Heroes and Villains: Charlie Austin's goals keep QPR on course for safety

Man United drew, Man City won big and Liverpool and Arsenal... well, they did what Liverpool and Arsenal do best. Welcome to the latest edition of Iain Macintosh's Heroes and Villains...

HEROES

Where would Queens Park Rangers be without Charlie Austin? Far closer to the bottom of the table and staring hopefully at Bobby Zamora, we'd wager. Austin's hat trick saved the day at Loftus Road where QPR recovered from a two-goal deficit against West Bromwich Albion to win 3-2. The winner was his 11th league strike of the season, a total that represents more than half of all QPR's goals. Which rather begs the question: Should he be in the England squad? When you recall that Rickie Lambert made the last one, the answer is probably yes.

It was only his second goal of the season, and his first at Villa Park since March, but Christian Benteke is finally starting to show signs of his old self. His finish in Aston Villa's 1-1 draw against Manchester United was exquisite though he might have found it more difficult if his marker, the hapless Johnny Evans, had got within visual range of him at any point in the proceedings. Villa lack a little quality, especially at full-back, but if Benteke can stay sharp and the team can maintain the level of determination they showed on Saturday, they should be fine.

Johnson's late goal, his third in three games against Newcastle, gave Sunderland something to celebrate

Sunderland fans, if any of them are calm enough to read this, will be the first to admit that Adam Johnson hasn't yet lived up to their expectations on a consistent basis. They will also be the first to admit that, at this moment, they couldn't care less. Johnson's late finish gave the Black Cats their fourth consecutive win over local rivals Newcastle and sparked scenes of celebration across Wearside. The fact that he scored shortly after refusing to be felled by a heavy Paul Dummett challenge only adds a bit of righteousness to the glory.

You can always judge the quality of a goal by the number of opposition fans who applaud it. Ashley Barnes' unstoppable swirling drive at White Hart Lane brought visible ripples of approval from the Tottenham crowd even though it also brought Burnley back into the game. It was a splendid hit, the sort that gets better with every viewing. Erik Lamela would respond with his own special effort a little later, a strike that brought rather more applause from the Spurs' fans as it gave the home side a 2-1 win, but in "wonder-goal" terms, Barnes' strike just about edges it.

At the start of the last international break, Manchester City had won only once in six games and pressure was beginning to build on Manuel Pellegrini. He dealt with it calmly and to great effect. When the domestic season resumed, his City side responded. Saturday's 3-0 victory over Crystal Palace was his eighth consecutive win in all competitions and was all the more impressive given that fact that City have no fit strikers whatsoever and were forced to play James Milner up front. This has been a testing season for Pellegrini. So far, he's passing.

VILLAINS

As the first Newcastle manager ever to lose four consecutive games against Sunderland, Alan Pardew was always going to drift into the lower reaches of this column. He made a fair point after the game when he stressed that he was never going to play for a draw at home, but there's no avoiding the fact that his substitutions made Newcastle vulnerable and they paid a heavy price. Pardew hauled himself back from the brink with six successive wins, but a result like this after back-to-back four-goal maulings in North London is going to send him right back there.

Referees sit in an unenviable position, compelled simultaneously to let the game flow while also exercising zero tolerance on dangerous tackles. It is presumably for the latter reason that referee Lee Mason dismissed Gabriel Agbonlahor for his challenge on Ashley Young at Villa Park. But Agbonlahor's challenge was 50-50 at worst, and he had never been sent off in his career before Saturday. His only previous violent conduct was tackling One Direction's Liam Tomlinson so hard that he was sick on the pitch and we can all forgive him that, surely? Mason's decision was extremely harsh and may yet be rescinded.

Mason's decision to send Agbonlahor off undeniably changed Saturday's game at Villa Park.

Romelu Lukaku called for his critics to show patience and understanding this week, reminding them that he was only 21. A fair point, but he's also six foot three and built like an ironclad. He should be expected to offer a little more protection in his own penalty area at set-pieces. Everton's 3-0 defeat to Southampton wasn't his fault alone; the slack defending might be cause for a entry to itself, but when you cost the better part of 30 million pounds and you've scored only slightly more than half of Charlie Austin's current league tally, these things will be noticed.

Liverpool's 2-2 draw against Arsenal was manic, ridiculous and extremely good fun for the neutral. But can these really be the teams that finished second and fourth in the self-proclaimed best league in the world last season? Liverpool's defending was catastrophic, Arsenal turned up without a midfield and the whole game was littered with mistakes. Yes, there were positives if you looked for them closely enough. Liverpool's passing was swifter than usual. And as for Arsenal? Well... no one got injured. But if these two still expect Champions League qualification, they're going to have to improve markedly.

Steve Bruce admitted that his team's performance wasn't good enough this weekend but sooner or later, someone in Hull's boardroom is going to start asking why. The Tigers' 0-1 defeat to Swansea was their 10th Premier League game without a victory and they've only won one of their last 16 in all competitions. Bruce is a proven manager and a decent man, but serious money has been spent at Hull and no amount of cheerful bonhomie can disguise the fact that the club is sinking like a brick. His Boxing Day visit to his old club Sunderland could not be more crucial.