Jonathan Kodjia netted the only goal of the game to give Steve Bruce’s men their second Championship away win of the season on Sunday afternoon.
Mark Bunn 7/10 – Having surprisingly replaced Pierluigi Gollini between the posts, the former Norwich City keeper dealt well with a couple of dangerous situations near the end to help Villa see out the game.
Alan Hutton 7/10 – Managed to keep Yeni Ngbakoto quiet and provide the assist for Kodjia’s winner with a clever ball down the right channel. With rumours of Carl Jenkinson joining the club on loan next month, he’ll need to produce a few more similar showings over the Christmas period in order to keep hold of his place in the side.
James Chester 7/10 – Having been arguably Villa’s only real bright spot in Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss at Norwich, the skipper produced another faultless performance at the back to help Bruce’s men secure their second clean sheet in three games.
Nathan Baker 8/10 – Returning from injury, the 25-year-old centre-back led the way with 12 clearances and made a crucial block just after the hour mark to prevent QPR from taking the lead. His improvement since Bruce’s appointment has been nothing short of remarkable.
Jordan Amavi 7/10 – Really starting to show his promise now he’s fully recovered from the knee injury suffered last season. Given his recent form, it’s no wonder that both Marseille and Everton are said to be after his signature this winter.
Mile Jedinak 7/10 – While guilty of some sloppy passes, the Australian midfielder’s grit and physicality in the centre of the park proved invaluable.
Gary Gardner 6/10 – Proved a solid enough midfield partner for Jedinak but needed to do more going forward. You have to wonder what Aaron Thisbola has done wrong to be left out in the cold.
Albert Adomah 7/10 – Struggled at times with his final ball but still served up some dangerous crosses and showed a few flashes of skill down the right.
Ross McCormack 5/10 – Looked painfully off the pace before being replaced by Agbonlahor with 19 minutes remaining. A performance that won’t do much to quell doubts about his future at the club.
Leandro Bacuna 6.5/10 – Playing on the left wing, the utility man was very quiet in the first half but managed to offer a lot more after the break and never stopped running.
Jonathan Kodjia 7/10 – Saw a poor penalty saved in the first half but eventually made amends with 15 minutes left when he wriggled free in the area and fired a low shot past QPR keeper Alex Smithies.
SUBSTITUTES
Gabby Agbonlahor (McCormack 71) 6/10 – Didn’t do much on the ball but managed to keep QPR’s backline under pressure with his movement during the closing stages.
Rudy Gestede (Kodjia 84) 6/10 – Almost made it 2-0 in stoppage time but his close-range shot was blocked off the line.
Ashley Westwood (Gardner 89) N/A – Had to settle for a late cameo after being dropped to the bench following the loss at Norwich.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
