Betting Week in Review 27/02/2023 Red Devils Win Carabao Cup
In our betting week in review, Manchester United ended their six-year trophy draught by lifting the Carabao Cup after a 2-0 win over Newcastle United. In the Premier League, Liverpool was lucky to escape with a draw against Crystal Palace. Chelsea’s woes continued after suffering a loss to local rivals Tottenham. In boxing, Tommy Fury beat Jake Paul in Saudi Arabia.
Red Devils Claim First Silverware of the Season
Manchester United picked up the Carabao Cup at Wembley, their first tournament win since 2017, with a convincing 2-0 win against Newcastle United. For the Geordies, the long wait continues, last having lifted a trophy in 1969.
All the game’s goals came in the first half, with Casemiro opening the scoring for United after 33 minutes with a powerful header from Luke Shaw’s free-kick. United’s lead was doubled just six minutes later when Sven Botman deflected Marcus Rashford’s shot into the net. Although the goal was initially ruled as an own goal, it was later awarded to Rashford, much to the relief of football betting fans who had backed the in-form player to continue his red-hot scoring spree.
United’s recent resurgence under manager Erik ten Hag is evident, with the Dutchman’s tactical acumen and strong leadership transforming the team’s fortunes. The arrival of Casemiro has been a significant factor in this success, with the Brazilian midfielder contributing four goals in his last 12 games in all competitions. Many eyebrows were raised when Manchester United paid £70m to Real Madrid for the then 30-year-old, but his class has been evident.
Although the Manchester team were never in real danger of losing this game, it was a spirited performance by Newcastle, who were let down by a lack of end product. Newcastle’s preparation was ruined by the suspension of Nick Pope, arguably one of Newcastle’s best players, but debutant keeper Loris Karius despite the two goals, played well and made some vital saves.
Manchester United are starting to perfect its brand of counterattacking football, despite Newcastle having the majority of possession (61%) and five times more shots on target (10 compared to United’s two). The Red Devils were far more clinical, scoring with both their efforts. The win caps off an excellent week for Manchester United after seeing off Barcelona in the Europa League. They are still challenging on three fronts (the Europa League, FA Cup and are eight points behind the league leaders, Arsenal).
Carabao Cup Champions!🏆💫
First title in my career!🙏🏽
This is for you, Reds❤️ pic.twitter.com/DMA6AjMLwF
— Alejandro Garnacho (@agarnacho7) February 26, 2023
Liverpool Shoot Blanks at the Eagles
After league wins over Everton and Newcastle, Liverpool’s recent resurgence ended after a disappointing 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace.
The fact that the game was heading for a draw was painfully obvious well before the final whistle, with both teams appearing resigned to the fact that neither of them would be scoring any goals. Palace was particularly disappointed with the outcome, feeling as though they had been robbed of a chance to score when the referee ended the game abruptly before a corner in the 94th minute.
Despite their frustration, Palace will be happy with the point as the stalemate means they have drawn more matches than they have lost in their last nine games, which should provide some comfort to their fans. They also created better chances in the game, but none were on target.
On the other hand, Liverpool struggled to find their form throughout the match. Manager Jurgen Klopp opted to put out an experienced team. Still, they gave the impression of being leggy and lethargic at times, often looking reluctant to run beyond the Palace defence. They also struggled to do the basics and were guilty of sloppy passing.
Despite the lacklustre performance, the point gained does move Liverpool up to seventh, a Europa Conference League spot. They also have two games in hand on Fulham in sixth. Liverpool has a home clash against Wolves on Wednesday before welcoming Manchester United to Anfield on Sunday. If they win both games, they could go above Newcastle, who plays Manchester City on Saturday.
Chelsea’s Potter Woes Continue After Tottenham Defeat
One manager who would probably swap Liverpool’s problems for his own is the Chelsea manager, Graham Potter. His Chelsea woes continue to mount as they suffered their third consecutive defeat in all competitions against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, losing 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Oliver Skipp (46) and Harry Kane (82). Despite splurging over £300 million on transfers in January alone, the Blues have struggled to find the back of the net, scoring just six goals in their last 12 Premier League games. This number is the fewest of any team in the league since November 2022.
The game’s opening stages saw Spurs come close to taking the lead through Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s deflected effort, which hit the post. However, the first half remained underwhelming. The most significant talking point was the referee’s decision to initially send off Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech after a scuffle before downgrading it to a yellow card following the video assistant referee’s recommendation.
The second half was much better entertainment unless, of course, you are a Chelsea fan.
Tottenham started the second period brightly and had the lead within a minute. Chelsea failed to clear the ball, which fell to Skipp well outside the area. The 22-year-old hit a ferocious shot, leaving Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga with no chance. Chelsea’s misery was compounded when Harry Kane turned in Eric Dier’s knock-down to seal the game for Spurs with ten minutes left. The goal served as a cue for many Blues supporters to decide they had seen enough, and there were barely any away supporters left once the full-time whistle went.
Chelsea have now won just two of their last 15 Premier League matches and sit 14 points off the Champions League places. In comparison, Tottenham’s form has improved considerably, winning four of their previous five league matches. The win takes them up to fourth in the table, which is four points ahead of fifth-placed Newcastle. Tottenham travels to Wolves at the weekend, while Chelsea welcomes the visit of relegation-threatened Leeds on Saturday.
The right place at the right time, @HKane! 👏
🎬 @MonsterEnergy pic.twitter.com/4zgped2yXE
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 27, 2023
Fury Beats Jake Paul in Split Decision
Tommy Fury’s highly anticipated fight against Jake Paul ended in a split decision favouring Fury, who demonstrated superior boxing fundamentals and landed cleaner, more accurate punches. Although knocked down in the eighth round by Paul, Fury’s victory marked his ninth straight win as a professional boxer. The fight was a star-studded event in Saudi Arabia, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Mike Tyson, and Drake in attendance.
The atmosphere was tense, with mind games between the fighters and their teams leading up to the event. Fury’s victory has earned him a top-40 ranking with the WBC, which could pave the way for a future world-title shot.
Despite criticisms from boxing purists, who feel that more deserving fighters should be given rankings, Paul has boldly called out some of boxing’s best and may continue to do so. Despite his best efforts, Paul sometimes struggled, with Fury showcasing greater variety, getting his jabs off first, and displaying more assured footwork and movement. This left Paul exposed on occasion and vulnerable to countering rights. However, there were still some bright moments for the “Problem Child,” with his left hook catching Fury and jolting him when thrown straight. Even Fury noted that Paul took some good shots and was a far better boxer than he initially thought.
In the last round, Paul finally made a breakthrough, slamming his left into Fury again and dropping him to the canvas. Although Fury was not severely hurt, he rallied with a solid finish to the fight.
Despite his loss, Paul intends to force a rematch with Fury, as he has a rematch clause that he plans to exercise. “We can run it back,” Paul said. “I think we deserve that rematch.” Paul claimed to have had problems in his training camp, which made him feel “flat” in the fight. “I got sick bad twice in this camp, injured my arm. This wasn’t my best performance, but that’s no excuse,” he said. Fury welcomed the prospect of a rematch post fight.
This bout was Paul’s first loss of his pro boxing career, but it did not deter him from his adventure in boxing. He acknowledged that the experience was humbling, but he has made it further than he ever thought and intends to see how much further he can still go.
It will be interesting to see how Paul bounces back and how the rematch between him and Fury unfolds in the future.
