Queens Park Rangers earned their first win of the season as Charlie Austin scored the only goal of the game to fire them to a 1-0 victory against Sunderland at Loftus Road.

The Black Cats tried to press for an equaliser late in the second half but came up short as they fell to their first defeat of the new Premier League campaign.

Here, Sports Mole rates the players on their performances in the clash at in the capital.

QPR

Goal

Robert Green: A solid outing for the keeper. When he was called into the action, he made two fine saves to deny Fletcher and then Giaccherini late in the game. Handling and distribution were solid. (7/10)

Defence

Mauricio Isla: The defender had a decent game. His performance improved as the game progressed as he struggled with the physicality of Wickham in the first half, but gradually got to grips with the forward in the second. (7/10)

Steven Caulker: Made several crucial interventions for his side as the Black Cats tried to threaten and was dominant in the air. A real rock at the back for Redknapp's side and made one outstanding block to deny Wickham after he raced past Ferdinand. (8/10)

Rio Ferdinand: Had a decent game although he is not the shutdown defender he used to be. Was caught on a couple of occasions when he was burned for pace, but his positioning and organisational skills were crucial to his side late in the game. (7/10)

Clint Hill: Defensively he was strong at the back and was not troubled by the pace of Johnson in the second half. Was limited going forward as he never tried to link up with Hoilett down the left. (7/10)

Midfield

Joey Barton: His corner from the right caused problems that created the goal and his set pieces in general troubled the Black Cats. He protected his back four well in the second half, but was at times caught out, which on another day could have caused problems for his side. (6/10)

Jordon Mutch: A decent outing, but he struggled to affect the game in the final third, which is the reason that the Hoops paid Cardiff City £6m for his services in the summer. Was booked for a challenge on Fletcher in the second half and may have been fortunate to escape another after diving. (6/10)

Leroy Fer: The Dutchman had a good outing for the Hoops and won the pivotal header in the box to set up Austin for his strike. The 24-year-old pressed the Black Cats in possession and used the ball well himself to pick out the right man, which could have lead to further goals had his side's finishing been better. (7/10)

Attack

Matt Phillips: Put a few dangerous crosses into the box in the first half, but was largely ineffective in the second as an attacking threat. He put a shift in defensively and was lively on the counter. (6/10)

Charlie Austin: Showed predatory instincts to net the only goal of the game and was unlucky not to score beforehand as he was denied by Wickham on the line, and an alert stop from Mannone. He was isolated in the second half and struggled to contribute. (8/10)

Junior Hoilett: Had a decent game as the winger showed flashes of his ability with a few surging runs in the 90 minutes. The end product was not always of the highest quality but he lacked support down the left, allowing the Black Cats to double up on him. (6/10)

Substitutes

Bobby Zamora: The striker was brought on to try to hold the ball for the Hoops in the final third and he did not have a chance to do that as O'Shea and Brown won more than their share of the aerial duels. (6/10)

Armand Traore: Could have sealed the game with a late effort, but he could not find the target. Was solid enough in his brief time on the pitch. (6/10)

Adel Taarabt: Brought on in the dying minutes and did not have time to make an impact on the game. (6/10)

SUNDERLAND

Goal

Vito Mannone: The keeper had strong outing as he made several good stops to spring from his line to deny attackers. He could do nothing to prevent Austin's strike, but his general handling and distribution were fine. (7/10)

Defence

Santiago Vergini: Had a decent game for the Black Cats and was not really troubled by the threat of Hoilett down the left. Was willing to get forward and had a decent effort on goal saved by Green. (7/10)

John O'Shea: The defender had a solid afternoon bar one moment when he was turned easily on the edge of the box by Austin, but fortunately was saved by his keeper. Was dominant in the air and distributed the ball well from the back. (7/10)

Wes Brown: The veteran put in a solid shift, although he will be disappointed that he could not close down Austin in time to deny him for his goal. Managed to play through a head injury without fuss and made some key interventions for his side at the back end of the first half. (7/10)

Patrick van Aanholt: Probably his side's best player of the afternoon and he was more than willing to push forward, and was a threat in the final third as he saw two shots go just wide of the target. Defensively he coped with the threat of Phillips as he matched the winger with his pace. (7/10)

Midfield

Lee Cattermole: Was booked in the first half and that seemed to knock him out of his rhythm. Was not the same player in the second as he was inhibited from his pressing game by the threat of a second yellow. Passed the ball well in midfield, but lacked penetration. (6/10)

Sebastian Larsson: Not the best game for the Sweden international. His movement and passing were often on the poor side and seemed to take easy option when he had the ball rather than pushing forward. (6/10)

Jack Rodwell: Still does not look 100% fit after a long spell out of the game, but was bright in the opening 20 minutes. However, he faded drastically as the game wore on and was replaced in the second half. (6/10)

Attack

Adam Johnson: Another Sunderland player who began the game well as he drifted in midfield and saw a lot of the ball. He played some very dangerous passes that did not always seem to get the reward they deserved from a teammate. In the second half, his final product operating from the right was poor when his team need better quality. (6/10)

Steven Fletcher: Had one effort well saved in the first half by Green, but was largely ineffective for the majority of the game and was replaced in the second half. (5/10)

Connor Wickham: Does not look entirely comfortable playing on the left flank and seemed to cut in a lot onto his right foot, which narrowed Sunderland's approach especially in the second half. Had a few driving runs, but failed to carve out a clear-cut chance. (6/10)

Substitutes

Emmanuele Giaccherini: Was bright when he came on and tested Green with a vicious effort from a volley outside the box. Was harshly booked for diving when Barton headbutted his knee late in the game. (6/10)

Will Buckley: Made a few surging runs down the left flank, but could not inject a new tempo into the game after replacing Fletcher. (6/10)

Jozy Altidore: Arrived late in the game but did carve out one chance for Van Aanholt that went just wide and seemed to provide more energy in the final third than Fletcher did. (6/10)