MANCHESTER, England -- Chelsea moved provisionally atop of the English Premier League by beating Hull 2-0 while Manchester United ended a sorry run of three straight defeats to lift the gloom surrounding the reigning champion on Saturday. Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. "Now were top of the league for the first time in a long time and hopefully we can stay there," Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech said. United was on the brink of a crisis, by its lofty standards, after losing three games in six days to kick off 2014, but a 2-0 win over Swansea will boost the confidence among David Moyes squad and keeps his seventh-place team in touch with the top four. Antonio Valencia and Danny Welbeck scored in a 13-minute span at the start of the second half for United, which was inspired by another brilliant display by 18-year-old winger Adnan Januazaj. "His natural talent and ability is up there with the best," Moyes said. Everton will spend the night in fourth thanks to a 2-0 win over Norwich, and Tottenham also boosted its chances of finishing in the Champions League spots by earning a 2-0 victory over Crystal Palace, which slipped to last place. Thats because Sunderland, which started the day at the bottom, beat Fulham 4-1 mainly thanks to a hat trick by winger Adam Johnson. West Ham was next to last at kickoff but climbed out of the relegation zone with a 2-0 win at Cardiff, despite playing the final stages with 10 men following James Tomkins sending-off. Carlton Cole and Mark Noble were the scorers for West Ham, earning their under-fire manager Sam Allardyce some breathing space after a dreadful run of form and condemning Cardiff coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to a defeat in his first league match in charge. England midfielder Adam Lallana scored Southamptons winner in a 1-0 victory over West Bromwich Albion in the days other game. Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said this week it wouldnt even entertain bids of 100 million pounds ($165 million) for Hazard, amid reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain, and it is easy to see why. The Belgium winger is Chelseas top scorer this season with nine goals and he underlined his increasing value to the Blues by ending Hulls stubborn resistance with a well-taken individual goal, twice cutting inside before delivering an emphatic finish. "He is not a talented kid anymore," Mourinho said. "He is now more than that. He is a player who feels and accepts the responsibility, feels and accepts that a team player is more than a talented player and he has done it without losing his fantastic ability and fantastic talent." Torres, whose best form appears to be returning, marked his 200th Premier League appearance with the second goal three minutes from time and it was also a good day for Cech, who earned a club-record 209th clean sheet. Behind the top three, who are favoured to battle it out for the title, the race for Champions League spots is heating up. By beating Swansea, United did more than just avoid a fourth straight defeat for the first time since 1961. It breathed new life into the teams faltering league campaign and provided some welcome respite for Moyes, whose position has been under increasing scrutiny. "Its the same size as any other. You only get three points," Moyes said of the win, but the reaction inside Old Trafford to Valencias 47th-minute opener from close range was one of relief more than joy. Welbeck then glanced home Patrice Evras scuffed shot in the 59th for his sixth goal in as many league games, ensuring United remained nine points behind Chelsea. Gareth Barry and Kevin Mirallas scored Evertons goals at Goodison Park to leave Roberto Martinezs in-form team five points behind Chelsea and Norwich without a win in six league matches. Spurs rode their luck against Palace early on, with Jason Puncheon blazing a first-half penalty way over the bar, before Denmark playmaker Christian Eriksen -- enjoying a new lease of life under recently hired manager Tim Sherwood -- and Jermain Defoe scored in the second half for the hosts. It is the start of a long goodbye for Defoe after his move to MLS side Toronto at the end of February was confirmed on Friday. Custom New England Patriots Jerseys . Matt Carkner got back into the Ottawa lineup, and made his presence felt right away by settling his clubs score in a one-sided fight with Rangers forward Brian Boyle. Stitched Patriots Jerseys . The 6-foot-10 centre who won an NBA title with the Miami Heat was voted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday, adding that honour to becoming a board member at his alma mater. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/.com) - The Denver Nuggets snapped a losing streak last time out and will try to carry that momentum Saturday night when they welcome the Indiana Pacers to the Pepsi Center. Patriots Jerseys 2019 . The best round belonged to Pat Perez. Tiger Woods didnt come close to claiming either Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open, where the seven-time champion failed to break par in the opening round for first time in his career. New England Patriots Gear . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver.Lille, France (SportsNetwork.com) - The great Roger Federer added to his legacy by raising Switzerland to its first-ever Davis Cup title on Sunday when he whipped Frances Richard Gasquet in straight sets. Federer defeated Gasquet in 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 fashion to give the visiting Swiss an insurmountable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five tie on an indoor red clay surface at Lilles Pierre Mauroy Stadium. The final scheduled match of the weekend between Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils was abandoned on Sunday. The 17-time Grand Slam king Federer has now captured every coveted title in mens tennis, with the exception of an Olympic gold medal in singles. He paired with Wawrinka to win a gold medal in doubles at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. Its not for me, Ive won enough in my career and did not need to tick any empty boxes, Federer said. Im just happy for everybody else. Im happy we could live a great tennis historic moment in our country. Federer pulled out of last weeks championship match at the prestigious ATP World Tour Finals in London because of a back injury, which appeared to slow him here on Friday, but not Sunday in Lille, where he would not be denied. The 33-year-old superstar was ultra clean on Day 3, striking seven aces, without committing a double fault, and breaking Gasquet five times, while not getting broken in the rout. The iconic Swiss struck 28 more winners in the 1- hour, 52-minute match (62-34), which ended with a backhand drop shot winner. Im happy I was able to stay calm and play a good match, and Im really happy for the guys in the team, everybody worked incredibly hard to get me match ready, Federer said.dddddddddddd Stan has put in so much effort over the years and played an unbelievable weekend that gave me the opportunity today. Im very much aware of that, this one is for the boys. Federer improved to 38-9 in his career Davis Cup singles affairs. Switzerland headed into Sundays reverse singles with a 2-1 lead against the host French after Federer and Wawrinka teamed up for a straight-set doubles victory over Gasquet and Julien Benneteau on Saturday. The capable Gasquet replaced Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the French draw on Sunday. The former Australian Open runner-up Tsonga lost to this years Aussie champion Wawrinka in four sets in Fridays opening singles rubber, while Day 1s other match saw Monfils thrash the former world No. 1 and currently second-ranked Federer in straights. The Davis Cup, which was first contested in 1900, has been captured by France on nine occasions, while the Swiss were seeking that elusive maiden championship and became the 14th nation to do so. Switzerland finished as a runner-up back in 1992. The Swiss were captained by Severin Luthi, while the French were guided by former Aussie Open runner-up Arnaud Clement. Switzerland is now 3-10 all-time versus France in Davis Cup play. The two nations last met in a 2004 quarterfinal, which was won by the French. France was seeking its first title in 13 years. ' ' '