Man Utd humiliated as Tuchel & Conte see red – latest Premier League betting updates
It was a tumultuous weekend in the Premier League. We’re just two games into the season. And at this rate, about halfway through Erik ten Hag’s tenure as Man United manager.
Because with respect to Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus, who scored a brace on his home debut for Arsenal (see golden boot betting here), it was Brentford who stole the headlines on Saturday.
After a woeful start to their season, Man Utd had hardly looked sure things in the run-up to their meeting with the Bees. But even with widespread belief that Thomas Frank’s team could get something, who saw a 4-0 scoreline coming?
The hosts dismantled Ten Hag’s side to romp to a famous victory; United shipped four goals without reply before the first half was over. The result leaves Man United rock bottom of the Premier League on goal difference.
And after an abysmal start to Ten Hag’s reign, he’s earning comparisons with fellow Ajax alumnus Frank de Boer. Whose reign at Crystal Palace lasted just five league games.
Prior to his spell with the Eagles, De Boer led Ajax to the Eredivisie in four consecutive years between 2011-2015. Ten Hag has had comparable success in his native Netherlands, winning the title with Ajax three times (it would probably have been four, but the Covid-hit season of 2019-20 was scrapped).
Ten Hag is the joint second favourite to be sacked
The mess at Man Utd is hardly of the new manager’s making. But after such a brutal start to the season, who knows how much time the 52-year-old has to fix things?
At the time of writing Ten Hag is the joint second favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave, joint 4/1 with Frank Lampard. Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl remains the favourite at 2/1.
Next up for United is a home game against Liverpool; last time the Merseyside team visited Old Trafford, they won 5-0. If it’s a similarly brutal defeat this time, less-than-perfect Ten might make it out of Manchester before Ronaldo…
Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest enjoyed their home return to the Premier League on Sunday with a tight 1-0 win over West Ham that wasn’t always pretty – not that the Forest support cared.
After landing their first victory of the season, Forest are 5/4 to finish as best promoted team this season – but also remain second favs for relegation at 7/5.
The main event on Sunday saw Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte facing off. Chelsea took the lead through new centre back Kalidou Koulibaly, making his Stamford Bridge debut in emphatic fashion as he volleyed home the goal from a corner.
Tuchel got right in Conte’s grill to the delight of everyone
Pierre Hojbjerg equalised for Spurs in the second half, with Conte’s love of a goal celebration enraging Tuchel. The Chelsea coach responded to this bit of footballing pantomime with a theatrical confrontation of his own, getting right in Conte’s grill much to the delight of, well, pretty much everyone – but especially Graeme Souness.
When Reece James scored a second goal to restore Chelsea’s lead, Tuchel hared down the touchline in over-the-top celebratory fashion; only for Harry Kane to head in from a corner in the dying moments of the match, to leave the sides all square.
At the whistle, with the score 2-2, Conte and Tuchel engaged in the customary handshake – and somehow managed to turn this banal formality into a flashpoint of seething, searing antagonism, one fully grown adult apparently holding on too long, causing the other fully grown adult to whirl around in fury. Both men were shown red cards. You really do love to see it. But after all the antics – who’ll finish higher in the Prem?
There’s still some Monday night football to look forward to, with Liverpool vs Palace coming up tonight. If you’re one of life’s cock-eyed optimists, you might like to get behind the visitors at 15/1. Difficult not to feel a Liverpool win to nil is the likelier outcome though – that’s a 17/20 shot.
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