Weekend Review: Liverpool’s 20th title sealed amid a Premier League “favourite-fest” 

It was a contrasting weekend of football for punters after promising Premier League performances were offset by a run of operator-friendly FA Cup fixtures.

Liverpool (1/5) officially confirmed their status as Premier League champions following a dominant 5-1 home win over Tottenham Hotspur (23/2) at Anfield on Sunday. 

Just hours before, Manchester United (11/4) secured a point away at Bournemouth (19/20), after a rare Rasmus Højlund strike cancelled out Antoine Semenyo’s opener. 

In the race for Champions League qualification, Chelsea (2/5) took a step closer after a 1-0 victory against Everton (6/1), while Newcastle (1/5) cruised past a 10-man Ipswich (16/1) with a 3-0 win, confirming the Tractor Boys’ relegation in the process. 

Some late drama at the Amex ensured Brighton (4/5) walked away 3-2 winners against a struggling West Ham side (16/5) without a league win since late February.

Already-relegated Southampton (22/5) were beaten 2-1 at home by Fulham (3/5), while Wolves (13/25) made light work of Leicester (19/4), also already down, with a 3-0 win. 

In the FA Cup, Crystal Palace (9/4) sprung a surprise and progressed past Aston Villa to the final after a 3-0 win, while Manchester City (31/50) kept silverware hopes alive by beating Nottingham Forest (4/1) 2-0 a day later. 

Reflecting on the weekend’s contests, FDJ UNITED’s Ali Gill said: “It was a quiet weekend of Premier League football with the FA Cup semi-finals taking centre stage.  

“A tough round of fixtures as players came out ahead in five of the seven matches played, although none by a big margin. Fulham’s win over Southampton and Wolves’ win over Leicester were the worst of the results.  

“But, we were grateful that Man United continue to perform a miracle by not getting any better, their last-gasp equaliser against Bournemouth probably helping the book slightly more than a Bournemouth win in our best result of the match round.  

“Liverpool mathematically took a title they’d won months ago, but the Spurs implosion after going a goal ahead was another result that fans were all over as they took profit there.” 

Analysing the FA Cup, Gill added: “A different story in the FA Cup as we finished ahead in both matches.  

“Palace’s very impressive win over Villa was a very strong result for the book, while Forest perhaps looked unlucky having hit the woodwork three times, that result in the end also leaving us in a good finishing position.” 

Betfred’s Alan Firkins also analysed the weekend’s Wembley developments, as well as providing the outlook ahead of the final on 17 May. 

He noted: “Both matches provided great entertainment, and the final should be a cracker – Palace seeking a first ‘major’ and City trying to salvage something from a season where their fallibility has been all too evident. The outright betting sees City firm favourites at 2/5, with Palace at 7/4.” 

Meanwhile, Steve Freeth of bet365 offered his insight on a weekend of football he dubbed a “favourite-fest”, while shedding light on who is considered most likely to win next-term’s title. 

“2/5 Chelsea got things started, 4/5 Brighton won from behind with a 92^nd-minute winner, as did 8/13 Fulham against already relegated Southampton, while 1/5 Newcastle and 8/15 Wolves both trounced sides also heading to the second tier on Saturday, followed by 1/5 Liverpool on Sunday who sealed the title against Spurs,” he explained. 

“Arne Slot’s side are 15/8 to retain their crown next season with Manchester City at 9/4 and Arsenal at 5/2.

“Admittedly, we did benefit from a Super Boosted Cole Palmer failing to have a shot on target at Stamford Bridge, both FA Cup semi-finals and Manchester United drawing late at Bournemouth, but we had a stinker in Europe.” 

Meanwhile, as noted by Freeth, there were several high-profile contests on the continent, most notably in the form of Saturday’s Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Real Madrid. 

In a typically ill-tempered, controversial meeting, Barcelona ran out 3-2 winners thanks to a 116th Jules Koundé effort, as the game went to extra-time after 2-2 draw in 90 minutes.

Los Blancos then lost three players to red cards in the second-half stoppage time of extra-time, including England star Jude Bellingham.

The turbulent nature of the Spanish domestic cup final was to the detriment of bet365, with the operator suffering its heaviest loss on bet builders since the 2022 World Cup final, according to Freeth.

He said the outcome was “brutal”, noting: “Fifteen shots on target, 15 corners, six bookings and four goals in normal time was enough to do the damage with all the big guns bar Rodrygo having shots on target, so step forward his half time replacement, Kylian Mbappé, to not only hit the target but also to score as punters profited from our Sub On Play On concession.” 

Bet365 pushed out its Sub On Play On promotion last month, with the operator confirming it has paid out £18m since the offer’s debut, with player prop bets allowed to carry over should an original selection be subbed.

On the Copa del Rey, Gill remarked: “The Copa de Rey final on Sunday was a fiery and goal-filled affair.  

“A draw in normal time was a great result, and overall, as Barça won it at the death in extra-time; comfortably our biggest turnover event of the weekend also finished comfortably our best result in the book.” 

Away from football, all eyes were on the ring on Saturday night as Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn finally came to blows, with Eubank Jr crowned the winner via a unanimous decision. 

The result was a welcome one for bet365. Freeth said: “An early Conor Benn win would’ve been a disaster with all the early rounds, both singularly and coupled, backed off the boards, but as it turned out this was a winner for us in what was a real tear up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.” 

Betfred’s Firkins also reflected on a triumph for the favourite Eubank Jr, adding: “It was an absolute humdinger that screamed rematch and, after all the bad blood between the pair, it was a contest showcasing great quality and courage.” 

In horseracing, the focus turns to Punchestown Festival from tomorrow, Tuesday 29 April, to Saturday, before the weekend’s action at Newmarket that includes the Betfred 2000 and 1000 Guineas, the first classics of the current calendar. 

Last June, Betfred became the first operator to become the sponsor for all five classics, with the Oaks, Derby and St Leger also in the bookies’ portfolio.

Firkins said Newmarket presents an “opportunity perhaps for one horse to start out on the trail of the £2m bonus Fred’s putting up for a Triple Crown winner”. 

He continued: “It’s not been done since Nijinsky in 1970, but Aidan O’Brien in particular will be eyeing the possibilities, and it’s a 10/1 chance at Betfred that an outstanding thoroughbred can pull it off this season.”