Bookies end up “doing fortunes” thanks to favourites winning across Europe
Punters enjoy a weekend of victories, with Arsenal, Bayern Munich, PSG and Barcelona among the jollies getting the job done
It was a weekend to forget for operators, with favourites doing the business across Europe and keeping punters happy.
The biggest result in the Premier League saw Arsenal (1/2) maintain their five-point lead at the top of the table beating Chelsea 2-1 on Sunday.
The win came 24 hours after title rivals Man City (7/10) held on to beat Leeds United 1-0.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Manchester United (1/2) continued their unbeaten run under interim boss Michael Carrick, coming from behind to beat Crystal Palace 2-1, while Igor Tudor’s Tottenham lost 2-1 to Fulham (1/1) as they continue to flirt with relegation.
With Brighton (11/10) beating Nottingham Forest also by a score of 2-1, it was a clean sweep for customers and home teams.
Brentford (3/4) and Liverpool (2/5) were involved in high-scoring games on Saturday, with the Bees beating Burnley 4-3 in a topsy turvy clash and the Reds overcoming relegation-threatened West Ham 5-2 at Anfield.
Everton (16/5) picked up a 3-2 win away at Newcastle, while Bournemouth and Sunderland played out a 1-1 draw (11/4) in the weekend’s early kick off.
Doing fortunes
Commenting on a bad weekend for operators, Bet365’s Steve Freeth said: “Every so often, we experience weekends where we end up doing fortunes and this was one of them, proving brilliant for punters with well-backed beaten favourites a rarity on the coupon both home and abroad.
“The Sunday 2pm kick-offs all saw favourites win with both teams scoring. These are precisely the types of results that prove costly for us.
“The EFL coupon was featured numerous winning favourites. I was at Coventry to witness the Sky Blues secure an injury time winner, while other well-supported Championship sides such as Wrexham, Ipswich, Millwall, Sheffield United and Southampton also recorded wins.
“League One punters benefitted from routine wins for Cardiff, Bolton, Lincoln and Wycombe. And odds-on shots like Barnet and Bromley also delivered in the fourth tier.”
Betfred’s Alan Firkins added: “The Gunners maintained their five-point lead over Manchester City with a hard-fought 2-1 victory, while City edged out Leeds on Saturday courtesy of a solitary Antoine Semenyo goal.
“Wolves beat a lacklustre Aston Villa on Friday night and Everton toppled Newcastle 3-2 at St James’s, to keep acca fans on the back foot.
“Spurs’ woes continued with a 2-1 reverse at Fulham, while Manchester United came from behind at Old Trafford to beat Crystal Palace 2-1 and sit third in the table; with interim boss Michael Carrick seemingly able to do little wrong.”
The one surprise of the weekend arrived on Friday night when bottom of the table beat Wolves (7/2) beat rivals Aston Villa 2-0.
Alex Firth, Midnite sportsbook lead, noted: “Wolves sprung a surprise at home to Aston Villa with a 2-0 victory – a result that looks to have ended Villa’s title hopes.
“Saturday saw a plethora of goals although the results didn’t provide too many surprises.”
Focusing on the title race, BOYLE Sports’ spokesperson Brian O’Keeffe noted: “
The Premier League title race remains neck-and-neck as both Arsenal and Manchester City secured vital wins. Arsenal triumphed against Chelsea in a tightly contested battle – the Gunners remain the heavy favourites to win the whole competition.
“Elsewhere, Manchester United have climbed to third place in the table and after impressive form.”
No respite
Results across Europe also went against the bookies, with FDJ UNITED’s Alistair Gill describing results as “one to forget”.
Bayern Munich (3/5) came from behind to beat title-chasers Borussia Dortmund 3-2, opening the gap at the top to 11 points.
Barcelona (2/5) dispatched Villarreal 4-1, Atletico Madrid (2/5) won 1-0 away to Real Oviedo, while the Milan clubs Inter (1/4) and AC (2/5) both won 2-0 against Genoa and Cremoense respectively.
Gill said: “There was no respite from Europe either with very few positive results to talk of.
“Despite ending a draw, at 3-3 Roma v Juve left punters delighted, as did wins for Atletico, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Inter, Barcelona and more. One to forget.”
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