Queens Park Rangers climbed off the bottom of the Premier League table courtesy of a 2-0 victory over fellow strugglers Aston Villa this evening.
Charlie Austin got both goals for the hosts, breaking the deadlock with a crisp finish from the edge of the box in the 17th minute before wrapping up the points with just over 20 minutes to go.
Villa had no response as they made it five defeats without scoring in a row, the worst run of its kind in the club's history.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at a significant 90 minutes at Loftus Road.
Match statistics
QPR
Shots: 11
On target: 4
Possession: 35%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 11
ASTON VILLA
Shots: 15
On target: 6
Possession: 65%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 14
Was the result fair?
The stats above suggest that Aston Villa should be the team celebrating three points tonight, but that certainly would have flattered the visitors. Paul Lambert's men could argue that they were perhaps worthy of a draw, but they did not do enough to win the match or even pick up a share of the spoils.
Villa may well not boast 65% possession in another game this season, particularly away from home, but they did not use the ball anywhere near well enough. QPR were content to let them play in front of them and contained the visitors' attack with relative ease throughout.
Both sides struggled to create clear goalscoring chances throughout the 90 minutes, but the main difference between the sides tonight was that QPR were more clinical when those rare chances came about. Villa missed theirs, most notably when Rob Green made a fine double save, while Austin took both of his chances with aplomb.
QPR's performance
Despite being bottom of the table, QPR will have come into this match buoyed by their performance against Liverpool last time out. The major downside on that occasion was the naive and flimsy defending during the frantic closing stages, but that did not occur tonight, and the clean sheet will please Harry Redknapp almost as much as the three points.
It was another decent performance from QPR at home, where they have picked up all seven of their Premier League points this season. They did not see as much of the ball as you would usually expect a home side to, but that didn't seem to be part of their gameplan. They were content to let Villa have the lion's share of possession, so long as they didn't threaten to get in behind the defence.
That didn't happen as the likes of Richard Dunne and Steven Caulker bounced back from their own goal disappointment from last weekend to have strong games. That defensive solidity was the basis for the victory tonight, which is a far cry from the match against Liverpool. Redknapp will now be looking to build on this performance having dragged his side off the bottom of the table.
Aston Villa's performance
Five defeats in a row is a poor run for any side, but to have not scored a single goal in that time - even accounting for the standard of opposition they have faced - is a hugely worrying sign for Villa. They had more possession and more shots on target tonight than in any other game this season, but still they very rarely looked like breaching the QPR defence.
The final ball was poor far too often this evening, and the delivery from the wide areas was also disappointing, especially considering the physical presence of Christian Benteke in the middle. All the possession in the world is no good if you don't do anything with it, and that was Villa's problem tonight - they were toothless going forward and had a lack of ideas in the final third.
Having made such a positive start to the season, this recent freefall has brought about a renewed sense of doom and gloom around the club. Playing bottom of the league looked on paper to be the perfect way to come out of a run of consecutive matches against last season's top five, but instead it has yielded another demoralising defeat. Things are beginning to look a little precarious for Lambert's side.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Charlie Austin: The striker arrived in the Premier League with a fine goalscoring record in the lower leagues, but with question marks over his ability to do it at the top level. He went some way to proving those doubters wrong tonight with a match-winning performance that saw him score two very good, but two very different goals.
He took both of them expertly, firing the first in from the edge of the box and converting more of a poacher's finish in the second half. He seems to thrive with a partner up front with him, and Bobby Zamora is the perfect man for that due to his strength. Dunne also deserves a mention for his performance at the back, but Austin was the main difference tonight.
Biggest gaffe
Chances were few and far between for Villa tonight, so when they came around they needed to make the most of them. That didn't happen in the 73rd minute, however, as a breakdown in communication saw Joe Cole and Benteke get in each other's way in their attempts to reach a promising ball towards the front post.
Referee performance
Lee Mason had a quiet game tonight, with no big decisions to make and only two yellow cards handed out. A very comfortable evening for the official.
What next?
QPR: Things get tough for QPR now as they face leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday before hosting champions Manchester City a week later.
Aston Villa: Villa, meanwhile, will look to put a halt to their slide when they host Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park on Sunday.
Barney Corkhill
