Aston Villa vs Queens Park Rangers. Sky Bet Championship.
Villa ParkAttendance37,760.
Report and highlights as Villa are frustrated by battling Rangers
Tuesday 1 January 2019 21:04, UK
Tammy Abraham was Aston Villa's saviour once again in a 2-2 home draw with QPR.
Abraham, reportedly keen to end his loan from Chelsea and show his goalscoring ability in the Premier League, scored two crucial goals to take his tally to nine in the last five home games.
He was on the mark in the 21st minute but a tenacious QPR shook Villa to the core when Luke Freeman equalised just before the break and then took a 57th-minute lead through Ebere Eze.
Abraham notched a face-saving equaliser in the 76th minute but injury-hit Villa, who were forced to include goalkeeper Jed Steer and defender Tommy Elphick having recalled both players from loan spells, continue to drop points at home.
The game started slowly though it could have been different had Abraham not wasted a fine chance to open the scoring.
Rangers skipper Toni Leistner missed a short through-ball and Abraham raced onto the pass but produced a weak effort and Joe Lumley was able to make a routine block at his near post.
The Londoners had another let-off in the 20th minute when John McGinn, set up by Birkir Bjarnason, unleashed a left-footed shot which cannoned off the crossbar.
Villa made up for their slow start by taking the lead a minute later when the unmarked Abraham nonchalantly headed home a cross from John McGinn.
On the half-hour Rangers slowly began to make an impact. Freeman worked hard to up the pace, while Eze and Nahki Wells should have done better with a couple of opportunities.
Freeman, however, was rewarded when his spectacular 25-yard rocket in the 41st minute whistled past Steer to give Rangers a deserved equaliser.
Following a six-minute delay following an injury to Lumley, Rangers took full advantage of Villa's commitment to attack by storming into a 57th-minute lead.
Freeman was the player who produced a long crossfield pass to the right, where Pawel Wszolek put over a cross from which the unmarked Eze put Rangers into a shock lead.
Fortunately for Villa the goalscoring prowess of Abraham was still potent, as he demonstrated with a 72nd-minute equaliser when he was on hand to convert a right-wing cross from Anwar El Ghazi.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith: "Tammy has shown no inclination to go back to Chelsea.
"We are very happy with the way Tammy is developing as a player and as a person. He is very happy and you can see the connection he has the supporters, the players and staff.
"Chelsea seem very happy as he developing as a player and scoring goals in the Championship. For all three parties it is a win, win, win.
"So I would be amazed if anything happened to prevent him playing for Villa. But it is not in my control. If Chelsea decide to recall him it is up to them."
QPR boss Steve McClaren: "It was a great game of football and a great advert for the Championship with two teams fully committed.
"I was delighted with the performance of my players to keep producing performances, especially away from home.
I was proud of the players as it was a fantastic performance against a star team.
"They worked very hard for each other to give us a platform. The two goals were excellent and I feel we deserved the result."
