-4-1-1): R Cerny — M Leigertwood, F Hall, K Gorkss, G Borrowdale — A Faurlin, B Watson, A Buzsaky (sub: H Ephraim, 80min), A Taarabt (sub: P Agyemang, 74) — W Routledge — J Simpson (sub: R Vine, 74). Substitutes not used: T Heaton, P Ramage, M Alberti, G Ainsworth. Booked: Routledge.

Crystal Palace (4-4-2): J Speroni — D Butterfield, J Fonte, C Davis, C Hill — N Danns (sub: L Hills, 84), J Ertl, S Derry, D Ambrose — S John (sub: A Lee, 68), A N’Diaye (sub: F Sears, 46). Substitutes not used: N Clyne, N Carle, V Moses, S Scannell. Booked: Davis.

Referee: M Russell.