Aston Villa 2 QPR 2
Darren Bent scored the 100th Premier League goal in his career as Aston Villa came from two goals down to draw with big-spending QPR.
Darren Bent scored the 100th Premier League goal in his career as Aston Villa came from two goals down to draw with big-spending QPR.
The visitors had gone 2-0 up after Djibrill Cisse scored on his QPR debut in the 12th minute before Stephen Warnock put through his own net 17 minutes later.
But Villa bravely battled back and Bent had his century of goals on the stroke of half-time when finished off a fine team move.
Charles N'Zogbia netted his first goal in a Villa shirt with a superb volley in the 79th minute but despite a spell of intense pressure the hosts were unable to find a winner.
Villa made one change from the side which was knocked out of the FA Cup by Arsenal as N'Zogbia was recalled to the starting line-up in place of Gabby Agboblahor who sat out with a hamstring injury.
Villa have struggled at home this season and were without a win since the 3-2 win over Norwich on Bonfire night so the home crowd were even more restless when QPR took the lead early on.
Jamie Mackie played in Shaun Wright-Phillips and his shot was blocked by Stephen Ireland and the ball dropped to debutant Cisse who was unmarked inside the penalty area and he rifled in a low angled shot into the bottom-left corner of the net.
Villa struggled to break down an organised Rangers defence but Robbie Keane and Ireland combined well in the 26th minute but the latter was unable to get end of his compatriot's intelligent through ball and visiting keeper Paddy Kenny gathered.
And things got from bad to worse for the claret and blues three minutes later as QPR double their lead when Warnock put through his own net.
Taye Taiwo whipped a cross into the penalty area from the left but poor communication between Richard Dunne and Warnock saw the Villa left-back head past Given despite not being under any pressure from any QPR player.
Keane then twice went close for Villa as the home side finally came to life. Dunne powered a header at goal from a Petrov corner but Keane was unable to get clean contact on his shot from close-range and Kenny saved.
The 31-year-old striker found some space on the edge of the box a few minutes later and saw his deflected shot crashed back off the crossbar.
Keane was instrumental in Villa's equaliser on the stroke of half-time as he picked up a ball from Ireland and slid in Hutton down the right flank.
The Scotland international whipped a low cross and Bent was on hand to sidefoot the ball past Kenny with ease from just inside the six-yard box.
Villa began the second half positively and Keane forced Kenny to make a smart save with a shot from distance in the 50th minute and moments later the Holte End screamed for a penalty when Ciaran Clark's shot was blocked by the raised hand of Shaun Derry.
McLeish's side laid siege to the Rangers goal and Keane's shot was parried by Kenny in the 59th minute but Bent was unable to latch on to the rebound and QPR cleared.
Wright-Phillips set up Mackie 10 minutes later but the QPR midfielder completely missed the ball from close range while Bent scuffed a shot at the other end after he picked out by Hutton.
The home side's pressure eventually told in the 79th minute when Ireland threaded a brilliant inch-perfect pass for Petrov who crossed to the back post from the byline.
N'Zogbia watched the ball into his body and smashed a powerful volley past Kenny and into the bottom corner of the net to grab a deserved equaliser.
It was all Villa from that point and Bent was unfortunate not to have his 101st Premier League goal when he saw his shot cleared off the line by Tommy Smith while Kenny denied N'Zogbia a second with a near-post save as QPR hung on for a point.