Queens Park Rangers have picked up their first away win of the season by claiming a 2-0 victory over Sunderland.

They went ahead when Leroy Fer headed a cross from Matt Phillips into the bottom corner.

On the stroke of half time Bobby Zamora fired a volley into the top corner to double his side's lead.

The Black Cats rarely threatened, as QPR held on to move out of the relegation zone.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the events that unfolded at Stadium of Light.

Match Statistics:

SUNDERLAND:
Shots 16
On Target 5
Possession 53%
Corners 8
Fouls 8

QUEENS PARK RANGERS:
Shots 19
On Target 4
Possession 47%
Corners 4
Fouls 12

Was the result fair?

This was a much-deserved win for the visitors. QPR were on top from the start and they looked extremely comfortable in possession. Sunderland just never got started and they gave the ball away cheaply throughout the evening. The hosts rarely created any clear cut-chances, but when they did Robert Green was there to make some stunning saves to preserve his side's two-goal advantage.

Sunderland's performance

Sunderland fans would have been expecting their team to put in a good display after some encouraging recent performances, but they started slowly and never recovered. They were second best all evening and the crowd had nothing to cheer about. Gus Poyet will be extremely disappointed at how his team played and it has left them right back in the midst of a relegation battle.

Queens Park Rangers' performance

QPR's away form this season has been well documented, but they were finally able to achieve a positive result on the road. They put their opponents under a great deal of pressure from the start and it was no surprise when Fer headed them into the lead. Their second goal on the stroke of half time gave them a solid cushion to hold on to and they never looked like relinquishing their lead from that point. The victory has ended a five-game losing run and it will be a huge boost to them ahead of their next league outing at Hull City.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Robert Green: Sunderland did not have too many attempts on goal, but when they did they were thwarted by the impressive Green. The keeper pushed a close-range header from Sebastian Larsson onto the bar in the first half, before denying Jermain Defoe after the break. He made another fine stop from a Ricky Alvarez attempt to help his team on their way to a huge win.

Biggest gaffe

There wasn't a single huge mistake in the build-up to the goals, but Sunderland's defending could have been far better. Fer and Zamora were not marked tightly enough as they both scored and there were other moments of slack play from the Black Cats throughout the evening.

Referee's performance

Martin Atkinson wasn't forced into making any controversial calls, despite a couple of hopeful penalty shouts from the hosts. He did hand out a number of bookings though, which were all warranted.

What next?

Sunderland: The Black Cats will have to be at their best to avoid a potential FA Cup upset against Bradford City on Sunday.

Queens Park Rangers: QPR's early exit from the FA Cup means that they are not in action this weekend, with their next match coming against Hull on February 21.