Weekend Review: Liverpool in five-star form as punters power ahead of bookies
Mohamed Salah runs riot against a soft-bellied Manchester United to turn up the heat on under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Liverpool (13/10) thrashed a despondent and disorganised Manchester United (19/10) side on Sunday afternoon to leave the punters ecstatic at the weekend’s close.
Jurgen Klopp’s men ran out 5-0 winners over their old rivals, where a hat-trick from the electric Mo Salah, along with goals from Naby Keïta and Diogo Jota, handed Manchester United one of their most embarrassing defeats in living memory.
The result heaped pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who had sent on midfielder Paul Pogba in an attempt to wrestle the game back into an even contest, only to see his number six sent off for a horror challenge after a VAR review.
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— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 24, 2021
The result leaves United in seventh place and eight points off league leaders Chelsea (1/5), who thanks to a Mason Mount hattrick blitzed their way to a 7-0 win over relegation favourites Norwich, who were 14/1 to get a result at Stamford Bridge.
Not to be outdone by their fellow title chasers, Manchester City (2/5) eased to 4-1 victory over early season surprise package Brighton (15/2), with a brace from Phil Foden bookended by goals from İlkay Gündoğan and Riyad Mahrez.
Kindred Group’s Ali Gill said: “A weekend for the punters overall in the Premier League as results went their way.
“The carnage at Old Trafford was dreamland for punters, but it wasn’t even our worst result of the weekend, with Man City’s 4-1 demolition of Brighton taking that honour and Chelsea’s 7-0 thrashing of Norwich third on a list of results we won’t want to look at again.”
Hat-trick. ?
MOTM. ? @masonmount. ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/igEHm5mJjg— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) October 24, 2021
Betfred’s Alan Firkins told EGR how the firm lost an extraordinary amount thanks to Liverpool’s demolition job in M16.
He said: “Manchester United’s capitulation at Old Trafford against Liverpool cost Betfred over half a million pounds. We were top-price Liverpool for a considerable period leading up to the match, and punters filled their boots accordingly. It must have been excruciating viewing for all Red Devils’ devotees.”
In East London, West Ham’s (6/5) impressive start to the season continued with a 1-0 win over rivals Tottenham (11/5), with in-form Michail Antonio finding himself on the scoresheet once again.
The Hammers’ victory, which sent them into the top four, provided one of the only positives from a tough weekend for the bookies, to which Gill attested.
BIG W. #WHUTOT pic.twitter.com/tSfvTGLTLL
— West Ham United (@WestHam) October 24, 2021
Gill said: “Spurs’ loss to West Ham was a rare bright spot, and took a few accas with it, but the damage was done elsewhere and we’re certainly glad to see the back of the weekend.”
Elsewhere, a surprise 5-2 win for Watford (15/4) against Everton (3/4) was not enough to bring smiles to the trading floor at Betfred.
Firkins said: “Even given Watford’s amazing win at Goodison, and one or two timely draws, it was a bleak weekend overall on the football front with heavily-backed wins in further live TV showdowns for West Ham, Manchester City, Chelsea and Leicester.”