The Stagcom 3rd April Round Up
Happy Monday, lads! How good of a weekend was that? The sun was shining and I'm sure many of you spent Saturday and Sunday in a beer garden. We don't blame you!
With that in mind, you may have missed some of the action over the weekend, so luckily for you, we stayed on top of it all to bring you are weekend round-up.
Surprise Weekend
The Premier League title race has been opened up, slightly, after Chelsea's surprise defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace on Saturday.
It looked as if it would be a routine victory for the leaders after taking an early lead through Cesc Fabregas, but two quick fire goals from Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke gave Palace a 2-1 lead. The visitors had to survive a barrage of attacks as Chelsea searched for an equaliser, but a heroic performance from goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey meant Sam Allardyce's side held on to a fourth consecutive win and gave Chelsea their first home defeat since September.
The defeat has given Spurs a glimmer of hope that they could win the title and they are now seven points off Chelsea after a 2-0 win at Burnley. Mauricio Pochettino's side looked like they may be frustrated, but Eric Dier broke the deadlock midway through the second-half and Son Heung-min scored the second to make sure of the result.
Earlier in the day, Liverpool cemented their place in the top-four with a 3-1 win over Everton in the Merseyside derby. Sadio Mane opened the scoring, before young Everton defender Matthew Pennington levelled with his first goal for the club. Philippe Coutinho then scored a majestic solo goal and Divock Origi secured the three points shortly after coming on for the injured Mane to put Liverpool in third.
Man City are a place back in fourth after an entertaining 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates. Leroy Sane opened the scoring after a sublime pass from Kevin de Bruyne, but Theo Walcott soon levelled with a close-range finish. Sergio Aguero restored City's lead with a precise finish, but Shkodran Mustafi equalised in the second period with a towering header. The draw leaves Arsenal seven points off a top-four spot, with much to do if they want to play Champions League football next season.
Federer's Fine Start
Roger Federer continued his fine start to 2017 as he overcame Rafael Nadal to win the Miami Open.
It is the 25-year-old's third success already this year, following on from the Australian Open and Indian Wells triumphs.
Federer held relative control in the match throughout and beat his long-term rival in straight sets, 6-3 6-4. Federer will now take an eight-week break from the game until the French Open as he hopes to give his body the best chance of recovery over a long, gruelling season.
Image credits: Goal.com, Premier League, BBC Sport