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Redknapp hails Kranjcar as QPR grab 'vital' draw with Stoke

Harry Redknapp feels QPR's 2-2 draw with Stoke City on Saturday was a 'vital' result for the club.

The R's twice came from behind to draw level with the Potters at Loftus Road which prompted Redknapp to heap praise on his players for showing plenty of character to grab a point.

Mame Biram Diouf opened the scoring for Stoke in the 11th minute before Steven Caulker levelled late in the first half.

Peter Crouch managed to put Mark Hughes' Potters ahead just after the restart before Niko Kranjcar, who is on loan from Dynamo Kyiv, equalized with a curling free-kick in the 88th minute and Redknapp was delighted with the Croatian midfielder.

"It was a vital point for us in the end," Redknapp told the club's official website.

"Sitting there with five minutes to go, I was thinking it might not be our day, but Niko showed his class.

"It was a fantastic free-kick and that's what Niko does best. It was a great, great goal.

"There's no-one I'd rather have on the ball in that situation than Niko. He dug it out the top drawer and got us a vital point.

"It's a big point for us - we need to keep picking up points, even when we're not at our best.

"If we'd lost today the lads would be on the floor, but we kept getting at them and got back into it thanks to a moment of brilliance.

"To come back twice, against a tough team like Stoke, is great."

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Andrew Slevison
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