Weekend Review: Bookies clean up as favourites fluff their lines

Layers were left smiling from ear to ear come Sunday evening after a string of favourites slipped up in a Premier League weekend full of surprises and disappointing performances.  

The misery for punters began on Saturday lunchtime, when Manchester City (6/5) were soundly beaten 2-0 by Manchester United (2/1) in the derby at Old Trafford – and in the process busting plenty of acca coupons even before the 3pm matches kicked off.

United’s interim manager Michael Carrick got off to a dream start with second-half goals from Bryan Mbeuno and Patrick Dorgu sealing a thoroughly deserved win over an out of sorts City side.

Later, Liverpool (2/9) were held to a 1-1 draw at home to lowly Burnley, while league leaders Arsenal (4/7) played out a 0-0 stalemate away to Nottingham Forrest.

In London, Thomas Frank’s future at Spurs looks in serious peril after the club (4/5) was beaten by West Ham, a victory that still leaves the Hammers five points adrift of safety.  

Elsewhere, Chelsea (9/10) beat Brentford 2-0, Leeds (11/8) edged past Fulham 1-0 and there was a 2-1 victory at the Stadium of Light for Sunderland.

Bet365’s Steve Freeth described it as a “satisfying Saturday” at the Stoke-on-Trent-based operator’s HQ with Arsenal, City and Liverpool dropping points.

“We were also given a boost by Tottenham’s home defeat to West Ham,” he added, “making it just one win in eight games in all competitions, which increased the scrutiny on Thomas Frank.

“In the grand scheme of things, victories for Chelsea and Leeds didn’t matter a great deal as both low-scoring games saw the favourites win to nil.”

On Leeds, Alex Firth of Midnite said: “It was another big three points for Leeds as they continued to try and put distance between themselves and relegation, for which they are now 9/1.

“Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw (11/1) at home to Burnley, while Tottenham’s struggles continued. West Ham clinched all three points courtesy of Callum Wilson in the 93rd minute, having drifted out to 16/1 before the winner.”

He continued: “Arsenal failed to capitalise on Man City’s loss to gain an even bigger lead at the top of the table, but they are now into 1/5 for the Premier League this season.”

Favourite backers were left with burnt fingers again on Sunday, as the odd-on chances in both Premier League games dropped points; Aston Villa (4/7) were beaten at home by Everton, while Newcastle United’s (8/11) encounter with Wolves at Molineux finished goalless.   

Freeth noted: “We had the bore draw at Molineux and it was a reality check for Aston Villa’s faint title hopes with a 1-0 home defeat to Everton, in what was anything but a ‘Super Sunday’ for punters.”

The loss means Villa have been pushed out to 16/1 by Midnite to lift the Premier League trophy in May.

On the continent, Real Madrid (1/8) ran out 2-0 winners against Levante, yet Barcelona (4/7) suffered a 2-1 loss away to Real Sociedad.

Meanwhile, in Italy, odds-on favourites AC Milan, Roma, Inter and Napoli all won, though Juventus “let down the popular five-fold”, said Freeth, by losing against Cagliari (6/1).

Another popular addition to accas – Bayern Munich – hit five past Leipzig, while in France Marseille scored five against Angers, as did Toulouse at home to Nice.

PSG (1/4) recorded a 3-0 victory over Lille, yet surprise package Lens remain top of the pile in Ligue 1.

Freeth said: “Lens (1/2) only managed one goal against Auxerre, which was enough to keep the pressure on PSG at the top of Ligue 1 and Lyon (4/6) completed the top four four-fold with their 2-1 victory over Brest.”

There was “absolute carnage”, as Ali Gill of Unibet parent company FDJ United put it, in the Africa Cup of Nations final between Morrocco and Senegal in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday evening.

As well as VAR controversy and a woeful attempt at a Panenka to win it for Morocco, the Senegal players temporarily walked off the pitch at one point following a dubious penalty decision.   

In the end, Senegal (3/1) beat the hosts 1-0 thanks to a thunderous strike from Pape Gueye in extra time.

Gil said: “Absolute carnage at the end of the AFCON final ultimately ended with hosts Morocco throwing away a golden chance to win.

“There was nothing to cheer about in the end for the hosts as Senegal won 1-0, although cheers did go up around the trading room as that missed penalty was a huge swing in the book. Nil-nil and a Senegal win in extra time was about as good as we could have hoped for.”

Meanwhile, Betfred’s Alan Firkins remarked: “What drama indeed, as after conceding a controversial late penalty the Senegal coach Pape Thiaw encouraged his players to leave the field in protest.

“Sadio Mané was instrumental in getting his teammates to return from the dressing room and when the much-delayed penalty was eventually taken, Brahim Diaz tried an outrageous Panenka that floated gently into the waiting arms of goalkeeper Édouard Mendy.

“Within four minutes of the ensuing extra-time action kicking in Senegal had taken the lead via Pape Gueye, and that’s how it stayed – but the 90-minute scoreless draw was another decent outcome for the books.”

Away from the football, there was an upset in the BetMGM Clarence House Chase at Ascot as popular chaser Jonbon dug deep in testing conditions to land the two-mile, one-furlong Grade 1.

The Nicky Henderson-trained 10-year-old went off the 6/1 second favourite for the four-runner affair, with James Bowen in the saddle after Harry Cobden was injured following a fall from Neon Moon in an earlier race.

Thistle Ask – the 9/1 outsider of the four runners – took up the running but was headed at the last by Jonbon, who was ridden out to the line by Bowen.

The red-hot 2/5 favourite piloted by Paul Townend, Il Etait Temps, found the race tough going and fell two fences out.

The Willie Mullins-trained grey was on the ground surrounded by screens for quite some time, yet the eight-year-old eventually got to his feet, much to the relief of connections and Ascot racegoers.  

Firkins said: “Jonbon has certainly done connections proud and was posting his 11th Grade 1 success – a remarkable feat.”

Jonbon is 10/1 with Betfred for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham. He’s 7/1 over the longer trip of the Ryanair Chase, a route that is “perhaps more likely”, according to Firkins.

Finally, Kyren Wilson took snooker’s Masters with a 10-6 victory over 50-year-old John Higgins in the final at Alexandra Palace in London on Sunday.

Wilson had been around a 10/1-shot to lift the Paul Hunter Trophy before the tournament got underway.