28th April 17

If this blog feels like exclusively Premier League previews at the moment, it's because I'm very busy and producing other content. And also because there's lots of Premier League football.

Southampton v Hull (3pm Saturday)

Southampton's form has been a mixed bag, largely due to their opposition. Comfortable defeats to Chelsea and Man City were preceded by wins over Crystal Palace, West Brom and a draw to Bournemouth. So this is a game that the home team will remain very much favourites for on paper, especially factoring in that Hull's away form is positively wretched, as the only point that they've picked up away from home since September was at Old Trafford three months ago. Whilst it's possible that Hull nick a 0-0 draw, I think it's more likely that Southampton win easily, as Hull have conceded 15 goals in their last 5 away games. 

Prediction: 2-0 Saints

Stoke v West Ham (3pm)

Stoke's last home game was a much needed 3-1 win over Hull City, their only win in their last seven games. West Ham, meanwhile, have just one win in their last ten games, a 1-0 win over Swansea. These are two teams in wretched form, and as such I'm tempted to go for a draw, but on paper, and with home advantage, if one of these teams is likely to nick it, it'll be Stoke.

Prediction: 1-1

Sunderland v Bournemouth (3pm) 

Sunderland are well and truly in last-chance saloon. Hull are four points away from sealing the home team's relegation, and if Sunderland lose, then Hull only need a point from their last four games to down the Black Cats. All things considered, Bournemouth are in decent form, with just two defeats in their last eight enough to lift them into mid-table. It's certainly better form than their opponents, who are now nine games without a win, picking up just two points and scoring two goals in that period. 0-0 is my money, but whilst Bournemouth's away form isn't good, they're certainly good enough to win this game against a shambolic Sunderland side. That said, if Bournemouth at home isn't the game Sunderland need to at least prolong their stay of execution, then they're going down without even a whimper.

Prediction: 0-0

West Brom v Leicester (3pm) 

One point from their last three games has slowed the momentum of Leicester's surge up the table, but they remain in a healthy position, with five games to pinch the one more win that would all but guarantee safety, assuming that they aren't safe already. On paper, this is a tough one for the Foxes. They have wretched away form, whilst West Brom have been exceptional at mopping up teams below them this season, especially at home, where four of their six defeats have come from teams above them in the table. But West Brom's form has slipped, Leicester look a much better side, and I think I'm going to plump for a draw. 

Prediction: 1-1

Crystal Palace v Burnley (5:30pm)

To be blunt, I just predict Burnley to lose every single away game, with 13/17 of their trips from Turf Moor resulting in defeats, and without a single win to their names away from home. This one is no different, especially with Palace in fantastic form. Whilst it's very plausible that Burnley come and nick a point, especially Palace are unpredictably patchy, the home side should win this one. 

Prediction: 2-1 Palace

Man United v Swansea (12pm Sunday)

This one is a home banker, but it's going to be less easy than some United fans might think it would be. United are constantly drawing sloppy games at home and have a GD of just +12 at Old Trafford. Nevertheless, Swansea's away form is wretched, having lost their last six games on the road. They're in dire straits, and you'd expect United to sweep them aside, albeit with maybe a little bit less gusto, given that Swansea will be scrapping for every point and United will be resting players for the Europa League, playing less than 72 hours after their gruelling 0-0 draw at the Etihad, and with injuries and suspensions up to their eyeballs. 

Prediction: 2-1 United

Everton v Chelsea (2:05pm)

The toughest test remaining for Chelsea's title credentials, as they travel to an Everton side with exceptional home form. I strongly suspect that Antonio Conte would take a draw from this one, as Spurs have harder fixtures to come and Chelsea have a nice run, but nevertheless Chelsea will have to go for the win. I think they have the firepower, especially as Everton tend to struggle in the biggest games, but I do think Conte could well take the point if push comes to shove. 

Prediction: 1-1

Middlesbrough v Man City (2:05pm)

It's been a rough few weeks for Man City, as Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man United have consistently nicked results off them despite City dominating the games. For City, this is however, a golden chance to get back to winning ways and begin the romp to the end of the season. It's hard to imagine that they don't have enough fire power for this one, as Boro have nothing less than a disgrace in recent weeks, barring a 1-0 win against worst side in the league Sunderland. Might be tougher than it looks on paper though. 

Prediction: 3-1 City 

Spurs vs Arsenal (4:30pm)

North London derbies always have a bit of extra bite about them. For both of these sides, this is an absolutely vital game, as it's categorically a must-win for both. Arsenal simply cannot afford to lose more ground in the race for 4th, as they're already behind City, Liverpool and United. And Spurs have to win every single game to keep their flickering title hopes alive. In terms of form, it's hard to look past Spurs, who have won 8 in a row, and haven't dropped points at home since October, with 12 wins and 2 draws at White Hart Lane in the league this season. Not to mention Harry Kane loves his London derbies. 

Arsenal on the other hand, have awful away form, particularly against the top teams, as they've lost to Liverpool, Chelsea, Man City and Everton away this season, as well as Palace and West Brom in recent weeks. There's no evidence that this will be anything other than a comfortable Spurs win, but it's a North London Derby and Spurs have a notoriously poor mentality, so who knows what could happen. 

Prediction: 3-1 Spurs

Watford v Liverpool (8pm Monday)

After slipping up at home to Palace, every game remaining is massive for Liverpool. They remain in pole position for a top four after the 0-0 draw in the Manchester Derby but need to keep winning. This is a tough away fixture which should work in the Reds' favour, especially with Adam Lallana back from injury and Watford having reached 40 points and sewn up a mid-table finish. I think on balance, Liverpool will have enough, as Watford's record against the top teams is pretty poor. 

Prediction: 2-1 LFC

The Hard and Fast Section

• Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs all won in midweek. Figures. 
• Selby and Higgins leading, set for World Championship Final.
• Ferrari flying in Russian practice. 
• One Day Cup is back. Huzzah. 

25th April 17

Bonus Premier League previews round

Chelsea v Southampton (7:45pm)

Saints are a decent side, with decent form, but to be blunt, this one is all on Chelsea. Southampton's butchering at the hands of Man City shows that a top class side can cause them all manner of problems, and Chelsea are a top class side. Following two defeats in their last four games, the heat is on Chelsea, with the gap at the top down to four points. So will Chelsea falter again? My instincts say no. They're a side with a strong mentality, who should have almost a fully fit squad at their disposal and a tremendous home record. The way they recovered from their defeat at the hands of Man United to sweep aside Spurs is a testament to that. This should be an easy win for Chelsea. 

Prediction: 2-0 Chelsea

Arsenal v Leicester City (7:45pm Wednesday)

The dust is starting to settle for Leicester City. Their defeat to Atletico Madrid sees them out of Europe, they're now six points clear of the drop zone with two games in hand, meaning that they're virtually safe, and there's little to play for except for mid-table positioning. Whether this will galvanize them for a tough trip to the Emirates, where Arsenal have been largely excellent despite shambolic away form in 2017, remains to be seen. Despite poor form away from home, Arsenal should have enough to get through this one, especially as Leicester's away form is, bluntly, terrible. 

Prediction: 3-1 Arsenal

Middlesbrough v Sunderland (7:45pm)

 This is a proper dogfight this one. Given Boro's pathetic performance at the weekend away at Bournemouth, they could end up losing this and finishing bottom of the division. Nevertheless, the maximum that both of these sides can pick up is 39, with Hull on target to possibly hit that number. Either way, both teams need to win this game or they're sunk without a trace (assuming they aren't already). Personally, given that these teams have one win between them in their last thirty-two combined games, with Sunderland winning one game and Boro zero in 2017, this one could be the limp, dull, lifeless goalless draw to relegate both clubs that would sum up their respective seasons. 

Prediction: 0-0

Crystal Palace v Spurs (8pm)

Palace are all but safe after wins against Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal. Nevertheless, this remains the kind of fixture that Spurs are prime for a bottle job in, especially as they're bang back in the title race after Chelsea's recent slip-ups. Despite only losing one game in the last two months, I think Palace will be overwhelmed in this one, as all logic dictates that the Spurs juggernaut will keep on rolling. However, they have to slip up at some point, and this one could yet be a banana skin. But still, this is Spurs' game to lose on paper.

Prediction: 2-1 Spurs

Man City v Man United (8pm Thursday)

It feels strange to have a Manchester Derby almost sneak in under the radar on a Thursday night, but make no mistake, this is a colossal game of football. Mourinho vs Guardiola is always a huge game, as is any clash between the two Manchester sides, but once again there is a bite to it. Both teams need to win to put themselves in pole position to finish above the other and grab a top four spot. City have been struggling in recent weeks to finish off big teams despite dominating games, a problem that cost them silverware as Arsenal knocked them out of the FA Cup. Nevertheless, if any team is going to stop Man United's impressive unbeaten run and derail their bid for a top four spot, it's going to be Spurs. But since that game isn't for a few weeks, you'd also back City to win this one, or at least pick up a draw, which have proven costly to United already this season. 

Prediction: 2-1 City

The Hard and Fast Section

• Champions Trophy squad announced. No real surprises.
• Saracens vs Clermont. England/France final again. Tasty. 
• Nastase is a nasty piece of work. Ugly scenes. 
• Newcastle are back. Congrats to Benitez and his team. 

21st April 17

FA Cup semi-finals weekend, plus the normal Premier League preview.

FA CUP

Chelsea v Spurs (5:15pm Saturday)

The two remaining title contenders face-off in one of the most hotly anticipated FA Cup semi-finals in recent memory. Aside from the title-race, there's so much underlying this one; Chelsea being the ones to kill Spurs' title challenge last year; the last time Spurs won a trophy they beat Chelsea in the final; the last time Spurs reached a cup final they lost to Chelsea; and of course the general underlying ill-feeling between these two teams. But above all else, this is a game between the best two teams in the Premier League, which is what makes it exciting. Both teams will be slightly weakened by injuries, but both remain hugely evenly matched. On balance, this is a really tough one to call. If Spurs turn up and play the football that they've been playing in recent weeks, as they're in better form than their opponents, then they should win, as evidenced by their 2-0 win in January. However, Spurs are also far more likely to choke on the big occasion than their opposition, and Chelsea's experience in these sorts of games may just see them through. 

Prediction: 2-0 Chelsea

Arsenal v Man City (3pm Sunday)

These two sides met just three weeks ago, playing out an exciting 2-2 draw that left both sets of fans slightly dissatisfied. But only one team can through in this one, and on balance you have to fancy City. Arsenal are in really poor form at the moment, having won just three of their last nine games, whilst City's only defeat in the league since January has come against Chelsea. However, the fact that it's a cup semi-final could rejuvenate Arsenal, and be the catalyst for a strong finish to the season. Nevertheless, with both teams underachieving this season, they both need to be winning this game. 

Prediction: 2-1 City

Premier League

Bournemouth v Middlesbrough (3pm Saturday)

Boro are in pretty dire straits. Six points from safety with eighteen more points available, this is as close to must-win as it gets, especially against a Bournemouth side sat 16th with just 35 points themselves this season (a tally which should be more than enough to prevent them being dragged into the dogfight as it stands). Nevertheless, it's hard to look at this game as one that Boro are likely to win. Bournemouth have had a really sticky patch of fixtures, having picked up three points from games against Saints, Liverpool, Chelsea, Spurs and Man United in recent weeks. But crucially, their home wins against West Ham and Swansea indicate that they should have enough in the tank to see off a Boro side who are now 15 league games without a win. Maybe a 0-0, probably a home win. 

Prediction: 2-0 Bournemouth

Hull v Watford (3pm) 

Speaking of must-win games, Hull are hanging on by a thread. Swansea's failure to win in their last six games has given the Tigers hope, but sooner or later the Swans are going to pull out of their tailspin and Hull are just two points better off than their relegation rivals. Against a Watford who haven't picked up an away win since January, they'll get a really good chance to improve on their already excellent home form under Marco Silva. I'm backing them to get that win. 

Prediction: 2-1 Hull 

Swansea v Stoke (3pm)

It's almost a given at this stage of the season that every team fighting for the title, top four, or to stay in the Premier League has every game as a must-win, but Swansea's need for a victory is reaching desperate levels. One point from six games has seen them slide back into the relegation zone and a home game against a Stoke side who have one point from their last five away games is a great opportunity to notch their first win since the start of March. But Stoke won't make it easy for them either, and this could be close. In their current form, I'm not sure Swansea will be able to make it over the line. 

Prediction: 1-1

West Ham v Everton (3pm)

Four points from their last two games have stopped the rot for a West Ham side that looked like they might be sliding towards relegation themselves having picked up just two points from the seven preceding games. Everton meanwhile, have been maintaining a really good run of form, with only their form against the big teams costing them a chance to finish in the top four. Nevertheless, Everton are another team with patchy away form, so this would be an impressive win if they could pull it off. 

Prediction: 3-1 Everton 

Burnley v Man United (2:15pm Sunday)

United's prioritization of the Europa League, which has resulted in them reaching the semi-finals of that competition, could cost them again here, as they play Burnley less than 72 hours after a gruelling 120 minutes against Anderlecht, that saw Rashford, Carrick and Mkhitaryan play all 120 minutes, and Ibrahimovic and Rojo both pick up injuries. That, coupled with United's general struggles in front of goal, and Burnley's phenomenal home form, means that I think this one will be a draw. 

Prediction: 1-1/0-0

Liverpool v Crystal Palace (4:30pm)

Goalfest is the word that jumps to mind, based on the current state of both team's defences. Palace are without Mamadou Sakho, Patrick Van Aanholt and Scott Dann, whilst Liverpool could potentially be short Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan and Lucas Leiva, on top of injuries to Lallana, Henderson and Mane. Whether these injuries will have a massive impact remains to be seen, but Liverpool will still fancy their chances of causing problems to a Palace defence that has leaned heavily on Sakho in recent weeks. Overall, with Palace nearly safe now, Liverpool will be favourites for this one, especially at Anfield. 

Prediction: 2-1 LFC

14th April 17

Premier League predictions time

Spurs v Bournemouth (12:30pm Saturday)

Spurs have 14 wins and 2 draws at White Hart Lane this season, and are back near full throttle having won six games in a row, scoring 18 goals and conceding just four. This is a Spurs side that are looking extremely formidable and will be looking to keep the pressure on Chelsea. Bournemouth meanwhile have lost just one of their last six games, and are now seven points clear of relegation, but defeat last time out at home to Chelsea demonstrates that they're not quite good enough to hold off Spurs on top form. Home banker. 

Prediction: Spurs 3-0

Crystal Palace v Leicester (3pm)

This should be a really interesting one. Two teams with five wins out of six. Palace's poor home form seemed to be at an end as they thrashed Arsenal on Monday night, whilst Leicester picked up their first away win of the season last month. Truthfully, with both of these clubs surely safe now, I think the biggest factor will be Leicester's big Champions League game in midweek, which means that they'll surely send out a weakened and fatigued team. I fancy Palace on that basis, particularly as they were red hot on Monday night. 

Prediction: 2-0 Palace

Everton v Burnley (3pm) 

Another home banker. Burnley still haven't won a single game away from home, whilst Everton have the third best home record in the Premier League, losing just once at home all season. Everton's form is decent considering their sticky run of fixtures, which is why I fancy them to pile the pressure on Burnley in this one and put them to the sword, even though Burnley themselves have been pretty solid recently. 

Prediction: 3-1 Everton

Stoke City v Hull City (3pm)

Stoke are in desperate need of a win as they've really hit the slump hard, beating only Boro and Palace in their last ten games. Nevertheless, Hull will need it more, as they're barely holding off Swansea below them. Sadly for Hull, their away record recently has been catastrophic, but that's been aggravated by a tough run of games away from home, with defeats to Arsenal, Man City, Everton and Leicester. This could be a close one, so I'm going to sit on the fence and say this one ends in a draw.

Prediction: 1-1

Sunderland v West Ham (3pm)

Speaking of two teams in desperate need of a win. Sunderland are all but sunk without a trace and unless they start winning games very quickly, it's lights out. It's now been seven games without scoring or winning, whilst West Ham ended their shambolic run with a massive win at home to Swansea. Whilst this one could easily finish 0-0 or 1-1, I fancy West Ham to edge out a result, if only because Sunderland are truly abysmal.

Prediction: 1-0 West Ham 

Watford v Swansea (3pm) 

Swansea managed to drag themselves towards safety, only to fall off a cliff once again. A string of shocking away performances has resulted in them picking up just one point in their last five games, and they've not picked up a point away in nearly three months. Watford meanwhile are another team who managed to string together a couple of vital wins to claw themselves to safety. The reverse leg between these two ended 0-0, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen again. 

Prediction: 0-0

Southampton v Man City (5:30pm)

This is a massive game for a Man City side that need to keep their momentum going to secure a top four finish. Their hardest away game left, if they can win this one then they are home and dry. But Saints are a tough nut to crack, especially at home and won't make it easy for City to run them through. Whilst on balance I think City are more likely, and a 2-1 City win would be wholly unsurprising, I'm going to plump for the draw, as City's form has been lackluster in terms of converting performances into results lately. 

Prediction: 1-1

West Brom v Liverpool (1:30pm Sunday)

Liverpool are another side who are on the brink of securing a top four finish, needing perhaps three more wins. Whilst West Brom away from home is never the easiest fixture on the calendar, Liverpool will fancy their chances. West Brom look secure in the top ten, are already winding down their season and have been in poor form lately, with just one win in their last six and reasonably poor form against the top seven this season anyway. Whilst they'll probably score off a set piece, Liverpool should have enough fire power with Coutinho and Firmino both in good form. 

Prediction: 2-1 Liverpool 

Man United v Chelsea (4pm)

This is a tough one to predict. Whilst on paper you'd say this is the sort of fixture Chelsea have made bread and butter of this season, and you'd thoroughly expect them to win, a trip to Old Trafford is never easy, indeed only Man City have won there this season. It also depends on Chelsea's mentality. With Spurs hot on their heels they will not want to lose, but they may decide that a draw is a good result in what will prove a tough game, one of the toughest that they have left, having navigated games against Liverpool Arsenal and Man City recently with success. My gut says Chelsea would take a draw, so I think that's what the result will be, as Mourinho is good at closing out these sorts of games.  

Prediction: 1-1

Middlesbrough v Arsenal (8pm Monday)

This one really is interesting. Arsenal's Monday night game against Palace should have been routine, but their away form is genuinely wretched and Palace showed them up. Whilst there's no indications that Boro are anywhere close to being good enough to do to Arsenal what Palace did, this is a real watermark moment for Arsenal. They have to win, and win convincingly, because this is a game that frankly they should be walking. I think they'll win, but I don't think it will be convincing. 

Prediction: 2-0 Arsenal

The Hard and Fast Section

• Leicester beaten by Leti. Big blow. 
• Bayern and Dortmund also lose. Bad week for German football. 
• Vettel flying in Bahrain practice. 
• Nine county championship games on. Notts skittling Durham.

12th April 17

A tale of two 3-0s.

Crystal Palace 3-0 Arsenal

There was a point late on in this game that pretty much summed up Arsenal Football Club at the moment. As chants of "You're not fit to wear the shirt" from Arsenal fans switched to a rapturous rendition of "Arsene Wenger, we want you to go", Crystal Palace fans took a slightly different view, as "Arsene Wenger, we want you to stay" exploded from all four corners of Selhurst Park. That's the point we're at now, where Crystal Palace fans are openly mocking Arsenal's manager, their own fans are in revolt, and not a single player in an Arsenal shirt looks like he deserves to be wearing it. 

To describe this performance as a disaster misses the point entirely. The problem for Arsenal runs far deeper than that, and has long since ceased to be a single poor performance. Arsenal have now won just two of their last eight Premier League games, and it has been three months since they last won away from the Emirates Stadium. They've conceded three goals in five of their last six away games, and have conceded 19 goals in their last eight away games, losing six of those fixtures. Being ripped apart by Chelsea and Liverpool is one thing. Shipping five goals to Bayern Munich twice is something else. But West Brom? And now Crystal Palace? This was Arsenal's heaviest defeat of the season and it was thoroughly deserved. 

So went wrong? The answer is that Palace were simply better in every single department. Mustafi had one of the worst games of his career, whilst Mamadou Sakho and Martin Kelly were faultless. Andros Townsend and Wilf Zaha were both phenomenal, running Arsenal's poor full-backs ragged for 90 minutes, whilst Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil looked like they were already counting their paychecks from future employers. Neither will be playing at Arsenal next season based on Monday night's display. Christian Benteke was an absolute handful, whilst Danny Welbeck was wholly anonymous. 

For a team in the top six of the Premier League to be so comprehensively outplayed by a team in the bottom six suggests that something went horrendously wrong and the reasoning behind it is obvious. There was nothing tactical about this. Palace put men behind the ball in midfield, exposed Arsenal's fullbacks with pace and utilised Benteke's strength. Exactly what Arsenal would have expected them to do. 

The problem here was a combination of attitude and ability. Key players simply didn't care and others simply aren't good enough. Ozil and Sanchez made no effort to influence proceedings. Defensively they were absolutely shambolic, with Bellerin, Monreal and Mustafi, seemingly high class individuals, well and truly embarrassed. There was no bite and no quality in midfield. As bad as it was to hear Arsenal fans telling their players that they weren't fit to wear the shirt, it's equally hard to make a case that any of them do based on this display. Even Sanchez, the only individual in an Arsenal shirt who is good enough to win the Premier League, stopped caring weeks ago, when it became obvious that he alone couldn't rescue this shambles of a side. 

Whilst it would be unfair to call Arsenal's form relegation level bad, (seven points from eight games is still better than poor old Sunderland or Middlesbrough have managed), it's not good enough to be pushing for a Champions League spot either. With Middlesbrough away and Leicester at home in their next two league games, Arsenal have a chance to claw back some form before the North London Derby, but if a full throttle Palace side can walk through this Arsenal defence, how many are Harry Kane and Dele Alli likely to put past poor Martinez? 

But Crystal Palace also deserve a phenomenal amount of credit for their performance in this game. The two goals that they scored from open play were classy goals, with Benteke, Zaha and Townsend all involved in excellent link-up play and a superb finish from Cabaye capped off the lovely second move. 

Palace looked in real trouble with their fixture list, but wins against Chelsea and Arsenal have lifted them to six points clear of the drop zone, with Hull and Swansea only having six games left to play. Moreover, the three teams with the worst away records in the division (Leicester, Burnley and Hull who have just 2 away wins between them) all travel to Selhurst Park in Palace's four remaining home games. They're staying up, barring an absolute disaster. 

Juventus 3-0 Barcelona 

If Barcelona looked sunk without a trace following their 4-0 defeat in Paris to PSG, then they look every bit as sunk now. Whilst the defeat is slightly better on the scoreboard, the opposition is a lot less friendly. If PSG were one of the ideal candidates to blow a 4-0 lead at the Camp Nou, then Juve are probably one of the worst possible candidates, up there with Athletico Madrid. 

Juve are a tough nut to crack, which they proved in this first leg, withstanding plenty of Barca pressure, be that through blocking, tackling or through a magnificent save from Gigi Buffon just a minute or so before Paulo Dybala scored his second goal of the afternoon. 

This was a game hinging entirely on the goals. Both teams looked dangerous coming forwards, with Barca rightfully denied a goal through offside and potentially wrongfully denied a penalty for handball., and Juve every bit as dangerous, but Juve were the ones who chipped away with goals at crucial moments, exposing horrendous holes in what was a very average Barcelona defence. 

And Dybala was destroyer in chief, with a magical turn and finish for his first after great work from Cuadrado, and then Manzukic picked out the Argentinian on the edge of the box on the twenty-minute mark and he rifled in a lovely low shot. 

The third goal was a simple but brilliant header from a corner by Chiellini, to further compound Barca's misery. And it all might have been so different if Buffon hadn't come out to deny Andres Iniesta after the pass of the season from Lionel Messi. On a night where Messi played incredibly well, it was a shame that two or three of his majestic passes didn't lead to goals, as teammates fluffed their lines. 

Overall, this was a case of Juve being the more clinical team, finishing their chances with aplomb and exposing the holes in Barca's defence whilst doing an impressive job of keeping Barca's key players quiet, although both Suarez and Iniesta should have scored after being set through by Messi, with Sergi Roberto also not taking the opportunity to shoot when he could have scored. 

In any case, this result leaves Barca with yet another mountain to climb at the Camp Nou. As for Juve, right now they look like they could beat anyone in the competition. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• Three games tonight after Dortmund v Monaco was moved. 
• Alonso to miss Monaco GP. Racing in the Indy 500. 
• Mark Cavendish diagnosed with glandular fever. Devastating. 
• Bartra doing okay after bomb attack. Relief.

10th April 17

So I've been away for a week, but I'm back, with the news that Sergio Garcia has won his first major at the 74th time of trying. And how.

Emotional Sergio Takes the Green Jacket

It was long before midnight in the UK before a superb birdie putt in a play-off handed Sergio Garcia his first Masters win. But it had been an incredible, compelling night of golf, as for nearly five hours, two world class professionals slogged it out in a phenomenal 19 hole showdown. 

Garcia started the final round as part of the final pairing, -6 alongside Justin Rose, on the same score. And although several notable names in the world of golf, most notably Rickie Fowler, were sniffing around with intent for most of the day, it became clear reasonably early on that this was going to be a two-horse race to the finish, as the likes of Jordan Spieth and Charley Hoffman quickly fell away, and the two front-runners accelerated. 

It was Garcia who struck first, moving to 8 under as Rose slipped up early on, bogeying the fifth to slip back to 5 under. But Rose responded in the best possible way, bouncing back with three straight birdies to level the scores. Rose was absolutely outstanding in the middle portion of his card, and kept nailing important putts and outstanding approach shots. He was far from perfect, but he looked utterly unflappable. 

And the 13th hole proved to be the pivotal one. Sergio was slipping away, dropping shots on both 10 and 11 to leave himself two shots back on Rose, who was nailing par after par. Rose had all the momentum, and with nobody else within three shots, Garcia's tee shot on the 13th went straight into a very nasty bush, leaving him with seemingly irreparable damage. It looked as if taking a drop was his best option, or even going back to the tee. Meanwhile, Rose was close to the green in two, looking nailed on for a birdie as his third shot dropped very close. At this point, it looks as if Rose would be four shots clear of the pack, with Garcia in freefall.

But Garcia recovered, spectacularly. He didn't take a drop, hacked the ball out, made the green in four and nailed an absolutely critical par putt. Whilst as in every major golf tournament, this was a Masters decided by plenty of pivotal putts, the 13th hole was the first of a series of absolutely unbelievable high pressure shootouts, and this was one that Garcia won, as Rose failed to make his birdie putt. Less than five minutes after it had looked like Rose would be walking it, they came out of the hole even, and Garcia remained just two shots back. And that recovery gave him a seismic shift in momentum, as he got over his wobble to birdie the 14th and move within one shot. 

If what happened on the 13th was pivotal, then what happened on the 15th was truly special. Garcia absolutely nailed his tee shot, giving him a huge advantage over Rose, who looked slightly uncomfortable after playing his tee shot. And whilst Rose's second shot was solid, Garcia's was sublime, dropping to within a few feet and giving him a makeable eagle putt, one that Garcia duly swallowed for a remarkable two-shot swing, moving him -9 and into the outright lead for about thirty seconds, before a gutsy and determined Rose sunk his birdie putt to join the Spaniard. 

Three holes to go, and scores level, and at this point it was Sergio who was on top. This was top level sport at its very highest: two titans of the sport going toe to toe, blow for blow, as a pulsating day of golf reached its climax and the drama simply wasn't going away. 

Garcia shot first on the 16th and absolutely ripped it, dropping right on the pin. But Rose hit back instantly, dropping his ball on the other side of the pin, slightly further away but with a much better lie. This time Rose shot first, and took the advantage, sinking his putt to move into double digits. Sergio choked, and Rose had the lead again. 

But that was not the end of the story, as from that moment on, it was Rose who lost his midas touch. A huge error on 17 cost him dearly, as he hit the bunker on his approach shot and was unable to salvage par. That bogey dropped him back into Sergio's clutches, and it was all square moving onto the 18th. 

This was as high drama as it got. One hole to play, scores tied, it was already effectively a play off. And neither player blinked with his tee shot or his approach shot, both of them absolutely ripping it to within eight feet, again Rose slightly further away but with a nicer lie. 

And then, from neither of them blinking to both of them. Rose missed his putt, and the ball was well and truly in Garcia's court. But somehow, Garcia also contrived to miss under immense pressure, and on we went, this time to an offical play-off. 

And this time, it was once again Justin Rose who folded first, pulling his tee-shot wide and onto the pine needles, an error from which he was unable to recover. His approach shot was short, his chip was decent, but his final putt to save par went awry. Sergio meanwhile, had found the green in two and had a difficult birdie putt coming. If Rose had been able to salvage his par then it would have been interesting to see Garcia handle the pressure. But needing a safe two-putt for the Masters, pressure off, Garcia sank the putt with ease. 

This really was the pinnacle of top level sport. Two players at the top of their game, ebbing and flowing, a match lasting hours but never swinging more than slightly in favour of one player for more than a few minutes, the crowd absolutely roaring, and the magic of Sergio winning on what would have been Seve Ballesteros's 60th birthday. This was gutsy, technical, emotional golf and it was the sport, any sport, at its absolute best. And with a truly magical outcome. 

The Hard and Fast Section

• All of the top five won. Pressure on Arsenal.
• Sunderland look very dead. So do Boro. 
• Saints denied by last ditch Wasps try. 
• Lewis Hamilton hits back by winning Chinese GP. It's on.