90+2 min: Nasty challenge from Fer on Blind. Blind grimaces but is helped to his feet by his compatriot.

90 min: Three added minutes here.

89 min: Rooney turns provider, playing a lovely slide-rule pass into Van Persie’s feet. He should shoot, but instead squares the ball toward Falcao in the middle. It’s just behind the Colombian and Herrera’s shot is well saved by Green. Just the four then.

86 min: Keep ball from United, this game is fizzling out. Jonny Evans has a nervy moment at the back, with a weak backpass, but De Gea is quick off his line to rescue the situation.

84 min: Chance for Falcao! Blind shoots from downtown with a shot that swerves and dips – Green can only parry it, and Falcao is onto the rebound first but again the keeper does well to close the space and save. The ball ricochets off Green’s legs, back off Falcao and out for a goal kick. Falcao looks to the heavens.

82 min: Di Maria, suffering a little from cramp, is replaced by Januzaj. He gets an extended handshake from Van Gaal in the stands who seems determined to hang onto the Argentinean’s hand for as long as possible. Januzaj is wearing Giggs’s No11 shirt this season.

80 min: QPR having a bit more possession but getting nowhere. Rojo, Blind have done well, but judgement should be reserved for teams that will properly test United.

77 min: As just as I write that, QPR get their best chance of the half. Fer plays a through ball that should be easily swept up by Blackett, but the young defender lets it run though to De Gea, unaware that Vargas is on his shoulder. The striker is one-on-one with the keeper but drags his shot wide! He should at least be hitting the target!

75 min: QPR just doing damage limitation now, they have shown little attacking intent in the last twenty minutes but have closed the spaces on the flanks a lot better.

73 min: After a little break for Sandro, Henry replaces the Brazilian. United fans sing in unison: ‘Rio, give us a wave! Rio, Rio, give us a wave!’ He does not oblige, unlike his manager a Tottenham a couple of weeks back.

70 min: Anywhere will do for QPR at the moment. Caulker hacks clear after a flowing United move, that saw Van Persie clip the bar with a cross. On the next move, Van Persie blazes a shot over the bar, although it looks like it got a deflection. Sandro looks as though he’s struggling here, he’s collapsed on the turf.

68 min: Rooney has dropped into the No10 role, with Falcao partnering Van Persie up top. Phillips, drives down the right and gets half a yard to cross, but it’s well cleared by Evans.

66 min: Here he comes! Falcao is on for Mata!

(and Valencia on for Da Silva)

64 min: Absolutely outrageous pass from Di Maria. Cutting inside off the left, he clips a lovely ball into Van Persie with the outside of his foot. Ooooooh! Van Persie doesn’t have to break stride but doesn’t catch his volley right. Easy for Green.

60 min: Change for QPR: Austin off for Vargas, who is making his Rangers debut. Blind makes a great challenge on the Chilean to welcome him to the game. The Dutchman has not put a foot wrong all game, although he hasn’t been troubled that much to be fair.

Di Maria picks the ball up and takes a long-range shot. It is dragged so far wide, that it turns into a perfect pass for Mata, who has got free of Ferdinand. One touch to control, head up, and lifted into the roof of Green’s net. That’s a nice finish. Mata has played well, just goes to show what happens when you play the Spaniard in his favoured No10 position.

57 min: This is arguably the biggest cheer of the afternoon. Falcao is warming up!

55 min: It’s been a bright start by Traore since his half-time introduction. His pace has caught United’s midfield unawares a couple of times now. This time, Traore beelines for the goal, but on his weaker right, can’t fashion a chance. Still, encouraging for the visitors.

52 min: Da Silva comes in off the right wing, and plays a lovely one-two with Herrera. Da Silva’s cut-back breaks to Mata, but he can’t get it under control, and his shot is weak. So weak in fact, that it is rather a pass to Rooney on the way to goal, but Green gets out well to smother the ball inside his six-yard box.

48 min: Great save by De Gea! Traore shows his pace down the left and embarks on a similar run to that of Di Maria in the first half, driving into the box, before checking and laying on a ball for the oncoming Kranjcar. The Croatian smashes it first time, but De Gea flails out a gangly right left and deflects it away. That’s the closest Rangers have come!

47 min: Di Maria showing that he’s not all tricks, he’s also got a bit of steel, shrugging off the consider size of Phillips. It’s worth remembering how effective Di Maria was in central midfield for Real Madrid last year. He can certainly defend.

The teams are out again. Here we go!

QPR have made one change, Traore on for Hull at left-back.

Not that they are missing him at present, but have a gander a the welcome Dortmund fans gave Shinji Kagawa, after he scored on Saturday on his return to the club.

Marcus Christenson wrote this on the Japanese midfielder, which is well worth a read.

45 min: Phil Dowd just fell over! Waaaay!

Simple goal, and this time, rather than attacking brilliance, it’s poor defending. Mata, Herrera and Rooney are all able to zip their passes about the edge of the box with no pressure. Rooney has time to turn and laces a fierce shot inside Green’s near post from 20 yards out. Game over?

41 min: The game has settled now, United happy to ping the ball about. They’ve little need for urgency. Van Persie and Rooney happy to drop deep. QPR are completely outnumbered in the middle. Will Harry change from his 4-3-3 at half-time?

38 min: Phillips gets his first run at Rojo and beats him for pace, before delivering a low cross across the box. It misses Austin, and Da Silva clears, with Hoilett lurking behind. Would Da Silva have been there to clear if United were playing three at the back there?

“You’re completely right about the importance of Rafael to United,” emails David Wall. “It’s often forgotten how good he was (both defensively and attacking) in Ferguson’s last season, as though he had finally matured from his sometimes-reckless earlier seasons. But he seemed barely to play last year, at least not for a sustained period of time, due to a series of injuries. As a result United had to play centre-halves at right-back, where they always looked out of place (again defensively and going forward). If he can regain that form of a couple of seasons ago it adds proper balance to the side. It just emphasizes that full-back is a specialist position, like many others on the field, and not somewhere to hide a dodgy player where they might get away without doing much damage like in junior league teams.”

Di Maria is at it again. The stamina and the pace of the man is frightening, as he dribbles a good 60 yards down the left, before releasing Rooney with a reverse pass inside. Rooney’s shot is blocked but he collects the rebound and is able to set the ball to Herrera on the edge of the box. First time, he slams it low past Green’s right hand. That situation would never have arisen without Di Maria’s dribble though – Giggs-esque.

32 min: Booking for Van Persie, that’s a cynical foul on Hoilett who was bursting down the left wing. Da Silva was out of position and that’s what you might call a good booking to take.

31 min: Great chance for QPR! A hopeful ball is pumped long from the back, De Gea comes out to meet it but completely misjudged it and Phillips gets a toe. De Gea, completely stranded outside his box is nowhere, but Evans gets across to block Phillips’s shot. That was a definite goal. De Gea pats Evans on the head.

“Lee Dixon just said on the US commentary that the De Gea and Rojo mix up could have been because of a “language problem” - different Spanish accents?” asks Ben Walls.

29 min: It’s wave after wave of United attacks. QPR’s midfield can’t make anything stick. Niko Kranjcar looks like he’s moving through mud. Again Di Maria is at the crux of everything, crossing early but Van Persie heads over.

26 min: Penalty shout for United! Herrera finds a pocket of space on the edge of QPR’s box and plays a one-two with Mata before chipping the ball over Hill’s outstretched leg. Herrera collides with Hill and goes down, that was right on the edge of the box, but Phil Dowd is unmoved. Looked a foul to me.

Di Maria takes a free-kick a good 40-yards from goal on the right (!) and delivers into the box, but his cross misses everyone. Green on his line, expecting a touch, is motionless on his line, and the cross creeps just inside the far post! The Argentinean sprints over to the crowd doing that silly heart-thing him and Bale do. 1-0!

19 min: Di Maria again charges down the left, Isla in his wake. It’s a decent cross, but Ferdinand is there to mop up. His positioning so far in central defence has been brilliant.

“Whether to play Di Maria or, when he is fit, Young on the left-wing for United - probably one of the tougher decisions LVG will have to make,” laughs Mark Judd.

What would be interesting would be to see Di Maria switch flanks to the right. For anybody that caught Argentina’s thrashing of Germany 10 days ago, he was absolutely sublime on the right, scoring one, assisting three. 36-year-old Clint Hill is playing left-back for QPR too...

16 min: First big chance! Again it’s down United’s left. Rojo overlaps Di Maria, and the latter passes his compatriot and delightful lofted pass – Rojo crossing to the back-post. Van Persie is completely unmarked but it’s slightly behind him, so the striker turns to take a touch, but in doing so, takes it off the toes of Herrera, who was arriving late! There must have been a shout there. If Van Persie had left it, Herrera would surely have scored.

14 min: QPR have barely had a kick. It’s obvious what their tactics are at present. Kick it long, hopefully catch United’s full-backs out of position and use the pace of both Phillips and Hoilett on the flanks to launch a counter-attack.

12 min: Some neat interchanges on the edge of QPR’s box: Herrera and Rooney combining but Hill throws himself at the ball and blocks the shot. Hacked away by Ferdinand.

8 min: Da Silva is part of United’s back four, but he’s getting very high up the pitch, pinning Hoilett back on QPR’s left. He’s certainly not one of the superstars at United but one suspects he is one of the most important to their shape. QPR having their first spell of possession here: ending with a wayward Rio diagonal which goes out for a throw.

6 min: Blind has started well, he looks composed on the ball and that hair is just magnificent. Like a well-groomed lion at the base of that midfield. The Dutchman intercepts and again releases Mata but it comes to nothing. Everything is coming down United’s left.

4 min: Mata is released by Di Maria down the left, and the Spaniard whips a ball onto the foot of Rooney on the edge of the box, but his first touch is poor, and Ferdinand is able to hack clear. It’s a corner, headed away by Hill.

2 min: Di Maria gets his first run at Isla at right-back. Gets to the byline but it’s a scuffed cross. The crowd rose to it’s feet as soon a he touched the ball. I think he remains easily the best of United’s signings this summer.

Peeep! We’re off! Rangers fans making themselves known.

The teams are out, Rio is being presented with some kind of memento from Sir Bobby Charlton. Cheers and chants ring out from the United fans. Bit of a strange one that, I’d have thought he’d want to be completely focused on the game.

Aaron Coultate on the email:

“Can’t help but wish LVG pulled a Mike Bassett in the pre-match interview”

United and QPR fans – what formation would you most like your teams to play?

“There’s been a lot of talk of how to fit all the big names into a starting XI, but I’m particularly pleased with Pereira’s presence, albeit on the bench,” emails Ore Popoola. “He was probably the only United player that deserved his wages in the match against MK Dons. I know that’s not saying much, but still..”

That was his first (and only) competitive appearance for United.

Falcao has been talking to Geoff Shreeves. “I will fight to stay at this club. I want to become a legend here.”

He also confirmed that he turned down another club with Champions League football to join Manchester United. He is very, very smiley.

Harry Redknapp has also ditched his early-season 3-5-2 and reverted to the 4-3-3 that proved successful in their win over Sunderland.

Sandro makes his debut, with Vargas named on the bench. Interesting to also see Taarabt also on the bench. It was reported the Moroccan was on his way out of QPR on deadline day.

So we’ve got the teams ... but wait! United are playing with a flat-back four! Blackett starts alongside Evans in the centre, Rojo making his debut on the left, the now-recovered Da Silva on the right.

“If I wanted to play five at the back, I can’t! They are all injured!” Van Gaal says in his pre-match interview.

No Falcao in the starting XI! No Shaw! They are both on the bench alongside Andreas Pereira, an 18-year-old who has never played in the Premier League. He’s been touted as the next Adnan Januzaj, and not just because he’s young, part-Belgian and wavering over signing at new deal at the club.

Looks like they’ll be playing a diamond in midfield, Blind as the anchor, Mata at the tip, with Herrera and Di Maria in between. Woof!

Today’s heroes and villains:

Man Utd: De Gea, Evans, Blackett, Rojo, Da Silva, Di Maria, Herrera, Blind, Mata, Rooney, Van Persie. Subs: Shaw, Falcao, Januzaj, Lindegaard, Fletcher, Valencia, Pereira.

QPR: Green, Isla, Ferdinand, Caulker, Hill, Hoilett, Fer, Sandro, Kranjcar, Phillips, Austin. Subs: Traore, McCarthy, Onuoha, Henry, Vargas, Zamora, Taarabt.

The man in black: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)