A goal each from on-loan strikers Mikkel Beck and Alex Notman ensured honours were even in a less than pulsating mid-table Division One clash at Bramall Lane today.

Resurgent Sheffield United had won all six previous home matches since Neil Warnock took charge at the start of December but were uninspiring in front of a disappointing crowd of 11,554.

With only two league defeats on the road - at Walsall and at leaders Charlton last Saturday - Warnock has turned a side with real relegation fears into one which looks destined for a top-half finish.

But today's showing against QPR was their worst performance since his arrival from Bury.

Beck's 25th-minute goal proved the difference between the two sides at the end of a mediocre first half, but United can count themselves fortunate that Rangers failed to capitalise on a string of promising positions.

Young winger Jermaine Darlington did provide the cross which Paul Murray headed back for Beck to poke home but otherwise he was invariably wasteful in the final third.

Whatever Warnock said at half-time appeared to have the desired effect, and his side's equaliser came on 54 minutes.

In a virtual action replay of Rangers' goal, winger Paul Devlin whipped the ball to the back post which half-time substitute Curtis Woodhouse powered back into the six-yard box for on-loan Manchester United striker Notman to bundle past goalkeeper Lee Harper. His goal was the second of his spell in South Yorkshire, but the diminutive youngster had barely been in the game until that moment.

The Rangers fans nearly had a second goal to celebrate in the 67th minute. Only a last-ditch lunge by centre-back Shaun Murphy prevented Beck and strike partner Chris Kiwomya breaking free in the penalty area.

Lee Sandford's looping header from another Devlin cross forced Harper to make a scrambling save from under his bar as the second half proved better than the dreary opening period.

A cleverly worked free-kick resulted in Devlin rifling a 25-yard drive a foot over Harper's bar as the home side tried frantically to find a winner.

Rangers boss Gerry Francis withdraw Beck for Kevin Gallen - returning from injury to a standing ovation from the travelling support.

In the final minute of normal time, only another Murphy interception prevented Gallen breaking into the area, while seconds later Marcus Bent fired in an angled volley which Harper held at the second attempt.

Teams:

Sheff Utd: Tracey, Derry (Woodhouse 46), Sandford, Kozluk, Murphy, Quinn, Brown, Ford, Devlin, Bent, Notman.

Subs Not Used: Gysbrechts, Ribeiro, D'Jaffo, Jagielka.

Goals: Notman 54.

QPR: Harper, Ward, Plummer, Ready, Baraclough, Darlington (Rowland 63), Murray, Peacock, Langley, Beck (Gallen 86), Kiwomya (Slade 83).

Subs Not Used: Miklosko, Perry.

Booked: Langley, Beck.

Goals: Beck 25.

Att: 11,554.

Ref: R Pearson (Peterlee).