Sunderland ended a run of six straight Sky Bet Championship defeats after being held to a goalless draw by QPR at the Stadium of Light.
Neither goalkeeper was troubled much throughout the game, but the first half saw Ilias Chair and Lucas Andersen have the better of the chances for the visitors.
Substitute Sinclair Armstrong threatened three times after the break, but the best opportunity fell to Chris Willock, who had his effort saved by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.
A point ends Sunderland’s losing run but sees them remain 12th in the table, while QPR sit one point above the relegation zone.
Asmir Begovic was tested in the opening minutes when a cross was curled in from the left by Adil Aouchiche but the ball bounced off the crossbar.
QPR had an early chance through Chair after he was played through on the edge of the area, but his effort deflected behind.
The visitors grew more comfortable and had a great opportunity when Andersen latched onto a loose pass from Dan Ballard but was denied by a quick low save from Patterson.
A scrappy first half saw both sides have a couple of chances when Dan Neil tried to catch Begovic out with an audacious effort from the halfway line which dropped onto the roof of the net.
Chair came close at the other end with a curling effort around the post before a quick break from Aouchiche saw his low shot deflected just wide.
Both teams struggled to find their feet in the opening stages of the second half, but the more positive moves came from QPR.
They capitalised on another loose ball from Sunderland in the 65th minute as a tidy pass from Andersen played in substitute Armstrong but his shot from a narrow angle was comfortably scooped up by Patterson.
The Rs were on the attack again minutes later as Willock’s cross rattled the crossbar.
A chance for Sunderland followed as Pierre Ekwah found Callum Styles whose pass clipped a QPR defender and flicked up for youngster Chris Rigg, but Begovic was able to smother the ball.
Armstrong threatened again in the 85th minute with a great run down the right before cutting in and firing low at Patterson from a tight angle.
QPR nearly found a winner in the seventh minute of stoppage time when Armstrong played a low ball to the unmarked Willock in the box, but Patterson made a great diving stop to keep the score level.
A huge opportunity followed for Sunderland when a corner flew through the box. That allowed QPR to break again but Patterson was able to deny Armstrong for a third time.
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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