Paul Lambert raps Villa after fifth straight loss

Manager Paul Lambert hit out at his players as Aston Villa slumped to their fifth consecutive defeat which left them two points off the drop zone.

Charlie Austin hit a goal in each half to boost Queens Park Rangers, but Lambert has now presided over the worst run in the club's history following their miserable set of results.

He said: "You've got to earn the right to win a game and we didn't put the ball in the back of the net. We should have dealt better with the goals because they were both preventable.

"It's always a concern when you don't win football matches and this run has got to stop."

Rangers took the lead against the run of play when Bobby Zamora laid the ball off for Austin to lash home from the edge of the area in the 17th minute.

The hosts secured victory midway through the second half when Eduardo Vargas raced down the right and crossed for Austin to finish at the near post.

When Austin struck a sweet half-volley in the first half the writing was already on the wall for Lambert's men, who have now gone over eight hours since scoring a goal, and another predatory finish the other side of the interval secured what could be a vital 2-0 win.

They may have faced Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton in recent weeks – with an 11-0 aggregate reverse scoreline – but Villa needed a result against QPR to stay clear of the relegation scrap.

But, for Harry Redknapp and QPR, this was a much-needed second win of the campaign which lifts them above fellow newly-promoted side Burnley and to within two points of 17th-placed Leicester as the 67-year-old continues to face questions about his future.

Austin said: "To score two in the Premier League, I'm over the moon. But I couldn't do it without my team-mates. I've come a long way.

"It's a massive win for us, now we'll go into the next couple of games with confidence."