Chelsea dropped points for just the third time this season on Saturday evening as they ran to a 0-0 stalemate at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland's eighth draw of the 2014-15 campaign.Jose Mourinho's Premier League leaders are fortunate enough to be able to afford the stumble and still have a seven-point lead at the summit, but that won't leave their manager any more content.Manchester United continue their rise up the ranks after beating Hull City, while Arsenal, West Ham United and Liverpool each took victories to inspire their hopes of top-four finishes on Matchday 13.Here's how the standings look after this weekend's action thus far:Manchester United at Their Best in Tigers MaulingLouis van Gaal's men surged back into the top four and now sit just two points away from Manchester City after battering Hull City 3-0 on Saturday.The 2-1 win away at Arsenal last weekend was satisfactory, but against an opponent threatened by relegation, United were ruthless this time around, as shown by Squawka:In arguably Manchester United's most complete performance of the season, Chris Smalling, Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie were all on target for the hosts.However, Steve Bruce's men are an easy target at present, and with defeat at Old Trafford, last season's FA Cup finalists have now failed to win in six, losing their last four games in a row.Per Rob Dawson of theManchester Evening News, the Tigers chief was sure to lump blame on his own playing staff, who he labelled as more than partly to blame for the result:Midfield issues have created concern for Van Gaal, but the Dutchman will have found it especially pleasing to see Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera star, but Van Persie shone as the man of the moment.Given his experience, the United boss won't be getting ahead of himself in light of recent results, but after putting together three wins on the bounce, there's certainly cause for optimism at Old Trafford once more.Arsene Wenger Can't Escape Critics Despite West Brom WinFollowing the midweek win over Borussia Dortmund, Arsene Wenger might have been given space to breathe in his never-ending struggle against scrutiny at the Emirates Stadium.However, even with Danny Welbeck handing his side a 1-0 win against West Bromwich Albionat the Hawthorns on Saturday, the Frenchman came under fire from his own fans, per ESPN:Having failed to win either of their previous two Premier League clashes, the Gunners were in need of a result and temporarily rose up to fourth in the table after Saturday's early victory.When questioned on the banner erected in protest of his management at the club, Wenger was quoted by ESPN as saying: "I don't comment on that." Again, Wenger was quizzed on the sign, to which he replied:"Do I need to say it again' I don't comment on your question."The Gunners' dressing room will undoubtedly take their positives from the West Midlands, though, while Alan Irvine's side are struggling for momentum, having now won just one of their last seven league fixtures.QPR Best Foxes in Battle of the Premier League New BoysIn any promotion campaign, besting those who came up alongside you will be seen as a something of a more feasible task. Playoff champions Queens Park Rangers did just that against 2013-14 Championship winners Leicester City on Saturday.Harry Redknapp's men emerged with a 3-2 victory at Loftus Road to rise off the bottom of the Premier League standings into 18th, their highest position since late September. Centre-back Rio Ferdinand was among those pleased by the result:Esteban Cambiasso gave the visitors a lead after just four minutes, but goals from Leroy Fer and Charlie Austin piled hurt on Leicester after Wes Morgan helped QPR equalise with a comical own goal.Austin was among the star players of the five-goal display and currently sits as the most prolific English man in the Premier League, withTheSun confirming just what an entertaining result this turned out to be:Redknapp will hope to see further performances of this nature in an attacking sense, but the gaps in his defence are still showing and stand to have further impact on their battle against the drop.Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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