Read what bet365's Steve Freeth had to say as Manchester City fell to a coupon-busting defeat to Brighton.
Weekend Review
We’re in the middle of some strong results in the Premier League right now, with the latest set proving a nightmare for punters. It made for a happy Halloween for bookmakers, featuring more ghouls than goals in the English top flight.
The late money came for Liverpool in the game of the weekend, but they were unable to break down a stubborn Arsenal side who returned south as 1/3 favourites to retain the Premier League after a rare Anfield victory.
Super Boost fans got off to a winning start on Saturday lunchtime with Chelsea scoring first (8/13 – Evs). The popular Bet Builder duo of Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer were both on the scoresheet, while a drift on the hosts meant favourite backers enjoyed an odds-against price on their accumulators.
Despite fan support, Michael Carrick has drifted to 11/10 to still be in charge on New Year's Day, after his side played the final 30 minutes with 10 men as 33/1 shot Lisandro Martinez saw red. The Red Devils are now into 14/1 to be relegated.
Unfortunately for punters, it was Brighton who made a monster mash of the coupon with a 1-0 win at the Etihad, shortening to 12/1 to win the Premier League. There were also wins for two other well-run sides beginning with B, as Bournemouth and Brentford both secured 2-0 victories. Spurs followed suit with a comfortable three-point haul by the same scoreline, making it five wins to nil on Saturday and leaving BTTS backers screaming with frustration.
There were goals galore on the European coupon, starting with PSG scoring five on Friday night. We even had one customer back Achraf Hakimi to score a hat-trick at odds of 125/1.
Harry Kane may have been celebrating on Monday night, but he was brought back to earth with a Ballon d’Or bump on Saturday when he missed a penalty. That ensured we saw one of the big boys turned over, as Bayern Munich could only manage a draw with Dortmund.
Barcelona hit Alaves for six, with two-goal Lamine Yamal being replaced by Anthony Gordon, who proceeded to find the back of the net. This triggered the bet365 Sub On Play On concession for 14/1 hat-trick backers of the Spanish superstar.
Kylian Mbappe may have finished second to Kane in the Ballon d’Or pecking order, but he was able to finish from the spot, helping Real Madrid cruise to a 3-0 win at Racing.
Surprise package Lazio, who were 150/1 to win Serie A in pre-season, continued their winning run by coming from behind to beat Cagliari. Elsewhere, second-placed Inter were beaten by rivals Milan, while third-placed Roma hit five at Udinese.
Trading Talk
Michael Carrick wasn’t helped by 33/1 shot Lisandro Martinez seeing red at the Bridge and he’s on the drift to be Manchester United manager at the turn of the year after their latest defeat, although a lot shorter than the 12/1 he was available at this time last week. Unai Emery has been backed in from 25/1, and while it would be a good appointment, can you really see him leaving Aston Villa to go to Old Trafford? There are still bits around for Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann as Manchester United, who are now 14/1 for relegation, host Roma on Tuesday night.
Fabian Hurzeler talked about belief after Brighton’s win at Manchester City and the Seagulls have shortened to 12/1 to win the Premier League having scored the most goals and conceded the second fewest. While we wait on City’s fate and watch Arsenal grind their way to 1/3 to defend their crown, it would certainly be refreshing to see Brighton go all the way. At 8/15 for a Top 4 finish and 9/4 to end the season in the Top 2, those pesky Seagulls are feeding on more than scraps these days.
Here’s a question for you, who has been your player of the season so far? I’m struggling to pick mine. Erling Haaland leads the PFA POTY betting at 2/1, but he’s a lay at that price for me. Declan Rice has been punted into 6/1 after his POTM showing at Anfield and Odegaard is our worst result having shortened from 25/1 into 7/1. Personally, I’d like to see somebody like Pascal Gros win it with four assists and three goals so far this season, but the 25/1 shot might be up against it in the player popularity stakes.
Any odds displayed were correct at the time of writing and are subject to fluctuation and T&Cs apply to all offers.
