London: An injury time own goal by Richard Dunne saw Aston Villa fail to claim their first away win of the season after Barry Bannan had looked to have secured all three points with a second half penalty against Queens Park Rangers.
The equaliser was the first goal that the home side had scored at Loftus Road since returning to the Premier League
The penalty came in controversial circumstances, as QPR defender Armand Traore was adjudged to have brought down Gabriel Agbonlahor, giving Bannan the opportunity to claim his first Premier League goal.
The home side started without the services of central defender Danny Gabbidon who was missing as a result of a knee injury, being replaced by Fitz Hall, while Alex McLeish handed starts to Fabian Delph and Charles N'Zogbia, replacing both Nathan Delfouneso and Marc Albrighton.
Neil Warnock's side were first out of the traps and with only five minutes gone in the game they created a golden opportunity to go ahead as maverick midfielder Adel Taarabt received the ball in the middle of the Aston Villa half and then moved forward and unleashed a curling strike that smashed off of Shay Given’s left hand post and away from danger.
QPR continued to press forward, with Shaun Wright-Phillips getting the ball on the edge of the area, the winger then proceeded to race into the box, before finding Taarabt, but unfortunately the Moroccan's strike was cleared by James Collins for a corner.
The one-way traffic continued at Loftus Road, with Jay Bothroyd being the next QPR player to watch his effort go wide as the former Cardiff City striker got his head on a right wing free kick from Joey Barton, but the effort went wide of Given's goal.
Aston Villa couldn't seem to find a way to get forward and as such they were leaving their lone frontman Gabriel Agbonlahor isolated as the midfielder of the visitors failed in various attempts to get forward as they were continually pinned back by the attack minded QPR side.
With just over five minutes left in the half the visitors had their first chance of the game as a Stilian Petrov corner from the right wing bounced around the front post area, but unfortunately for Aston Villa the ball went tamely into the arms of Paddy Kenny who gratefully held on to the ball.
Then just before the break, the best chance of the half came from the visitors after Anton Ferdinand had fouled Agbonlahor on the edge of the area and that allowed Barry Bannan to try his luck from a free kick, but unfortunately for the Scotland international Kenny dived to his left to stretch out his arm and clear the ball away.
Aston Villa started the second half a lot better than they did the first, with Fabian Delph having a chance at goal and Collins then had a header from a Petrov free kick that just went wide of Kenny’s goal, as the visitors looked to gain the lead.
The visitors continued to press, with Bannan playing a through ball that found Delph rushing into the area and he then proceeded to clip the ball over the diving Kenny, but unfortunately for the midfielder his shot went wide of goal.
Then with ten minutes gone in the half Villa were awarded a penalty as referee Michael Oliver adjudged that full back Armand Traore had fouled Agbonlahor inside the box and that allowed Bannan to step up and hit the ball into the corner of the net, beyond the outstretch arms of Kenny
to give the visitors the lead.
QPR were given an opportunity to get back level after they were awarded a free kick just outside the area after Wright-Phillips was the meat in a James Collins, Richard Dunne sandwich, giving Alejandro Faurlin the chance from the set piece, but he couldn't make anything of it, pulling the ball well over the bar.
With a quarter of the game left the home side were given a golden opportunity to claim their first goal at Loftus Road as a ball was played into substitute DJ Campbell, who had replaced Bothroyd as the centre point of the OPR frontline nodded the ball to the onrushing Wright-Phillips, but his shot was brilliantly saved by Given.
The home side were claiming for a penalty as Alan Hutton looked to have controlled the ball with his hand after Shaun Derry had powered a header towards goal, but referee Oliver decided that it was not a spot kick.
Warnock's side continued to press forward in search of the equaliser, by bringing on forward Heidar Helguson to replace midfield player Derry in desperate act to claim their first home goal of the season.
The pressure continued with a number of free kicks coming the way of the home side from close range, but both Joey Barton and Campbell wasted their efforts to get Rangers back on level terms, but either hitting the wall or putting the chance over the bar.
Hutton was once again the main focus for the home supports fury as the ball hit his hand once again from a cross from the left and once again the full back was grateful to referee Oliver as he again waved away the protests of the QPR players.
Then with a minute left Traore's day went from bad to worse as the full back dived in on substitute Marc Albrighton deep inside the Aston Villa half, allowing Oliver to show the Frenchman a second yellow card to go with the one he picked up while giving away the penalty.
Deep into injury time the home side finally got level as a cross from Helguson cannoned off Dunne and eventually went in, to give QPR their first goal at Loftus Road and a valuable point at the end.
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