West Ham United and Queens Park Rangers went head to head at Upton Park this afternoon with both sides in need of maximum points.

The R's were desperate to build on their recent impressive performances as they try to climb out of the relegation zone, while the Hammers have experienced an inconsistent period by snatching just one win from eight games.

Despite a strong start to the clash by going one goal to the good by half time through Loic Remy, QPR relinquished their lead after a dominant performance by West Ham in the second 45 minutes as the home side earned a point courtesy of a Joe Cole goal.

Here, Sports Mole looks back over the 90 minutes that unfolded at Upton Park.

Match statistics:

West Ham:
Shots 22
On target 13
Possession 63%
Corners 12
Fouls 6

QPR:
Shots 9
On target 6
Possession 37%
Corners 2
Fouls 11

Was the result fair?

You could argue that the outcome was unfair on West Ham. While QPR started strongly to take the lead at Upton Park, the Hammers controlled the majority of the game and came out firing in the second half to earn the draw but they pushed until the end to snatch maximum points.

West Ham's performance

The home side were on the back foot in the early stages of the opening 45 minutes and despite being dealt a blow when QPR went a goal to the good, they continued to probe and cause danger from their set piece. A strong performance in the second half earned them a well-deserved goal but Allardyce and his team may feel that they should have collected more than just a point.

QPR's performance

The West London side's defence was strong throughout the 90 minutes and while Adel Taarabt showed some quality touches and nice link-up play with new signing Loic Remy, who scored on his debut, the team drifted back in the second half and failed to build on their first-half lead.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Joe Cole: The former Liverpool midfielder really found his feet in the second half by drifting inside and probing into the box as opposed to just providing crosses into the area. The ex-Chelsea man was in the right place at the right time to hammer home West Ham's equaliser.

Biggest gaffe

James Tomkins and Winston Reid played a part in QPR's opening goal in the first half due to a defensive error. The pair held their line instead of tracking Remy, who was able to find plenty of space and latch onto a pass from Taarabt and launch the ball into the back of the net.

Referee performance

Howard Webb had a relatively positive game in terms of letting the play flow and the Yorkshire man issued just one yellow card throughout the 90 minutes. However, Webb waved away two penalty shouts from West Ham in the first half but replays showed that the home side had a case when Marouane Chamakh was pushed down by Clint Hill in the penalty area.

What next?

West Ham: The Hammers travel to the Emirates to take on Arsenal next Wednesday.

QPR: Following their FA Cup fourth-round tie against MK Dons, QPR play Manchester City on January 29.