Betting Week in Review 16/1/2023 Premier League Goes to Form
In our betting week in review, the Premier League went to form in almost all matches, although Brighton and Manchester United defied the odds with wins. Arsenal won in the North London Derby to increase their lead at the top of the table.
It was a miserable trip to Brighton for Liverpool fans © Pixabay.
Brighton’s Great Form Continues with Routine Liverpool Win
In a ‘normal’ season, a game between Brighton and Liverpool at the Amex Stadium would be a banker for the away side as in the previous 13 encounters between the two, Liverpool has won nine (69.2%), Brighton just the one (7.69%), and there have been three draws (23.08%).
However, Liverpool’s form has been so erratic that even the bookies expected little between the two, pricing Brighton at 39/20 (2.95), the draw 273/100 (3.73) and a win for Liverpool at 133/100 (2.33).
Just a point separated the two sides in the Premier League table, with Liverpool on 28 and Brighton on 27. Brighton was hoping to build on its excellent performance in their last game, hammering Liverpool’s nearest rivals, Everton, 4-1 at Goodison, while Liverpool was looking to return to winning ways after a shock 3-1 loss to Brentford in the league and a 3-3 draw against Wolves in the FA Cup.
Brighton was on the front foot in the game from the start and had plenty of opportunities. The visitors played a 4-3-1-2 formation which allowed the home side to find space, and the only real surprise was that Liverpool reached the break without conceding.
However, it only took Brighton two minutes after the break to take the lead.
Alexis Mac Allister, a World Cup winner with Argentina, intercepted a loose ball by Joel Matip and fed Kaoru Mitoma, whose low cross found Solly March, who made no mistake with a well-taken effort.
.@AleMacAllister's heroic homecoming. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/gk6p1IqNwR
— Brighton & Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC) January 15, 2023
March scored his second of the game six minutes later to double Brighton’s lead. The 28-year-old has been in fine form recently, picking up the man-of-the-match award in Brighton’s wins over Southampton (1-3) and Everton (1-4) and made no mistake with a left-footed shot from Evan Ferguson’s through-ball.
Things went from bad to worse for Liverpool with ten minutes left to play when former Manchester United man Danny Welbeck scored Brighton’s third. The 32-year-old turned back the years by flicking the ball over Joe Gomez’s head before an excellent finish past Alisson in the Liverpool goal.
The goal guaranteed the win over Liverpool, Brighton’s first since 1961. Ironically that win 62 years ago happened on 14 January, the exact date of this 3-0 win.
The win sees them leapfrog Liverpool and finish the weekend in 7th, a Europa Conference League spot.
Liverpool has dropped 26 points in the league, more than they dropped in the entire 2021-22 campaign. Next up is Chelsea for Jurgen Klopp’s men, and with the Blues also struggling, we are in a strange situation: instead of the game being a title six-pointer, it’s a battle between 10th (Chelsea) and 9th (Liverpool).
United Silence Noisy Neighbours With Controversial Win
The biggest shock of the weekend, at least odds-wise, was Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday at Old Trafford.
With Arsenal getting into the habit of winning, the pressure was on Manchester City to keep pace at the top. Many predicted an easy win for City, who hammered their rivals 6-3 when they last met at the Etihad in early October.
After a goalless and rather dour first half, the game sprung into life when Pep Guardiola looked to his bench for inspiration. The Spaniard replaced Phil Foden with £100m man Jack Grealish on 57 minutes, and within three minutes, the decision paid off when Grealish headed the opener after a fine cross by Kevin De Bruyne.
After the goal, it appeared the game would only have one result as it gave City breathing space and allowed them to control the tempo. However, two goals in four minutes stunned in defending champions, although Manchester United’s controversial equaliser is likely to be debated for years.
The excellent Casemiro played a through ball, which Marcus Rashford, who was clearly offside, chased.
At the last moment, Rashford left the ball for the advancing Bruno Fernandes, who took full advantage of the confusion by hitting a shot that beat Ederson in the City goal. The third official raised his flag for offside against Rashford, but the video assistant referee subsequently overruled this as Rashford was deemed not to have interfered with play.
City players were incensed by the decision, as Rashford’s presence meant Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji couldn’t challenge for the ball.
The decision appeared to affect City’s concentration, and United took full advantage. Erik ten Hag had introduced Alejandro Garnacho, and the youngster made an immediate impact. His cross, poked in by Marcus Rashford, gave the home side the win. The result means United are just a point behind City and the victory put them into third before Newcastle’s 1-0 win against Fulham on Sunday saw them drop down to fourth.
Is this the same Casemiro that came to Manchester United for the money? 😀 pic.twitter.com/euRJa3QJUM
— UtdFaithfuls (@UtdFaithfuls) January 14, 2023
United plays Crystal Palace on Wednesday night before an enticing trip to the Emirates on Sunday to face league leaders Arsenal. The Red Devils are the only team to have beaten Arsenal in the Premier League this season, having won against them in September at Old Trafford.
City also has a challenging game at the weekend. They play Tottenham, who will be desperate for a win after losing the North London derby against Arsenal 0-2. Arsenal’s victory and City’s loss means Arsenal have an eight-point cushion over City.
For football betting fans, there were few surprises in the other games. Aston Villa (103/100) beat Leeds United 1-0, Wolves (151/100) beat West Ham 1-0, and Nottingham Forest (43/25) piled the pressure on David Moyes’s West Ham with a 1-0 win. Everton’s fan’s protests continued after a 1-2 loss to Southampton (9/4), and Brentford (63/100) beat Bournemouth 2-0.
In the other game on Sunday, Chelsea had a much-needed win against Crystal Palace (22/25). A Kai Havertz goal on 64 minutes was enough to stop a three-match winless run.
