Another round of Premier League football is over as we reach the business end of the campaign. Here are the Winners and Losers from Matchweek 29. Bet on football here.
WINNERS
Home Win bettors
Seven out of ten home teams grabbed three points this weekend. Only Southampton, Wolves and Burnley failed to take maximum returns on their own soil, meaning punters would have won the day. In comparison, only three home teams won in eight fixtures last weekend.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
It’s been a tough season for Manchester United boss, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. He’s been ridiculed for poor performances and bizarre tactics. However, a 2-0 win over Manchester City stretched their unbeaten run to ten games. The Red Devils are now three points off fourth spot, whilst players like Fred, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw have improved dramatically in recent weeks. Solskjaer deserves credit for that.
Chelsea’s Pensioners
There has been a lot of talk of Frank Lampard’s youngsters this season, but on Sunday, it was the old guard who dominated. Willian, Pedro and Olivier Giroud all started and scored against Everton on Sunday. At 31, 32 and 33 years old, the trio proved the importance of experience in a league season.
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy’s quest for the golden boot took a hit after the Leicester frontman went nine games without a goal. However, his double against Aston Villa on Monday night shot the Englishman back to the top of the charts. He’s priced at 3.00 to finish as the Premier League’s top marksman on our website.
Steve Bruce
Newcastle manager Steve Bruce was offended by newspaper reports that he’d fallen out with star winger Alan Saint-Maximin earlier in the week. After the Frenchman’s match winning display against Southampton, the former Nice attacker tweeted a picture of him with his manager to dispel the rumours.
LOSERS
Ederson
Ederson had a day to forget in the Manchester Derby. He made two errors that led to goals and it could have been worse had Anthony Martial closed the Brazilian down quicker after he failed to control a back-pass.
Pepe Reina
Another goalkeeper who had a stinker was Aston Villa’s Pepe Reina. The veteran rushed miles out of his goal for Leicester’s opener, baited Vardy to no effect for the second and was beaten at his near post twice.
Ancelotti’s game plan
Carlo Ancelotti got it horribly wrong during Everton’s 4-0 humbling at Stamford Bridge. His 4-4-2 formation was far too open and lacked creativity. Any hopes of a European finish are now over.
West Ham’s misfiring forwards
West Ham lost 1-0 to Arsenal because of their misfiring forwards. Pablo Fornals (4), Michail Antonio (3) and Jarrod Bowen (3) had more shots than anyone else on the pitch, with Antonio in particular missing a gilt-edged chance.