Chelsea and Arsenal cruised, Manchester United just did enough and Liverpool blew it big time, losing for the fifth time in the Premier League at Fulham, 3-1.
Chelsea won 4-0 on Saturday
Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney made sure Manchester United got back on track in the Premier League after the defeat by Liverpool. Rafael Benitez grimaced on the touchline as nine-man Liverpool were given a mauling in a humiliating defeat at Craven Cottage. Arsenal forward Robin van Persie struck twice to earn his side bragging rights in north London and put a question mark over whether rivals Tottenham can sustain a top-four challenge in the Barclays Premier League. Chelsea won at Bolton for the seventh league game in succession to stamp their hold on top spot in the Barclays Premier League.
The weekend’s results are;
- Birmingham 0 Man City 0
- Man United 2 Blackburn 0
- Bolton 0 Chelsea 4
- Arsenal 3 Tottenham 0
- Fulham 3 Liverpool 1
- Everton 1 Aston Villa 1
- Sunderland 2 West Ham 2
- Stoke 2 Wolves 2
- Portsmouth 4 Wigan 0
- Burnley 2 Hull 0
Bookmakers reacted to the results, pushing Liverpool out to 20/1. They are also 10/1 to lose another five Premier League games, 10 in total.
Manchester City’s failure to take all three points from the trip to Birmingham has seen William Hill shorten their odds that the Big 4 will all finish in the top four at the end of the season, from 6/4 to 11/8 – but they lengthened their odds for anyone to gatecrash the top four from 1/2 to 8/15. Bookies think that the big four era is coming to and end;
‘We still believe it is more likely than not that at least one side – probably City – will break the Big 4 stranglehold on the top four places’ said Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.
CHELSEA are now 5/4 favourites to win the Premiership title with William Hill, who make Manchester United 9/4 second favourites – and offer 11/4 that Chelsea finish top with United runners-up, and 4/1 that it ends vice versa.
Hills make Arsenal 10/3 third favourites for the title with Man City 12/1; Liverpool 20/1; Spurs 100/1; Villa 200/1.
BETTING WITHOUT BIG 4
WILLIAM HILL make Man City 2/5 favourites to finish top of their ‘Without the Big 4′ market and also offer 7/2 Spurs; 11/2 Villa; 20 Everton; 33 Sunderland.
RELEGATION…William Hill make Hull 4/11 favourites to go down (2/1 to stay up) and also offer 4/5 Portsmouth (10/11); 11/8 Burnley; Wolves; 6/4 Birmingham; 4 West Ham; 11/2 Blackburn; Bolton; 7/1 Wigan.
