Hoops and Blues record stalemate

In the end it was almost all about the handshake as Chelsea and QPR produced a dire goalless draw in the west London derby.

Both sides failed to ensure John Terry and Ashley Cole's reunion with Anton Ferdinand would not remain the main talking point of the game as the Blues dropped their first points of the Barclays Premier League season.

Better finishing from Eden Hazard, Park Ji-Sung and Bobby Zamora might have changed that - as might different verdicts on two penalty calls. Otherwise, the two clubs simply appeared unable to move the agenda on from what happened at Loftus Road almost a year ago, something that saw Terry cleared in court of racially abusing Ferdinand but blanked by his fellow defender.

Terry, who denies the Football Association charge he still faces over last year's altercation, almost silenced them inside two minutes when he just failed to get telling contact on a corner.

Hazard had no such excuses two minutes after that when he fired Ramires' cross straight at Julio Cesar.

Zamora then fired too close to Petr Cech and both sides had already seen soft penalty appeals rejected but Chelsea had two that might have been given.

First, Terry went down after being leant on in the box by Ryan Nelsen. Then after Ryan Bertrand was booked for going through the back of Shaun Wright-Phillips, the QPR winger was fortunate to get away with a clumsy challenge on Hazard.

Terry's attempts at showboating in the Rangers half really turned up the volume and the home side responded, captain Park wasting a glorious chance to nod them in front from Esteban Granero's cross.

Then with three minutes remaining, Hazard should have won it when he blazed over completely unmarked.