Premier League round-up: Aston Villa oust QPR in five-goal thriller

Aston Villa are now six points clear of the drop after a 3-2 win over relegation rivals QPR at Villa Park.

It was a sensational bottom-of-the-table clash which was clinched by a last-gasp goal from Villans forward Christian Benteke, after they fought back from 1-0 down.

On-loan Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas put Rangers in the lead with a cracking shot, but Gabriel Agbonlahor levelled on the stroke of half-time against the run of play after a very good first-half performance from the visitors.

Andreas Weimann then put the hosts ahead with a good finish in the box, but his strike was cancelled out by another loaned Spurs man, Andros Townsend, who equalised with his second goal in as many games, with Benteke ending the contest with 10 minutes to play to delight Paul Lambert and condemn Harry Redkanpp’s men to certain relegation.

Elsewhere, Southampton strenghted thier hopes of securing safety after taking advantage of a poor defensive performance from visitors Liverpool to secure a 3-1 win at St Mary’s.

The Reds’ back-four were truly shocking throughout, allowing Morgan Schneiderlin to ghost into the box to score Saints’ first in the sixth minute, with captain Rickie Lambert making it 2-0 with a deflected that baffled Liverpool stopper Brad Jones.

Philippe Coutinho pulled one back for the visitors just before the break, but Brendan Rodgers side's poor form continued in the second-half, while Jay Rodriguez put the game to bed with Southampton’s third in the closing stages, strolling unchallenged into the box to stroke the ball past Jones to end Liverpool's top-four dreams.

Arsenal battled to a 2-0 victory over Swansea at the Liberty Stadium courtesy of second-half goals from January signing Nacho Monreal and Gervinho.

Monreal netted his first in Gunners colours with a low drive from the edge of the box, while Gervinho capped off an unconvincing and frustrating performance with a strong finish after a crafty pass from Aaron Ramsey.

Meanwhile, West Brom’s visit to Stoke went under the radar after the teams played out a goalless draw at the Britannia Stadium.