EPL Round 1: What We Learned & Futures Betting Odds Movements

The odds on Manchester City winning the English Premier League title have been slashed after they beat West Ham 2-0 at the weekend.

Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland fired in two goals on his EPL debut to put the Hammers to the sword. Meanwhile, title rivals Liverpool – who finished just 1 point behind City last season – slipped up by drawing 2-2 with newly promoted Fulham.

The odds have been adjusted to reflect a dramatic opening weekend to the season. Read on to learn more about what we learned and how the futures betting markets have moved.

Man City Sweep West Ham Aside in Imperious Fashion

We made Pep Guardiola’s men the $1.62 preseason favourites to win the Premier League title for the fifth time in six years. The price has now dropped to $1.54 after they eviscerated West Ham at the London Stadium.

Haaland was the star of the show. He won a penalty, which he coolly dispatched past Alphonse Areola, and he then displayed a frightening burst of pace to break the West Ham offside trap before slotting in the second. Yet City looked like a well-oiled machine all-round, with Kevin De Bruyne, João Cancelo and Kyle Walker all excelling.

“They were too good for us today,” admitted Hammers boss David Moyes, who has a reasonable record against City. It does not bode well for the rest of the division.

Liverpool suffered an early setback when they drew 2-2 with Fulham the previous day. The Reds twice came back from behind to clinch a share of the spoils, but they have now drifted from $3.50 out to $4.20 to win the EPL title.

 

Tottenham Justify the Preseason Hype

Spurs were third in our preseason betting to win the league after signing the likes of Richarlison, Yves Bissouma and Ivan Perišić in the summer. They lived up to the hype by thumping Southampton 4-1 on the opening weekend.

The reliable James Ward-Prowse handed the Saints a 1-0 lead, but Tottenham hit back through Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, a Mohammed Salisu own-goal and Dejan Kulusevski.

Spurs were heavily reliant on strike duo Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min last season, so manager Antonio Conte may be pleased to see the goals shared around the team. Kulusevski was excellent. Spurs have gone in from $15.00 to $13.00 to win the EPL, and $1.62 to $1.56 to finish in the top 4.

 

Erik ten Hag Makes a Dismal Start to Manchester United Tenure

New Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag said he has a “hell of a job” on his hands after watching his team slump to a 2-1 defeat to Brighton.

Pascal Groß scored both goals for the Seagulls, who were the deserved winners. It was their first victory at Old Trafford, and it suggested that they may not miss Bissouma and Marc Cucurella too badly this season.

United improved after bringing on Cristiano Ronaldo in the second half, but they were poor overall. The Red Devils endured their worst Premier League season last term, finishing sixth, and they could struggle again this time around.

We have moved them out from $29.00 to $51.00 to win the EPL after that meltdown at Old Trafford, and they have also drifted from $2.75 to $3.75 to secure a top 4 finish.

 

Arsenal Show Steel to Gain Revenge Against Crystal Palace

Arsenal succumbed to a 3-0 defeat on their last visit to Selhurst Park. It sparked a late season capitulation, which saw them finish behind Spurs in the race for the top 4.

They gained a measure of revenge in the first game of the new season. Debutant Oleksandr Zinchenko looked assured at left-back – the position that caused the Gunners so many problems against Palace last season – while fellow newcomer Gabriel Jesus was lively in attack.

Yet the real star was William Saliba, who made his first appearance for the Gunners three years after joining the club. He excelled on loan at Marseille last season, and he was magnificent at the back against Palace. Arsenal have dropped from $2.50 to $1.85 to finish in the top 4.

Chelsea and Everton Need Attacking Reinforcements

The dullest game of the weekend was Everton vs. Chelsea, which was to be expected. Everton are toothless in attack after selling Richarlison to Spurs. They still have Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but he is injured yet again, and Anthony Gordon struggled as a false nine.

Chelsea eked out a 1-0 win, but they also need attacking reinforcements. Record signing Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan on loan after flopping in west London, while Timo Werner is reportedly on the brink of re-joining RB Leipzig.

Newcomer Raheem Sterling played down the middle, but he is typically more effective out wide. We have Chelsea unchanged at $17.00 to win the title, while Everton have dropped from $4.50 to $3.50 to be relegated.

 

Newcastle Maintain Impressive Form

The Magpies won six of their final eight games last season. That followed an extravagant January spending spree from the club’s new owner, the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund.

Newcastle maintained the momentum with a routine 2-0 win against newly promoted Nottingham Forest. The visitors were competitive, but a long-range strike from Fabian Schär and Callum Wilson’s late goal ultimately broke their resistance.

We have moved them from $9.00 to $8.00 to finish in the top 4. Eddie Howe’s men are also now $3.15 for a top 6 finish, not too far behind Man Utd at $1.73.

 

Southampton’s Hopes of Survival are Dented

Southampton finished last season with a dreadful run of results, losing nine of their final 12 matches. They picked up where they left off, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Spurs.

Armando Broja, their top striker last season, has returned to parent club Chelsea, and the Saints have not made many exciting forays into the summer transfer market. We priced them at $4.00 to be relegated before the season began, and they have now shortened to $3.00.

 

Leeds Look Better Equipped than Wolves to Beat Relegation

Leeds pulled off a great escape last season. They avoided relegation thanks to a win against Brentford on the final day of the campaign.

They have since sold Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, their two best players, and we had them at $3.25 to be relegated before the weekend’s fixtures. Yet they looked sharp in their 2-1 victory over Wolves, and we now have $3.75 on them going down.

Bruno Lage’s Wolves team have dropped from $6.00 to $4.50 to be relegated. The team took just two points from their final seven games last season, and they need new arrivals to freshen things up. The signing of Gonçalo Guedes from Valencia is a positive development. He will need to hit the ground running, and further moves may be required.

Lack of Ambition Could Hurt Leicester

Leicester are the only Premier League club that have not yet made a summer signing. They have waved goodbye to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who moved to Nice, and vultures are circling for some of their other prize assets – Wesley Fofana, Youri Tielemans and James Maddison.

The Foxes made a strong start against Brentford, but they threw away a two-goal lead and ended up with a disappointing 2-2 draw. A lack of depth could come back to bite them if they do not start spending.

They were $17.00 to finish in the top 4 before that game, but we have now pushed them all the way out to $46.00. Brentford’s relegation odds have gone out slightly, from $3.25 to $3.75, after that battling draw.

 

Do Not Write Off Bournemouth Just Yet

Bournemouth were the $1.45 favourites to be relegated at the start of the season. After all, they have not done much this summer to improve a squad that finished second in the Championship last term.

Meanwhile, fellow newly promoted clubs Fulham and Forest have displayed a lot more ambition. Yet the Cherries deserve great credit for their 2-0 win against Aston Villa. They are now $1.62 to go down.

Villa were very poor. New captain John McGinn bore the brunt of the fans’ fury, and former skipper Tyrone Mings was missed as he sat on the bench to make way for new arrival Diego Carlos.

Steven Gerrard’s men were uninspiring in attack, and we have moved them from $17.00 to $26.00 to finish in the top 4.

 

Erling Haaland Could Destroy EPL Defences

Haaland arrived in the Premier League with a big reputation after banging in 89 goals in 88 games for Borussia Dortmund. Some suggested he would take a while to find his feet in the EPL, but he made a mockery of those projections against West Ham.

He has gone in from $3.75 to $2.25 to finish the season as the top goalscorer. Mohamed Salah and Kane – his two closest rivals in the betting – have drifted out to $5.50 and $8.00 respectively.

 

Aleksandar Mitrović is a Man on a Mission

Serbian striker Aleksandar Mitrović was sensational against Liverpool. He outmuscled Trent Alexander-Arnold to head in the opener at the back post.

The hulking centre-forward then displayed some extremely nimble footwork to outfox a world-class defender in Virgil Van Dijk. He won a penalty and slotted it in, showing a great deal of confidence.

Mitrović scored a record-breaking haul of 43 goals in the Championship last season. However, his Premier League record is not great, so many expected him to struggle on his return to the top division.

The early evidence suggests that he is now ready to tear EPL defences apart. He has gone from $41.00 to $22.00 to win the Golden Boot.

**Odds quoted are accurate at the time or writing but are subject to change.