Queens Park Rangers vs Aston Villa. Premier League.
Loftus Road StadiumAttendance18,022.
Tuesday 28 October 2014 09:42, UK
Queens Park Rangers moved off the foot of the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa at Loftus Road.
Charlie Austin opened the scoring on 17 minutes and added the second on 69 minutes to give QPR only their second win in the league this season.
The first goal arrived when Bobby Zamona held off Ron Vlaar to knock a high punt from Richard Dunne down to the edge of the box and Austin hit the ball on the drop to send a low drive into the keeper’s right corner.
Austin took his tally for the season to four when he timed his run to perfection across Vlaar and clipped the ball between Brad Guzan and his near post from a weighted Eduardo Vargas cross.
Villa had the first opportunity after Sandro played a slack pass to Aly Cissokho and as Rangers struggled to clear the ball from the penalty area Ashley Westwood tested Rob Green with a frim drive from 18 yards which the keeper held.
Green was again called into action when Carlos Sanchez smacked a swerving volley from Mauricio Isla's clearance towards goal.
And the Rangers keeper later had to be alert to get down and hold a deflected cross from Andreas Weimann with Christian Benteke lurking behind him inside the six-yard box.
At the other end a chip by Sandro from 20-yards had Guzan watching anxiously as the ball dropped a foot wide of the far post.
Villa almost levelled the match 10 minutes after the break when Benteke climbed to meet a Westwood free-kick at the back post and nod down to Ciaran Clark, but he hooked the ball wide of the target on the turn.
QPR came close to a second on 68 minutes as Leroy Fer disposed Sanchez and Isla rolled the ball wide to David Hoilett who curled the ball back across goal and off the far post.
The visitors could have been back in the game within three minutes when Matthew Lowton curled a cross to the front post, but Benteke’s header was blocked by Villa substitute Joe Cole who had made a similar run.
Hoilett caused Villa more problems as he picked out a diagonal run by Vargas to open up the defence, but the Rangers forwards shot against the advancing Guzan.
Ten minutes from time Green made an impressive double save, parrying a volley from Tom Cleverley and then getting his foot out to block the rebound from Clark inside the six-yard box.
But QPR were able to see out the final few minutes and consign Villa to a fifth straight defeat - they have not scored a Premier League goal since September 13 when they shocked Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield.
