Heroes
After back-to-back Premier League defeats to Brighton and Tottenham, it seemed Manchester United-backing punters and fans alike just needed something to smile about – enter Romelu Lukaku.
Things had been so chaotic at Old Trafford in recent weeks that we were forced to pay out last Tuesday on Jose Mourinho being the next Premier League to leave his post.
However, the Big Belgian brought some much-needed calm to the United dressing room by notching a brace at Burnley yesterday, as the Red Devils picked up a battling victory at their Lancashire rivals.
It was his opener that had our crafty customers leaping off their couches and bar stools though. Lukaku powered home a header from a pinpoint Alexis Sanchez cross and with thousands of our punters backing him at 10/3 to net first, it cost us a packet in the process.
He was joined in our bettors’ ‘heroes’ stakes last weekend by Raheem Sterling, who not only picked up his second league goal of the season, but also scored the first goal in a game for the second time in City’s four Premier League games to date.
He was 4/1 before kick-off to land that punt against Newcastle and our customers piled into it – leaving our bean counters pretty stung!
Villains
While Sterling was scoring … well sterling (and euros) at the weekend for some of our punters, his Man City colleague Sergio Aguero was frustrating far more of them.
The little Argentine was heavily fancied by our customers to break the deadlock against Rafa Benitez’s Magpies, but Huddersfield remain the only side Aguero has managed to net against so far this campaign.
You’d imagine that stat won’t last long though, providing he comes back from international duty in one piece.
Unusually, Liverpool’s goal machine Mohamed Salah is also in the bold corner with our backers, as he failed to hit the onion sack against Leicester City.
It was a strangely poor showing from Anfield’s ‘Egyptian King’ at the King Power Stadium and he was given the hook by Jurgen Klopp in the 69th minute. Tottenham better look out for a backlash from Salah when the Premier League returns from its international break slumber on September 15.
Is the international window that long? Christ…
Hit the back of the net with PaddyPower.com’s football odds