From the Trading Desk: Backers Rejoice as Bet365 Put to the Sword
Read what bet365's Steve Freeth needed to say after Arsenal recorded another vital win as countless favourites in your home and abroad got triumphes.
Once in awhile, we experience weekends where we end up doing fortunes and this was among them, proving brilliant for punters with well-backed beaten favourites a rarity on the coupon both home and abroad.
Arsenal hammered the last nail in the coffin by keeping their nerve as soon as again to beat Chelsea having witnessed Manchester City win at Leeds 24 hours prior. The Gunners are 2/5 for the Premier League title and 16/1 for the quadruple as we approach the most interesting part of the season.
The Sunday 2pm kick-offs all saw favourites win with both groups scoring. These are specifically the kinds of outcomes that prove pricey for us.
Manchester United's comeback proved very pricey. The Red Devils were tracking 1-0 before Palace's goalscorer Maxence Lacroix got a red card, allowing Bruno Fernandes to equalise from the spot. The in-form Benjamin Sesko scored the winner eight minutes later on, much to the pleasure of backers of the Old Trafford club that touched 13/5 in-play.
Tottenham continue to flirt with relegation following their latest defeat. Igor Tudor's Spurs are 4/1 for the drop after their defeat at Fulham. Similarly, Vitor Pereira has had a tough start, with Forest losing at Brighton, as numerous clubs battle to avoid 18th spot.
Saturday's early Premier League component between Bournemouth and Sunderland was never ever most likely to see record turnover, however it proved to be among few profitable matches for us.
This was not the case at Anfield and Turf Moor, where both matches saw seven objectives scored. Favourites Liverpool and Brentford were both ticked as winners on 24 and 25 minutes respectively having gone 2 objectives clear - despite the late debate in Lancashire.
The EFL voucher 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 likewise tape-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.
Rangers were settled as winners on the discount coupon on 26 minutes. Their very first half dominance saw them leading 2-0 at the break, thanks to a brace from Youssef Chermiti - his first being an impressive overhead kick. Martin O'Neill called the modifications for the 2nd half with Celtic equalising from the spot late on for a 2-2 draw.
Hearts (2/5) were the big winners having actually won 24 hours earlier versus Aberdeen with the Jambos now 11/10 for the title. Motherwell (3/10) continued their fine type by United and are 14/1 to win the Scottish Premiership under the guidance of the well-regarded Jens Berthel Askou.
It was a similar tale of concern on the continent.
Harry Kane has now scored 45 objectives in all competitors after a crucial brace in Der Klassiker. Borussia Dortmund lost their unbeaten record at Signal Iduna Park as visitors Bayern Munich left it late to go 11 points clear in the Bundesliga.
Lamine Yamal bagged a hat-trick (20/1) for top-of-the-table Barcelona in their 4-1 triumph over Villarreal. The visitors were surpassed in 3rd by Atletico Madrid with Julian Alvarez scoring on 94 minutes against Real Oviedo.
In Serie A, another former Premier League gamer, Romelu Lukaku, scored an injury-time winner - his first objective of the season after returning from injury - a vital strike for Napoli at bottom-of-the-table Verona. Leaders Inter beat Genoa 2-0 and Como completed a capacity of odds-on pokes in Italy on Saturday when beating Lecce 3-1.