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A murder at Anfield. A great comeback at the Emirates and an apprehended fugitive in Naples. We have all that and more covered but before that, you can head to our Cross Sport Specials page to check out some of the special offers we have.
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Humiliation At Anfield
Manchester United suffered their heaviest defeat in 92 years as they lost by 7 unreplied goals to their most bitter rivals at Anfield. Goals from Cody Gakpo (2), Darwin Núñez (2), Mo Salah (2) and Roberto Firmino made the game one to forget for the visitors. The Red Devils looked and played softer than funeral music, which was perhaps appropriate because that was a metaphorical murder by Jürgen Klopp’s side. A 1-0 half-time scoreline seemed respectable, but it did flatter Man Utd who were 2nd best straight from kickoff. Erik ten Hag’s strange approach of playing 3 players out of position, not targeting Trent Alexander-Arnorld – Liverpool’s obvious weak link in defense – and not making any half-time adjustments were all punished early in the second half as the Reds made it 4-0 in the 50th min. The Dutchman’s insistent on attacking at 4-0 saw an open Man United side concede 3 more as they suffered their joint-heaviest competitive defeat in club history, alongside 7–0 losses to Wolves in December 1931, Aston Villa in December 1930 and Blackburn Rovers in April 1926.
Liverpool are unbeaten in their last seven home league games against Manchester United (W4, D3) since a 1-0 loss in January 2016. It’s their longest run without defeat against the Red Devils at Anfield since a run of nine in the 1970s. Manchester United on the other hand have lost more Premier League matches against Liverpool than they have versus any other side in the competition’s history (19). They have also conceded 21 goals in their last five league games against Liverpool. Mo Salah, meanwhile, made history for Liverpool with his brace. He became the first Liverpool player to score in six consecutive appearances in all competitions against Manchester United while his two goals (his 128th and 129th goals in the Premier League for Liverpool), saw him overtake Robbie Fowler as the club’s leading goalscorer in the competition’s history. Liverpool are now 5th in the table with a game in hand – a huge turnaround from 9th position at the start of last month.
Reiss Nelson Wins It At The Death For Arsenal
One goal straight from kickoff and another just before the final whistle saw The Emirates provide arguably the most entertaining game of the weekend as the Gunners maintained their 5pt lead in the Premier League. Bournemouth’s perfectly executed training ground move saw them take the lead in just 9.11 seconds through Philip Billing – the second-fastest goal in Premier League history. Marcos Senesi doubled the visitor’s lead in the 57th min, and it looked like the Cherries would be picking up their first win at The Emirates. Instead, goals from Thomas Partey and Ben White wiped all that hope away before substitute Reiss Nelson (who had assisted Ben White’s equalizer) won it for Arsenal in the 96th minute. The game also saw an absurd number of penalty calls by Arsenal, with 5 separate handball claims all turned down by the VAR.
In other exciting news for Arsenal, their women’s team beat Chelsea 3-1 to claim the first silverware of the season – the League Cup. Just like last year against Man City in the finals, Sam Kerr opened the scoring for Chelsea and just like last year, they gave up 3 goals to lose 3-1. It’s a record extending 6th League Cup win for Arsenal as they now turn their attention back to the WSL.
Max Verstappen Wins F1 Season Opener In Bahrain
Max Verstappen began the new season just as he concluded the previous one, triumphantly winning in the Middle East. The two-time titleholder dominated the Bahrain Grand Prix, leading almost from the start, initially setting a pace that outstripped his competitors, and then managing the race.
Verstappen’s 36th victory demonstrated his position as the favorite to win a third straight world championship. Sergio Perez secured a Red Bull one-two, with an impressive third-place finish by Fernando Alonso in an Aston Martin. For Formula 1 betting odds, head to this page on BetKing.
Ja Morant Suspended By Memphis Grizzlies
Memphis Grizzlies Point Guard, Ja Morant will miss the next two games due to an investigation by the NBA after he displayed what appeared to be a gun on an Instagram Live video while at a nightclub early on Saturday morning. Morant has since issued a statement taking responsibility for his actions and apologized to his family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis – an apology that has been warmly received by many including sporting giant, Nike with whom he has an endorsement deal. Morant, who is an All-Star and a prominent figure in the league, has recently been involved in negative news. The Washington Post published a story about two incidents in the summer involving Morant, one of which included him punching a teenager and flashing a gun at him, while, back in January, acquaintances of the Grizzlies Point Guard pointed a red laser, believed to be from a gun, at a few Indiana Pacers fans. Morant will miss at least two games against the LA Clippers and LA Lakers.
Kylian Mbappe Becomes PSG’s All-Time Leading Scorer
Kylian Mbappé scored a club-record 201st goal for Paris Saint-Germain in an entertaining 4-2 win over Nantes. Having scored his 199th and 200th in last week’s 3-0 win at Marseille, the French forward had to wait till deep into stoppage time to get his 201st as he moved past Edinson Cavani with whom he shared the record with for a week. More impressively, it’s taken Mbappé just 247 games to break the record.
Lionel Messi – who grabbed the opener for the reigning Ligue 1 champions – also created some history for himself. His goal saw him the first player in history to register 1,000 club contributions; 701 goals & 299 assists in 841 games.
LaLiga Title Race
Barcelona opened up a 9pt gap in Spain with a 1-0 victory over Valencia, as Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw at Real Betis. Raphina’s 15th min header put Barcelona ahead and they held on for the win. Ferran Torres failed to double their lead after missing from the spot, while Ansu Fati hit the post shortly afterward. Victory did however come at a cost for the Catalans as Ronald Araujo received a red card for pulling down goal-bound Duro just before the hour mark. Araujo will miss the El Clasico in a fortnight due to the 3-game suspension.
Atleti Hammer Sevilla 6-1
6-1 isn’t as bad as 7-0, but this heavy defeat saw Jorge Sampaoli’s side drop to 17th in the league as they sit above the relegation zone on just Goal Difference. Though they finished the game with 10 men, 5 of those 6 goals came before the sending off (to Pape Gueye). Memphis Depay and Alvaro Morata both grabbed braces for Diego Simeone’s side, while Yannick Carrasco and Antoine Griezmann also got on the scoresheet. It was a memorable night for the Argentine manager, who was honored before kickoff, as he broke Luis Aragones’ record of matches in charge of Los Colchoneros, which now stands at 613. The result saw them leapfrog Real Sociedad into 3rd in the standings after Imanol Alguacil’s team was held to a goalless draw at home to Cadiz.
Jon “Bones” Jones Wins To Claim Heavyweight Title
Jon Jones reminded everyone why he’s widely regarded as the greatest MMA fighter in history with an impressive victory over Ciryl Gane to claim the heavyweight title. Jones had not fought for more than three years since vacating his title at light-heavyweight to bulk up and have a crack at the division above and while he was an overwhelming favorite heading into the weekend, there were understandable concerns – concerns he quickly dismissed in just 2:04 mins in the first round.
He took Gane down in his very first attempt and locked his arms under his chin – Gane tapped out in seconds. Hip-Hop superstar, Drake won $1.7m off the fight, and you too can win big on BetKing. Be sure to bookmark our MMA page and be on the lookout for boosted odds with great returns.
Man City Ease Past Newcastle United
Despite some annoying time-wasting tactics, Newcastle suffered their 3rd straight defeat in all competitions (all by a 2-0 scoreline) as they dropped to 6th in the Premier League. The Magpies – now winless in 5 EPL games – have been struggling in front of goal and have scored just 3 league goals in 2023 (8 games). Meanwhile, Phil Foden continued his fine form since his return from injury to help Man City keep up with Arsenal. The English attacker opened the scoring for Pep Guardiola’s men to take his tally to 4 goals and an assist in 3 games. Bernardo Silva also got on the scoresheet to put the game beyond doubt for the host.
Napoli Finally Lose
Napoli suffered their 2nd league loss of the season after Vecino’s stunning goal for Lazio moved them up to 3rd. The midfielder hit a perfect volley from way outside the box to silence the home crowd and Napoli never recovered. The result also meant Victor Osimhen’s 8-game scoring streak was halted leaving him 3 shy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of 11. Thankfully for him, their 15-pt lead is still very healthy.
Before kickoff on Friday night, the game’s most intriguing moment occurred off the field, as Narimanidze Irakli, a notorious international criminal hailing from Georgia, was apprehended in Naples. Irakli had flown to Naples on a private jet to watch his fellow Georgian, Khvicha Kvaratshkelia, play. However, Irakli, aged 38, was arrested on Thursday under a European arrest warrant. He had been found guilty in Greece in 2012 for attempting to murder two Greek citizens and had been sentenced to a 10-year imprisonment. Irakli had procured his passport the day before his journey and was traveling with other Georgian supporters on a chartered plane to attend the Napoli-Lazio game. With the stunning season Kvaratshkelia is having, it’s easy to understand why someone would risk being caught to get a glimpse of him.
Boston Bruins Continue Winning Streak
While Ice Hockey may not be the most popular sport in Nigeria, there are still profitable betting opportunities available on BetKing. The Boston Bruins are currently the safest team to bet on due to their ongoing historic season. With the best record in the league and 11 consecutive wins, they have won 49 out of 62 games, compared to the second best team, Carolina Hurricanes, who have won 40. Additionally, the Bruins have not lost two consecutive games during the 2022-23 season, and earlier in the season, they had a remarkable 13-game winning streak at home from Oct. 15 to Dec. 5. If you want to bet on the Boston Bruins, be sure to check the NHL page on BetKing for great odds.
Fiorentina Beat AC Milan 2-1 on 5th Year Anniversary Of Davide Astori’s Death
In the 13th minute of Fiorentina’s Serie A match against AC Milan, the game was paused for a moment of applause to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Davide Astori’s passing. Astori, who had previously played for both teams, was an Italian defender and had served as the captain of Fiorentina before his untimely death in 2018 from a cardiac arrest.
Fiorentina’s victory was their second consecutive win in Serie A and their fourth win in their last five matches across all competitions. The win – courtesy goals from Nicolas Gonzalez and Luka Jovic – improved their position in the league to 12th place, while Milan, who could only manage a 95th min consolation goal from Theo Hernandez, slipped to 5th.
Philadelphia 76ers Snap Milwaukee Bucks’ Winning Streak
It was always going to take something special to end the Bucks’ 16-game winning streak, and on Saturday night, Sixers provided that. Doc Rivers’ side erased an 18-point deficit to stun the Bucks 133-130 in Milwaukee on Saturday, giving the Bucks its first loss since Jan. 21. Philadelphia seemed to be the latest victim of the Bucks’ streak midway through the third quarter, when they trailed 95-77, but they responded with a 23-6 run to get back within one early in the fourth quarter, then rode James Harden’s hot hand to the win. The game featured 3 30-pt scorers; Joel Embiid (31), James Harden (38), Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) while 4 other players scored 20 or more points. The Bucks remain first in the Eastern Conference with a record of 45-18, a half-game ahead of the Boston Celtics.
