Paul Heckingbottom issues a worrying injury update regarding Sander Berge as Sheffield United chief hits out at officials

A controversial moment at the death saw the Norweigan go down in the box following close attention from R’s midfielder Andre Dozzell, who tugged at the shirt with the home player going down.

Referee James Linington was unmoved and refused to award a penalty, although Heckingbottom’s greater concern after was the condition of Berge, who will now go for a scan.

What Heckingbottom was critical of in terms of the officials was a failure to punish what he viewed to be time-wasting tactics from another visiting side at Bramall Lane.

The only goal of the game came on 51 minutes when Chris Willock struck his sixth goal of the season to earn a third successive away win for Rangers, who are now up to fourth.

Heckingbottom, whose side remain on top of the Championship on goal difference after Norwich were pegged back at Reading, said: "The bad thing is that Sander got injured – planting his foot as he was just about to kick a ball, with two hands pulling on his shirt. You are not going to kick the ball right and he got pulled over and he’s got injured from it.

"That’s up to the referee. The bit the referee can get right is the amount of time teams take.

"We speak about it every week. But doing something about it in the 81st minute is not good enough.

"My point is that if that is the game plan of teams coming to Bramall Lane, every time we are drawing or losing, we are suffering. Unless we score in the first minute, it is us suffering.

"That is not us taking anything away from QPR. I thought they defended fantastically well.”

On the extent of Berge’s injury, Heckingbottom, who also saw George Baldock early in the second half, added: "We don’t know. We are going to send him straight for a scan. We are hoping that it looks worse than it is. But if you watch it back, you see him twist. We will have to see.

"It’s a side strain (with Baldock) when he had that chance in the first half. We knew at half-time he’d probably have to come off.”

Meanwhile, Heckingbottom’s opposite number Michael Beale acknowledged the validity of the controversial late penalty shout for the hosts.

He added: "I could not really see because Stuart (McCall) and Paul were in front of me. I am not taking the hard yards out there. But in the last ten minutes there, the benches were up and with young Andre on Sander Berge, if it was in the middle of the park, then it is a foul.

"What I would say to young Andre is that Sander is facing the stand, why do you want to do that? Just block it, your team-mates have done to the well for you.

"Why would you ruin it or potentially put it in the referees' hands. I will have to look at it back, but listening to everyone around it, it's a foul (if it was) outside the box, isn't it?'"