KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, SAYS HAPPY BRUCE
Adomah double has Villa into fifth
STEVE Bruce praised his young guns after Aston Villa came from behind to secure an entertaining victory over QPR.
An Albert Adomah double was enough to overcome a Rangers side that had gone ahead through Jamie Mackie at a rain-soaked Loftus Road.
Villa move up to fifth in the table, while QPR stay 15th, and Bruce felt the performances of young attackers Keinan Davis and Joshua Onomah made light of his side’s injury problems.
“Up the top end of the pitch we were a threat, the young two centre-forwards were excellent,” he said.
“The way we played pleased me. We played it forward, we looked quick, energetic, we looked a threat going forward which at times we haven’t been but today we did very, very well without big names.
“As I’ve always said when a big name drops out it gives an opportunity, and if anybody needs proof of that it is Keinan. He was immense today.
“We’re all absolutely delighted with him, a big well done to whoever found him.”
QPR started brightly as Jack Robinson’s deflected drive sent Sam Johnstone sprawling to divert it wide.
Their pressure was rewarded on 17 minutes when Villa couldn’t deal with Luke Freeman’s right-wing corner and Mackie blasted in from a yard out.
Villa tried to respond quickly, but Adomah fired tamely wide from a half-cleared corner.
With half-an-hour played, the impressive Davis fed Adomah as Villa broke quickly, only for the winger to fire wide when one-on-one. Onomah then squared for Davis, whose effort was somehow kept out.
Davis did well to fire off a shot inside the box that home keeper Alex Smithies repelled with his legs.
An intense spell of Villa pressure saw Onomah’s deflected shot hit the bar, before Jack Robinson was penalised for a handball in the box, and Adomah lashed the ball high into the net to equalise with the last kick of the half.
Just before the hour Adomah found the back of the net again, firing into the far corner from Conor Hourihane’s pass.
Robert Snodgrass should have doubled the lead after a mix-up at the back, but could only fire wildly over the bar.
The Scotland midfielder then launched a swift breakaway, playing in Davis who poked wide from a tight angle.
Freeman’s shot was palmed away by Johnstone, before Adomah wasted a chance for his hat-trick, cutting in from the left but curling his shot straight at Smithies.
With time running out, Matt Smith diverted Freeman’s deep cross straight at Johnstone, before the striker was denied a penalty after being tugged down in the box.
QPR boss Ian Holloway felt the game turned on Adomah’s penalty.
He said: “I’ve looked back at the handball and it does get you over and over again. Was that deliberate, does he have time for that to be deliberate?
“The referee gave it and I think he got that wrong and so do my lads.
“The second half they started brighter because they had that tonic.
“You’ve got to keep believing because some of that stuff was excellent the way we got it to our wing-backs and we played it down the side, but we have got to capitalise on the chances.”