Queens Park Rangers suffered a major setback in their attempts to avoid relegation from the Premier League as they stuttered to a 0-0 draw against West Ham United at Loftus Road.

Charlie Austin had a great chance to give the Hoops the lead with a first-half spot kick, awarded after a handball from James Collins, but it was saved by Hammers goalkeeper Adrian.

West Ham's Aaron Cresswell then had a 25-yard free-kick tipped over by QPR goalkeeper Robert Green, while Richard Dunne's headed goal was ruled out by referee Mike Jones.

The result, combined with Hull City's 2-0 win away at Crystal Palace and Burnley's 1-0 defeat against Leicester City, leaves QPR four points from safety.

Sports Mole goes over the action in West London to see if a goalless draw was a fair result.

Sports Mole rates all the players who took part in the game to see who shone and who let their side down.

QPR

Goal

Robert Green: Made a number of decent stops, including a superb save from a Cresswell free kick just after the restart. Quick to come off his line to snuff out West Ham counter-attacks. (8/10)

Defence

Steven Caulker: Read the game well and showed great composure and anticipation against the likes of Valencia. (7/10)

Richard Dunne: Often second best against Valencia and had to be bailed out by Caulker on a number of occasions, but strong in the air and made some crucial blocks. (7/10)

Clint Hill: Full of commitment and strength, winning a number of key challenges in the air and also on the ground, but offered little going forward (7/10)

Nedum Onuoha: Appeared uncomfortable at times, both on the ball and in dealing with Valencia's runs, but was also pacey and strong. (7/10)

Midfield

Karl Henry: Was fielded out of position on the left-hand side and struggled to have much of an impact on the game save for a few decent tackles. (6/10)

Sandro: Good both with and without the ball, showing good discipline to hold his position behind the midfield, but was clumsy with tackles at times. (7/10)

Joey Barton: A strong display from the maverick R's captain as he made a good job of closing down Noble, while also helping to drive his team forward. (8/10)

Matty Phillips: Often drifted inside to try to get involved in the action but to little avail, while regularly coming off second best against Cresswell. (6/10)

Attack

Bobby Zamora: Dominant in the air and won a number of flick-ons. Was impressive against young Hammers defender Burke, but appeared to get noticeably tired as the action went on. (7/10)

Charlie Austin: QPR's star man had a bit of an off day as he was often caught out too deep and also made a hash of what would have been a match-winning penalty. (6/10)

Substitutes

Yun Suk-young: Full of energy and flair, provided his side with dynamism down the left flank. (7/10)

Leroy Fer: His first game after coming back from injury, he showed some nice touches and good movement. (7/10)

WEST HAM

Goal

Adrian: Made a good save from Austin's penalty, kept out a number of dangerous QPR efforts and marshalled his defence well throughout the game. (8/10)

Defence

Aaron Cresswell: Snuffed out the threat of Phillips well and forced a great save from Green with a well-taken free kick. (8/10)

James Collins: Impervious against most of QPR's set pieces and deliveries and did well to marshal the defence, though his handball in the first half was foolish. (7/10)

Reece Burke: A promising display from a youngster making his full Premier League debut for his side, although he was often overpowered by the stronger Zamora. (7/10)

Carl Jenkinson: Nothing wrong with his defensive showing, but did not do much in the way of getting forward. (7/10)

Midfield

Kevin Nolan: Came off second best on a number of occasions against Sandro, failing to match his power and energy, and offered little in attack. (6/10)

Stewart Downing: Whipped in a couple of dangerous crosses from the right flank but was anonymous for most of the afternoon. (6/10)

Mark Noble: Played several neat passes when given time, but was often not allowed to do so as he continued to be pressed by Barton. (7/10)

Matt Jarvis: Arguably the most ineffective player on the pitch on the day. He was completely anonymous on the left wing. (5/10)

Attack

Cheikhou Kouyate: A powerful, jostling figure up front, was a constant source of danger against the R's defence, but was guilty of missing a key chance in the latter stages of the game. (7/10)

Enner Valencia: Made plenty of great runs and was a menace in the final third, though was often isolated. (7/10)

Substitutes

Carlton Cole: Helped his side push forward up the pitch thanks to his good hold-up play, but wasted a number of good chances. (7/10)