Hull’s win a major coupon-buster as bookies taste opening weekend success

The bookies made a winning start to the new Premier League season, thanks to victories for newly-promoted Ipswich Town and Hull City, with the latter stunning Manchester United 2-0.

The Tigers – who are odds-on favourites to go straight back down, and finish bottom – were 8/1 to defeat the more heavily-backed Red Devils, but did just that with goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy. Ipswich scored late to beat Sunderland 2-1 on their return to the top flight.

bet365’s Steve Freeth said: “Two of the three newly promoted sides were the toast of the trading room this weekend, as Ipswich and, more significantly, Hull made it a profitable Saturday.”

Most of the heavyweights struggled on matchday 1, with Manchester City needing two goals in the last ten minutes to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Bournemouth and Liverpool levelling at Newcastle with a penalty deep in stoppage time.

Betfred’s Alan Firkins said: “A City reverse would have been a terrific result for the trading desk but at least striking Viking Erling Haaland, looking more like a US marine after his buzzcut, failed to register.” 

It was indeed the first time since moving to Manchester that Haaland didn’t score on the opening day of a new season. The Norwegian remains the overwhelming favourite at most football bookmakers to win another Golden Boot.

There were further upsets in the Championship, with title favourites West Ham slipping up at home to Charlton – the Hammers have just one point on the board after two games. Fellow promotion hopefuls Burnley and Middlesbrough were also beaten, by West Brom and Blackburn respectively. 

Freeth added: “Well done if you won on the Championship coupon this weekend because the obvious-looking ones all came a cropper. Odds-on favourites West Ham, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, QPR and Wrexham all failed to land three points.”

Sportsbooks enjoyed a similarly positive weekend in horse racing, where the 10/1 shot Daiquiri Bay triumphed in the Ebor Handicap at York, with pre-race favourite Love Me Tender (7/2) coming home in 10th. 

About the author

Nathan Hill

Nathan Hill is an experienced sports writer who obsessively follows football – both the round ball and American kind – as well as range of other sports including F1, basketball, darts and snooker.