Rs recorded superb win at promotion-chasing Villans in Championship

Ian Holloway compared promising teenager Ebere Eze to the great Stan Bowles after Queens Park Rangers won 3-1 at Aston Villa in the Championship.

The youngster impressed at Villa Park as the Rs pulled off one of their best results of the season so far.

Ryan Manning and Jake Bidwell struck in the first half for the west Londoners and Luke Freeman killed the game off, before James Chester’s consolation for the hosts.

It was Eze, though, who received most praise from Holloway, likening him to one of the most iconic players in QPR’s history.

“For a 19-year-old to produce that kind of performance made me really proud,” said the former Crystal Palace boss.

“He has wonderful ability. He is what every QPR fan cries out for, someone like Stan Bowles.

“It is wonderful to see but we have to teach him how to win. He floats and is very easy on the eye.”

The match had been rearranged from March 3 due to snow and Holloway quipped: “Villa caught us cold the other week. They made us come up from London when they said the game was on.

“We had an eight-hour wait on the side of the motorway so you can say it was payback time for us!

“To be three up against Villa away from home after watching what they did to Wolves at the weekend was a bit of a shock.

“We only had four attacks in the first half and scored twice. We were clinical and the lads I put in did their job.

“I have a lot of belief in my players and they showed a massive bit of character after losing to Nottingham Forest at home.

“We have worked hard and the lads were magnificent. My back four were outstanding.”

Villans boss Steve Bruce, who saw his team beat leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers 4-1 on Saturday, admitted he regretted not changing a winning squad.

“It was always my fear that this would happen after last Saturday’s win over Wolves,” admitted Bruce.

“I toyed and toyed about making changes. With hindsight I should have done. I blame myself because I always thought it would be difficult to get the bandwagon rolling again.

“I thought about making five or six changes, but the way we won on Saturday weighed against me. My experience told me that the third game in a week was too much.

“We never got started and all of a sudden it was one of those awful evenings. It was mental after the Lord Mayor’s show at the weekend.

“We had to be prepared to go again and we didn’t get anywhere near the heights that we achieved against Wolves. It was a struggle all evening.

“There is still a long way to go. We move forward and go again and that is a feature of the Championship.

“No disrespect to Queens Park Rangers to come and do what they did to us. If you are not ready any team can beat us, as we found out against Rangers when we made a mess of the game.”