Christian Benteke is a striker transformed
It is goals that provide the surest route to escape relegation. And for so much of the season Villa were bereft of them, not least those supplied by the man supposed to be doing the scoring: Christian Benteke. But since Tim Sherwood arrived, the Belgian centre forward has exploded back into form. Full of tricks and feints, he scored three bruising, bullying, brilliant goals here. His hat-trick took his tally to seven in his last five games. Given that he had scored just two before that, it appears Sherwood has transformed him from an icing on the cake player into one who delivers.
Christian Benteke takes the applause of his team-mates against QPR
£150 million good value for a club of Aston Villa's potential
Randy Lerner is seeking a buyer for Villa. Anyone capable of meeting that price tag who turned up to assess the property at this fixture would have been impressed by what the club could become, given some careful stewardship. The noise that greeted Benteke’s first-half brace of goals was evidence of the huge reservoir of spirit around the place. It was deafening. And that was just from uber-fan Stan Collymore, galumphing around in the press box. With backing like that, Lerner’s asking price looks a bargain. Provided his outfit remains in the Premier League, that is.
Stan Collymore celebrates an Aston Villa goal
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Jack Grealish looks a lot happier now
The young Villa winger demonstrated his displeasure at Paul Lambert’s regime by tweeting earlier in the season that he “can’t wait to be happy to play again”. Given his league debut by Sherwood, the 19 year-old with the 1950s name looked relaxed from the start. Not least because of his old-school way of wearing his socks gathered around his ankles. Accepting responsibility for all set pieces, he hit Rob Green’s midriff with a sharp, early free-kick. His real strength, though, appears to lie in the dribble. More of that and he has the potential to make Villa’s beleaguered support happy indeed.
Jack Grealish impressed for Aston Villa on his first Premier League start
QPR shouldn't be in the mess they find themselves
Before this game, Sherwood called the Rangers players proper men. But they have rarely shown it this season, hopelessly adrift in the relegation zone for much of the time, their defence frequently resembling a seriously corroded colander. Yet in Joey Barton, Nico Kranjcar, Bobby Zamora and, particularly, Charlie Austin they have the personnel capable of emerging from this trough, players in truth who should never have been there in the first place. Their spirited comeback here, completed by Austin’s clinical finish, suggested they have finally woken up to the requirement to play like they can. And should.
Clint Hill heads an equaliser for QPR against Villa
It was a competition neither manager relished
Sherwood and Chris Ramsey developed their craft in tandem, graduating from the junior ranks to take control of Tottenham together last season. It was widely assumed when a vacancy emerged at QPR that they would continue their double act. But Ramsey took over there, while Sherwood sought a bigger opportunity at Villa. Both in tracksuits, both vigorously chivvying their players throughout, the pair studiously ignored each other here as they stood on the fringes of their technical areas, two old friends suddenly divided by the requirement to do each other down. Ramsey’s restrained celebration of Austin’s late goal showed he was not a man to relish his friend’s discomfort.
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