Weekend Review: Anfield bore draw provides a thrill for the bookies
Liverpool draw 0-0 with title holders Man City as Conor McGregor takes a beating on his UFC comeback
Liverpool against Manchester City at Anfield was Super Sunday’s top billing this weekend, with the fixture touted as “title defenders against title contenders” by Pep Guardiola himself.
The match failed to live up to expectations however, with both sides playing out an uneventful 0-0 draw – much to the delight of the layers, amid the disappointment of neutrals.
Bookies everywhere let out a collective sigh of relief when Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez skied his penalty in the 85th minute.
No goals was the “dream result” for Kindred Group according to Ali Gill. He said: “It was a strong weekend in the Premier League for Kindred, driven of course by the dream result for every bookie in the business on Sunday, the 0-0 draw between Liverpool and Man City.”
Good point taken yesterday at Anfield.. even if it could have been more. feels good to be back up & running 🦈🦈💪🏾 come on city !!! #sharkteam pic.twitter.com/peLs2UrAi0
— Benjamin Mendy (@benmendy23) October 8, 2018
BetVictor was relying on the Anfield fixture to save the books after Arsenal’s demolition of Fulham, Chelsea’s win over Southampton and Man United’s thrilling 3-2 comeback versus Newcastle.
BV’s PR man Charlie McCann told EGR: “United’s comeback hurt on Saturday, as did the wins of Arsenal and Chelsea on Sunday, but the 0-0 draw at Anfield saved the day.
“It was not just the Liverpudlians in the office cheering when Mahrez shot over – the missed penalty was a massive swing,” he added.
Jose Mourinho was staring down the barrel as Newcastle went 2-0 up at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, but it was the bet365 traders left feeling the pressure as Alexis Sanchez completed a stunning comeback in added time.
Bet365’s Steve Freeth said: “Manchester United vs Newcastle was by far and away the worst result of the weekend.
“Our 2 Goal Ahead Early Payout offer was triggered when Newcastle went 2-0 up and we weren’t sliding on our knees when the Red Devils fought back to win, having touched 40/1 In-Play.
“Sunday results were better with the stalemate at Anfield, plus we’re getting a helping hand from both Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent weeks.”
Away from the football, Conor McGregor’s UFC defeat to Russian fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov dominated the headlines, in the Irishman’s first bout since defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2017.
Good knock. Looking forward to the rematch.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) October 7, 2018
Kindred’s Gill said: “The UFC main event and the return of Conor McGregor meant big business for us.
“In a mirror of his last fight, in the boxing ring v Mayweather, punters were piling into McGregor despite the fact he was the underdog.
“The liabilities weren’t quite the size of last time out, but a rusty looking McGregor losing by submission in the 4th round was a great result for us, with the event being our biggest fighting event of the year.”
It was a similar story for BetVictor, where McCann added: “The McGregor fight was an excellent result with all the money for Conor.
“He is quickly becoming the bookmakers’ cash cow after his previous loss to Mayweather.”