Crystal Palace dented Everton's hopes of Champions League football next season following a 3-2 away win in the English Premier League on Wednesday.

The Toffees had slipped into fifth place following Arsenal's 3-1 win over West Ham on Tuesday but could have reclaimed fourth spot with victory at Goodison Park.

Juventus striker Carlos Tevez has denied suggestions that a falling out with Lionel Messi is behind his ongoing absence from the Argentina side, saying that the two players "get on well".

"I don't know where they got such nonsense from! Everyone publishes it but the truth is that we get on well. We have shared moments together, training sessions, matches and there has never been a problem. He is a charming and very polite person," said Tevez in an interview with the Argentine daily Cronica on Wednesday.

As Earth's atmosphere warms alarmingly and fills with heat-trapping gases, and the writing on the wall — "People, we're in trouble!" — looms ever larger, Formula One has steadily become a guilty pleasure, the motorsport equivalent of blue whale burger or wearing panda fur.

All that precious fuel going up in smoke, speed, and outrageous noise. Unsustainable and increasingly unjustifiable.

Bayern Munich's Germany midfielder Toni Kroos will stay with the Bavarian giants until at least 2015, despite a reported huge offer from Manchester United, his agent said.

According to British newspaper The Guardian, Premier League giants United are prepared to offer Kroos a contract worth £260,000 per week (315,000 euros, $437,000) for him to play at Old Trafford next season.

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer rushed into the third round at the Monte Carlo Masters on Wednesday, with both posting quick opening victories.

Top seed Nadal, champion at eight of the last nine editions, spent 72 minutes in smothering any upset hopes of Russian Teimuraz Gabashvili, who got off to a shock 3-1 lead before Spain's king of clay reeled him in for a 6-4, 6-1 success.

Lukas Podolski scored twice as Arsenal came from a goal down to beat West Ham 3-1 in the Premier League on Tuesday and provisionally reclaim the last Champions League spot.

Arsenal trailed to Matthew Jarvis' 40th-minute opener, but Podolski equalized before the break and Arsenal dominated the second half.

The Belgian federation has extended the contract of coach Marc Wilmots to the 2018 World Cup after he led the Red Devils to their first finals in a dozen years.

Under Wilmots, Belgium has become a contender to advance into the final stages of the World Cup in Brazil, and with a slew of talent from the English Premier League and La Liga, he has molded them into an exciting team which stood as high as fifth in the FIFA rankings late last year.

The Los Angeles Clippers downed the Denver Nuggets 117-105 for their club-record 57th victory of the season Tuesday, while the New York Knicks, playing without the injured Carmelo Anthony, beat the Brooklyn Nets 109-98 to win the season series between city rivals.

Blake Griffin scored 24 points while picking up his 16th technical foul as Los Angeles led all the way.

Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro said Tuesday that it will not sign former France striker Nicolas Anelka because the player took too long to report to the club.

Atletico Mineiro director Eduardo Maluf told a media conference the player had until Monday to arrive and sign his contract. He said the club was advised by one of Anelka's agents that he would not be able to come to Brazil until the end of the week.

Wrapping up five days of relentless cross-examination of Oscar Pistorius at his murder trial, the chief prosecutor insisted Tuesday that the Olympic runner intentionally shot his girlfriend to death after they argued before dawn on Valentine's Day last year.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel said he had no further questions after presenting the prosecution's case that Pistorius is lying in his account of mistakenly shooting Reeva Steenkamp through a toilet cubicle door. Nel said the double-amputee runner killed her intentionally after a late night fight.