Queens Park Rangers 1-0 Sunderland

Neither side was able to get a shot on target during a dismal first 45 minutes

Bottom club Sunderland's winless run stretched to nine games as Eberechi Eze's first goal for Queens Park Rangers saw off the 10-man Black Cats.

After a dour, goalless first half, the game changed when Sunderland keeper Jason Steele was sent off for handling the ball outside the penalty area.

The hosts took advantage as 19-year-old Eze slotted in from close range.

Defeat for Sunderland - who had no shots on target - kept them four points from safety with nine games remaining.

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The winner came when former Wycombe loanee Eze - making his first league start for QPR - received a somewhat accidental one-two from Matt Smith before netting past substitute keeper Lee Camp.

Smith thought he had doubled the hosts' lead later in the second half, but his headed effort was ruled out for offside.

With just one win since the turn of the year, Sunderland lacked confidence going forward as they slipped to their 10th defeat from 15 games since Christmas.

They lost one of their brightest forward threats when Joel Asoro was withdrawn to enable Lee Camp to come on after Steele's red card, which came after the Sunderland stopper badly misjudged the flight of a long ball.

QPR manager Ian Holloway:

"I'm delighted with the crowd, because we didn't play very well, we didn't get the right shape that they played and it caused problems - we thought they would be 3-4-3.

"We didn't get booed off at half-time, when lots of times you would, and in the end we saw a young kid's talent get us something out of nothing.

"It wasn't the prettiest, but we'll take that and I'm delighted the young lad is showing why I've put faith in him.

"What I need is the fans to stick with us, because in some games that stardust won't show."

Sunderland boss Chris Coleman told BBC Radio Newcastle:

"I've been here 21 games and that's five games where we've been down to 10 men.

"You can see on everybody's face 'here we go again' and people lose confidence then because they think we're never going to get away from where we are.

"We conceded but didn't fold - the one thing the team showed today I thought was a bit of personality.

"We were gritty and had a go but we're lacking confidence clearly at both ends of the pitch, where it matters."