A marvellous hat-trick from the in-form Christian Benteke was enough for Aston Villa to salvage a point at home to relegation rivals QPR at Villa Park on Tuesday night.

Goals from the impressive Matt Phillips, Clint Hill and Charlie Austin looked to have given Rangers a vital three points away from home, but Benteke struck late with a free kick to ensure the spoils were shared.

The visitors got off to a flyer as Phillips grabbed the first goal of the game with only seven minutes played. Some good link-up play resulted in the in-form Bobby Zamora taking the ball from right to left across the edge of the area, before clipping a delicious left-footed ball back across the face of goal where the unmarked Phillips dived to bury the header.

However, it was only four minutes before Villa were level as Benteke grabbed his first of the match. He cut inside from the left to score a deflected looping shot over Rob Green, with Tim Sherwood hurling his gilet to the ground in celebration.

Sherwood's side continued to press forward and their reward came just after the half-hour mark as Benteke scored his second, a superb individual effort.ing forwards again down the left, the Belgian dropped inside one defender inside the area before sliding a right-footed shot back across goal which nestled into the bottom corner.

It was Villa who dominated possession and created more chances throughout the game, but Rangers were back into it early in the second half thanks to 36-year-old Hill's first ever Premier League goal. It came simply enough, a headed goal from Phillips' corner from the right with Hill beating a swarm of defenders to stoop and flick his header into the bottom corner.

With that goal, QPR grew into the game and they retook the lead with twelve minutes to play. Phillips was involved again, delivering a drilled low ball from the right into the feet of the criminally unmarked Austin, who took a touch before sliding a powerful finish through the legs of Guzan. Some Villa fans were left aggrieved as they clearly felt Austin should have been sent off some 20 minutes earlier for a robust challenge on Carlos Sánchez.

However, they were not left complaining for long as Benteke soon completed his hat-trick. With just seven minutes to play, goalscorer Hill conceded a free kick five yards or so outside of the penalty area, slightly to the left of centre for a foul on substitute N'Zogbia. Benteke stepped up to guide an excellent effort over the head of a static Joey Barton in the QPR wall, the ball dipping and clipping the left post on its way past Green.

Benteke and Joe Cole both missed half-chances in the closing minutes as the two sides played out four breathless minutes of stoppage time, while Gabriel Agbonlahor went close with what was almost the final kick of the match from Ron Vlaar's headed pass. However, it was not to be as Craig Pawson called time on a scintillating game of football at the bottom end of the Premier League table.

Neither side's league position was affected by the result, with both sides remaining heavily involved in this season's relegation scrap as the season draws to a close.

Villa moved three points clear of the drop with their point opening up a small margin of error for them, but having played a game more than their immediate rivals it is a painfully small cushion with a difficult run-in awaiting Sherwood's men.

QPR, meanwhile, remain in the relegation zone, though a point gained on struggling Hull City will be a welcome bonus for a side finally finding its feet away from home. In contrast to the title race at the other end of the table, this season's race for top flight survival looks to be heading right to the wire.

Aston Villa (3) Queens Park Rangers (3)
Guzan 5 Green 5
Bacuna 5 Isla 5
Vlaar 5 Onuoha 5
Clark 6 Caulker 5
Richardson 5 Hill 7
Cleverley 6 Phillips 8
Sánchez 5 Sandro 6
Delph 7 Barton 5
Agbonlahor 6 Kranjčar 6
Benteke 10 Austin 7
Grealish 7 Zamora 6
Substitutes
Cole 6 Traoré 5
Lowton 6 Henry 6
N'Zogbia 7 Doughty 6