Queens Park Rangers skipper Massimo Luongo says his side should have come away with a point at Aston Villa on Tuesday night.

The Hoops fell to Jonathan Kodjia's strike after just five minutes, but the visitors came back into the game well particularly in the second half.

They managed to get balls into the box, and when Matt Smith and Conor Washington came on they looked a bigger threat in the final third.

Luongo, who was everywhere on the pitch at Villa Park, put in a good performance, and admitted his team-mates were "dumbfounded" they didn't get what they deserved.

"We should have got a point, definitely. Everyone came off that pitch feeling upbeat," he told Get West London.

"The performance was there, the result wasn't. But compared to last week at Derby, both 1-0 defeats but both completely different performances.

"The result at Villa is something we can definitely build on. I just think the boys are dumbfounded we didn't get anything out of it because we were on top.

"We expected Villa to start well, they're a good side, we just got caught out a little bit. To be fair, theire goal was taken well.

"But I thought we bounced back really well and we turned things around. I think if you ask their players, they were perhaps holding on."

Luongo believes had Rangers not conceded so early on, it could have been a different story in the West Midlands.

"At half-time it was just words of encouragement, the gaffer was full of praise and I think we were even better in the second half," he added.

"He just told us to keep doing what we were doing and I didn't think we needed to change anything, everyone on the pitch was doing well.

"Maybe we needed a bit of luck, and if they had not have scored it could have been a completely different scoreline.

"I think the whole point of this process now is to use all the players, because it's been a long season.

"The front two, three and four, whatever we play with, have developed relationships on the pitch. It's handy to have different players which changes and switches things up moving forward, because teams can figure it out."

On his own personal performance, Luongo was happy take the plaudits from the travelling Hoops fans, and he is certainly enjoying that step up in responsibility.

"I think the manager has put that on me in that midfield. Luke Freeman was in there as well at Villa, but as an out and out midfielder it was only me and Sean Goss," said the Australian.

"Gossy hasn't played too many first team games, so the gaffer has put that responsibility on me, and I put it on myself to be a little bit of a leader and add what I have and that experience.

"I am just happy to do my part. When the game is going well for me I look for other things to pull off and help others."

Luongo also came up against international team-mate Mile Jedinak, Villa's own skipper. And he enjoyed the battle.

"It wasn't strange, I love playing against him," he said.

"The first game at our place was a good battle, it was more a a duel in that midfield.

"Tonight, we were both right in it, full of action, so I always enjoy playing against my mates."