Read what bet365's Steve Freeth had to say after Manchester City recorded a 3-0 win over Liverpool.
Weekend Review
A small winning weekend with Manchester City keeping their nerve in the big game, though we’re still in the strange position of being none the wiser about their chances of winning the league or being relegated.
Manchester City ran out 3-0 winners at Anfield, with the Citizens remaining at 13/8 to be relegated as we sit and wait for an outcome. Enzo Maresca’s side were supported into Evens before kick-off as it looked a bit of a mismatch on paper, but Liverpool were in the game right up until Ryan Gravenberch (50/1) was sent off.
Of the Saturday favourites we had Arsenal winning from behind with a laboured victory against Leeds, Chelsea drifting to 5/6 before hammering Bournemouth 5-1, and unfashionable Brighton (11/8) continuing to impress by winning at Sunderland. There were no jeers in the trading room when Dominic Solanke equalised in injury time to rescue a point for Spurs, who remain winless with hosts Manchester United touching 1/25 in-play before dropping more points, to the frustration of a struggling Michael Carrick.
Real Madrid backers would’ve been pulling their hair out with Vini Jr’s red card (40/1 in-play) forcing Los Blancos to hang on to their 1-0 lead with 10 men for the final 20 minutes, but that’s what they did. 1/10 Barcelona had it a little easier with a 3-0 win, while Cristian Romero bagged a late winner for 4/5 Atletico Madrid at Alaves. On Saturday we had the odds-on pair of Inter and Napoli (Kevin De Bruyne 14/1 to score 2+) both landing in Serie A and PSG winning in Ligue 1, but it was Augsburg to the rescue in Germany. Robin Fellhauer scored the fastest goal in Bundesliga history following a Manuel Neuer mistake, as Bayern Munich were held to a coupon-busting 2-2 draw.
Trading Talk
The inflatable bananas were out in force at Anfield! Now, under normal circumstances, a 3-0 away win would see a significant shift in our markets, but in truth, nothing has really changed on the Manchester City front. Ordinarily, 18 points from six games would see the Citizens around 10/11 to win the title with Arsenal at 6/4, but they’re currently 7/2 after a slight trim from 4/1. We’ve all heard the rumours about the risk of relegation following the breaches, and there could be some broken hearts if the odds are to be believed. They remain at 13/8 despite the win, suggesting those bananas could be deflated in the near future.
Staying on the inflatable front, we’re presented with a potential banana skin in the shape of our October Manager of the Month market. The dilemma we have surrounds Enzo Maresca; would they award him the prize if Manchester City have a successful month? Anyway, he’s priced at 6/1 - inflated under the circumstances - with Mikel Arteta heading the market at 11/4. Five-star Alonso is next at 5/1 with September winner Fabian Hurzeler at 7/1.
There’s plenty of noise in the Premier League right now, but amongst it all, Brighton continue to impress, sitting third in the Premier League after their latest win. As well as good performances, the drop offs from the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle, Spurs and Villa have aided their lofty position. They’re now just 7/4, from a best priced 14/1, to finish in the Top 4, and dare I say it, 150/1 into 25/1 to win the Premier League.
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation and T&Cs apply to all offers.
