Weekend Review: Bookies survive with a scrape after low-scoring Premier League weekend
Litany of 1-0 wins a silver lining as Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen seals F1 championship following controversial last-lap finish
Despite Premier League favourites strolling to victory over the weekend, the swathe of low-scoring matches meant the bookies came away bruised but not bludgeoned.
Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool all eased to 1-0 victories against lower opposition, and with the big boys failing to find their goalscoring touch, the bookies were more than grateful.
It was a weekend of penalty drama, with United (1/2) relying on a spot kick from Cristiano Ronaldo to dispatch a plucky Norwich side, while Manchester City (1/7) thanked Raheem Sterling for converting from 12 yards to secure a win over Wolves.
Mo Salah scored the winning penalty for Liverpool (1/4) as Steven Gerrard returned to Merseyside and the opposition dugout with Aston Villa.
Tough game, got there in the end! Always happy with a clean sheet ? pic.twitter.com/JUJdJUZFep
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) December 11, 2021
Kindred Group’s Ali Gill said: “Not many shocks this week in the Premier League, but United, City and Liverpool all winning just 1-0 meant things could have been much worse and, although accas copped everywhere, on the singles front it actually wasn’t a bad week at all.”
Betfred’s Alan Firkins added: “Not much change in the Premier League outright market, as the big guns all fired in unison. Tough weekend, as pretty much all the favourites hosed in.”
Chelsea (1/5) also had to rely on penalty drama to beat Leeds United at Stamford Bridge as the Blues sealed a 3-2 win thanks to a last-minute goal from Jorginho.
Gill continued: “The goal fest of Chelsea versus Leeds was the obvious exception, and the late Chelsea winner from the spot was an expensive one to swallow.”
Meanwhile, the F1 season came to a dramatic end in Abu Dhabi as Max Verstappen secured his first ever Drivers’ Championship after a nail-biting last lap shootout with seven-time champ Lewis Hamilton.
The controversial conclusion to the race saw a safety car deployed with five laps to go after Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed. Red Bull Racing’s Verstappen was able to pit for new tyres and overtake Hamilton on the final lap to secure the title.
MAX VERSTAPPEN. WORLD CHAMPION!!!
A stunning season by an extraordinary talent#HistoryMade #F1 @Max33Verstappen pic.twitter.com/FxT9W69xJe
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 12, 2021
Gill said: “The crazy late drama in the F1 was a mixed bag for us, with the race result going our way with Max taking the win, but the Drivers’ Championship just about went to the punters.”
Firkins added: “A thrilling F1 season ended with a breathless, hugely controversial finish in Abu Dhabi. Lewis Hamilton looked to have the race and a record eighth title in the bag, but decisions from the race stewards surrounding a late safety car drama gave Max Verstappen the chance to steal the lot from under his nose.
“The whole unsatisfactory episode resembled a good old VAR meltdown – and I’d venture to say we’ve seen a few of those. Mercedes were apoplectic, to put it mildly.”
Elsewhere, in horseracing, 12/1 shot Coole Cody won the 13-runner Racing Post Gold Cup at Cheltenham to give the layers a welcome boost.
? Redemption for Coole Cody who wins from the front in the @RacingPost Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
? Winning tip from @kevinblake2011
? The winner traded at a high of 20 with £10,235 being matched at 16.5 on @BetfairExchange.
— Betfair Racing (@BetfairRacing) December 11, 2021
The Evan Williams-trained 10-year-old edged out Zanza, also 12/1, and Midnight Shadow to secure a comeback victory after falling in last month’s Paddy Power Gold Cup. Fusil Raffles, which returned the 5/1 favourite, finished fourth.
Gill noted: “At Cheltenham on Saturday it was a good day for layers.
“The Racing Post Gold Cup going to 12/1 shot Coole Cody in impressive style was a good result for us, as was the Unibet International Hurdle with 5/1 winner Guard Your Dreams just about hanging on ahead of Song For Someone. Both favourites were disappointing but, all told, the day went our way,” he added.