Neither side has been able to find the net in the opening 45 minutes of Harry Redknapp's first game in charge of Queens Park Rangers at Sunderland.
Lee Cattermole was said to be not fully fit at kickoff and he was soon substituted after a full-blooded challenge with Samba Diakite.
Minutes later QPR were the first to threaten when Djibril Cisse headed wide before Sunderland had an attempt of their own through Craig Gardner, who fizzed a free kick past the upright.
Another Sunderland set piece brought a chance as Carlos Cuellar met Adam Johnson's delivery and was denied by the palms of Julio Cesar.
The end-to-end nature of the opening half an hour continued as Cisse let fly from 30 yards and watched his rasping shot go just past the post.
As the half drew to a close the game remained scoreless thanks to both goalkeepers. First, Simon Mignolet thwarted Jamie Mackie from a one-on-one opportunity before Cesar reacted quickly to beat away Steven Fletcher's instinctive shot.
