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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. Brand Shoes Wholesale China . SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. Cheap Air Max 90 China . The Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees 3-1 Tuesday night, their seventh defeat in 10 games. Rasmus was put on the 15-day DL on May 15 because of a sore right hamstring. Hes hitting .222 with nine home runs and 19 RBIs. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/who...a.html.com) - Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price is set to return Tuesday against Nashville after sitting out the past two games because of a minor upper body injury. Vapormax Plus China .3 million qualifying offer to outfielder Michael Cuddyer on Monday. Fake Yeezy Boost For Sale . The R&A announced Monday that golfs oldest championship will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland for the first time since Max Faulkner won in 1951. LIVERPOOL, England -- Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been voted player of the year by his fellow professionals in English football, capping a season in which his scoring prowess helped erase memories of previous bans for racism and biting. The 27-year-old Uruguay international became the first South American to collect the Professional Footballers Association accolade on Sunday, having led Liverpools unexpected Premier League title challenge with 30 goals. "The Premier League is full of really great players and so it is a great honour when these players recognize your work on the pitch," Suarez said. "I always try my best for the team and it is nice to get awards but really this is for my teammates and the staff at Liverpool because without their help I wouldnt have this prize." But it was a bittersweet day for Suarez, who flew to London from Liverpool after failing to score as the leaders title charge was halted by a 2-0 loss to Chelsea. Suarez missed the first five matches of the season while completing his 10-match ban for biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic. He was previously suspended for eight games for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. After Liverpool fans backed Suarez as his reputation was repeatedly damaged, they could have turned against him for pushing to join Arsenal last year. But he was quickly forgiven, and even critics have started to warm to one of footballs most gifted players after a year free of misdemeanours. "He is a brilliant talent,"; Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers said.dddddddddddd "I think the supporters have seen him mature over the course of the last season. I think he was in a real low moment after that game (against Chelsea last year) but he has gone away and probably looked in the mirror and reflected on himself because he is not that type of guy and it probably just spilled over. "He is a really intelligent man who fits the values of this club, which is all about humility, class and he has all of that." Suarez had a marred reputation even before joining Liverpool in 2011 from Ajax where he was branded the "Cannibal of Ajax" after a biting incident. He was also vilified for being sent off in a 2010 World Cup quarterfinal for a cynical handball on the goal line against Ghana. For the last year, though, he has regained the admiration of his rivals by ensuring he is no longer a magnet for controversy. Suarez was also named alongside strike partner Daniel Sturridge and Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard in the PFAs Premier League team of the year. Chelsea winger Eden Hazard was also voted into the team, as well as being named PFA young player of the year at the age of 23. ------ PFA Premier League team of the year: Petr Cech (Chelsea), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Vincent Kompany (Manchester City), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Eden Hazard (Chelsea), Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Luis Suarez (Liverpool), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool). ' ' '