QUEENS Park Rangers suffered their fifth Championship defeat in succession as Aston Villa took all three points at Loftus Road.
Aston Villa hadn’t won in W12 since 1991 but managed to edge out a profligate QPR side that failed to register a single shot on target.
It could have been a very different story when the ever-reliable Alex Smithies saved a spot kick from Jonathan Kodjia, but the pricey summer signing proved his worth by netting the goal to separate the two teams.
Rangers toiled admirably and moved the ball around well by and large, but couldn’t create and take chances of note with Conor Washington then Idrissa Sylla ploughing a lone furrow in attack.
Creative players such as Yeni Ngbakoto and Tjaronn Chery did not come to the party and with a lack of presence to maintain persistent pressure in attack, eventually the defence crumbled and allowed Kodjia his eighth of the season.
But for Smithies the scoreline could have had a very different complexion, with a string of fine saves to deny the Villians a greater gloss on the result after going up a gear in the second half.
With Brighton & Hove Albion on the horizon for QPR, it makes for a winter of discontent with the Rs perilously close to the Championship trap door.
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