Premier League Results: City and Chelsea march on but Utd are held

Edin Dzeko nets late on as City pull off the win
Both Manchester City and Chelsea won 2-1 away from home but the betting drama was at Old Trafford, Carrow Road and the Madejski Stadium where the goals were flowing...
Manchester United and Tottenham have their fair share of Premier League crackers and there was another classic clash between the two at Old Trafford this evening.
An early Spurs ambush sent the visitors on their way through a Jan Vertonghen goal against a sluggish home side. And United found themselves two down at the break after a Gareth Bale burst down the pitch resulted in a right foot finish past Anders Lindegaard.
Spurs have been here before though, and when Nani scored shortly after halftime memories of past capitulations were at the forefront of Spurs' minds. Which only made Clint Dempsey's third goal for Tottenham all the more surprising. Shinji Kagawa pulled one back for United on 53 minutes and the last 40 minutes was a period of extended United domination.
But to the surprise of just about everyone watching United were unable to do it. Tottenham were backed at 7.413/2 to win, with the 3-2 final score backed at a high of 70.069/1. United are 3.3512/5 for the title, Spurs trade can be backed around 50.049/1 to win the league.
Manchester City kept pace in the title race but they did it the hard way with a come-from-behind win at Fulham today. The three points ensured they didn't fall behind leaders Chelsea who took the spoils at Arsenal in the early kick-off.
Elsewhere there were wins for Liverpool - who hammered Norwich 5-2 at Carrow Road - Everton, Stoke and Sunderland while Reading and Newcastle entertained the fans with a four goal second-half in a 2-2 draw.
City were backed at an in-play high of 6.411/2 to win at Craven Cottage after Mladen Petric, in the side due to Dimitar Berbatov's injury, opened the scoring from the penalty spot. But the champions' multi million pound forward line came good with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko sealing the three points.
Earlier in the day another expensive purchase was on target when Fernando Torres opened the scoring for Chelsea at the Emirates. Gervinho was able to strike back for the home side but Juan Mata gave the Blues a win that was backed at a high of 4.57/2 on Betfair.
Chelsea are now 4.47/2 to win the title, with City 2.9215/8. Arsenal, now seven points adrift of the leaders, are 13.012/1.
Second-placed Everton continue to enjoy a great start with a 3-1 home win over Southampton and the Toffees are now 6.611/2 for a top four finish.
Liverpool won their first league game under Brendan Rodgers thanks in part to a Luis Suarez hat-trick as Norwich were humbled 5-2 in front of their own fans. The scoreline was backed at a high of 120.0119/1 in-play on Betfair.
There was similar joy for correct score backers in the match at the Madejski - where the 2-2 scoreline traded at 85.084/1 on the exchange.
but there was less drama at the Britannia and Stadium of Light as Stoke and Sunderland both won, 2-0 and 1-0 respectively.

Ryder Cup Tips: Bets for the second day fourballs

Can Ollie turn it around? Unlikely
There's a quick turnaround at the Ryder Cup and, hot off the press, here are our tips for the second session at Medinah
Matt Kuchar/Dustin Johnson v Nicolas Colsaerts/Paul Lawrie
This American pairing looked extremely well matched yesterday and, fresh after a morning off, would represent tough opponents for anybody. That pedigree, however, is reflected by odds of just 1.910/11 so there may be some value in taking them on with a capable European duo. Colsaerts was magnificent in fourballs yesterday, winning a point despite little help from his partner. Experienced, accurate Lawrie should complement the Belgian's attacking style and has a fine matchplay record. Having spent all year building up towards this second Ryder Cup appearance, I reckon Lawrie will make some sort of mark on this renewal.
Recommended Bet
Lay Kuchar & Johnson 3u @ 1.910/11
Webb Simpson/Bubba Watson v Justin Rose/Francesco Molinari
The impressive Watson/Simpson pairing now has four wins from six matches together in team matchplay contests and rate the afternoon session's banker. Yesterday's thrashing of Lawrie & Hanson was a masterclass fourballs performance, with at least one of them enjoying a good birdie chance on virtually every hole. There's been no hint of comparable brilliance in Molinari's few Ryder Cup starts and while Rose has a couple of points, by his own admission, he didn't fire on all cylinders this morning.
Recommended Bet
Back Watson & Simpson 5u @ 1.910/11
Tiger Woods/Steve Stricker v Luke Donald/Sergio Garcia
None of this big name quartet has even brought their 'C game' to this Ryder Cup as yet and with neither pairing generating confidence, the best plan may be to back the tie. No Ryder Cup since 1995 produced fewer than two halved matches in the pairs rounds, yet going into the last fourballs session there haven't been any so far this time. With an eye on that historical trend, my plan here is to back the tie at 7.06/1 with a view towards at least doubling the stake should it shorten to 2.56/4 at any stage. For the record, while there were no ties this morning, the tie hit this lay target in two of the matches.
Recommended Bets
Back the tie 3u @ 7.06/1
Place order to lay 6u @ 2.56/4
Jason Dufner/Zach Johnson v Ian Poulter/Rory McIlroy
We haven't seen anything like the best of Rory McIlroy this year but a change of partner may just do the trick. Nobody in this European side has the inspirational qualities of Ian Poulter, whose hard-fought point this morning made it nine from his last ten Ryder Cup matches. It won't be easy, given that Dufner and Johnson have already earned two points together, but they may not be quite so effective in fourballs. Johnson, for instance, will be at a significant disadvantage in terms of driving distance.
Recommended Bet
Back McIlroy & Poulter 4u @ 1.910/11

T20 World Cup Tips: South Africa v Australia

JP Duminy could be South Africa's top batsman
It is do or die for the Proteas. Defeat against the Australians will mean an early return home for AB de Villiers' men. Richard O'Hagan previews the game.
South Africa v Australia
Sky Sports 3
1100hrs BST
South Africa
It is the fate of all South African teams that, whenever they lose a tight contest such as the one against Pakistan on Friday, a certain 'c' word is immediately bandied about. To do so now would be unfair, though. The simple fact is that South Africa batted poorly in that game and left themselves with too small a total to defend. The Morkel brothers bowled poorly, going for an average of ten runs per over, and AB de Villiers bizarrely only gave his spinners eight of a possible twelve overs when Pakistan were tying themselves in knots trying to deal with them. You can bet that South Africa won't be that bad again. They may bring in Justin Ontong for Albie Morkel to give themselves one more slow bowling option.
Australia
With Shane Watson, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc sure of their place, Australia's problem so far has been how to make up their other two bowlers. Brad Hogg has bowled well, but has been increasingly a liability in the field, with two expensive misfields and a dropped catch against India. The other four overs have come from Glenn Maxwell, who not only sounds like a country and western singer but who bowls about as threateningly as one, too, and Dan Christian, who seems to bowl at just the right pace to be thrashed around the ground on these wickets. With this in mind, it is surely time that the Aussies bit the bullet and recalled David Hussey, giving them four overs of flightless spin and a chance to play an extra bowler such as Clint McKay.
Match Odds
One thing which we learned from Friday's game is that whichever side has the more potent spin attack is going to have the upper hand in this game. With neither side being particularly well-endowed in that respect, the balance of power could lie with the Proteas, who have the weight of spinning numbers on their side. The closeness of the game is reflected in the market, with Australia 2.0n/a and South Africa 1.99n/a to win.
Top South Africa batsman
For all of the attention heaped upon the likes of Amla and Kallis, the one South African batsman who mastered the Colombo pitch on Friday was JP Duminy. The little left-hander has previous against Australia, too, making his name as a Test player against them back in 2009. Back him at the generous odd of 8.2n/a
Top Australia batsman
There were signs against India that Watson's run of good form with the bat may be coming to an end as he scratched around like an itchy chicken against the Indians before being given some easy runs by the sort of bowling which would disgrace a charity game, turning what looked like being a very dirty 30 into a match-winning 72. His opening partner, David Warner, was the exact opposite, cutting, pulling and driving with immense power and playing the supporting role to perfection. Those roles may be reversed against the South Africans, as Watson always looks uncomfortable against genuinely quick bowling whereas Warner usually does not mind a bit more pace on the ball. Back him at odds of around 4.3n/a
Recommended Bet
Back JP Duminy at 8.27/1 to be top South Africa batsman
T20 Special Cashback Offer!
Betting on the match? Make sure you check out our great cashback offer - refund on Top Batsman Fixed Odds bets of up to 50 if the first wicket is an LBW!

T20 World Cup Tips: Pakistan v India

India will need MS Dhoni at his very best to avoid being eliminated
India face a shock exit from the competition if they lose to Pakistan on Sunday afternoon. Richard O'Hagan previews what should be a tense game between traditional rivals.
India v Pakistan
Sky Sports 3
1500hrs BST
India
India turned in their worst batting performance so far against Australia. Leaving out Virender Sehwag to allow them to play five specialist bowlers was a bold gamble, but Irfan Pathan looked like a duck stuck on a motorway when opening the innings and Sehwag surely has to return for this game. That will mean a bowler making way, with Piyush Chawla the likely candidate.
Pakistan
Pakistan will be relieved to have won their opening game. After bowling out South Africa very cheaply, including an inspired opening spell from spinner Reza Hasan, they somehow managed to lose eight wickets along the way to victory. Indeed, it was only an eighth wicket partnership of 49 between Umars Akmal and Gul that ensured victory at all, the rest of the batsmen having to a man been guilty of throwing their wickets away. Despite this, it is unlikely that they will make any changes to their lineup, leaving their four-pronged spin attack to the fore despite being up against opponents far more adept at playing the turning ball than the South Africans were.
Match Odds
Spin was the key in Colombo on Friday and this should be a cracking contest between two good slow bowling teams. India are favourites at 1.87n/a but Pakistan at 2.12n/a look the better bet to win.
Top India batsman
In a big match like this, with pride at stake as well as the result, look no further than MS Dhoni. The Indian captain often saves his best performances for the big occasion and is not afraid to take responsibility by pushing himself up the order from his usual position of number seven. Back him at odds of 5.5n/a.
Top Pakistan batsman
Pakistan will have been hugely disappointed by their batting performance against South Africa, with too many batsmen falling to reckless shots in a game they should have won very easily. Expect them to err more on the said of caution against their traditional rivals. This means that opening batsmen will be the favoured choice and although Imran Nazir has been in good form the better bet is captain Mohammed Hafeez, who will be keen to atone for the mistakes of Friday and who rarely has two consecutive poor innings in this form of the game. He should be available at odds of around 4.7n/a
Recommended Bet:
Back MS Dhoni at 5.59/2 to be top India batsman
T20 Special Cashback Offer!
Betting on the match? Make sure you check out our great cashback offer - refund on Top Batsman Fixed Odds bets of up to 50 if the first wicket is an LBW!

Nottm Forest v Derby: Goals galore expected at the City Ground

Goals are always scored at the City Ground when Derby visit

Mike Norman isn't convinced that Forest are a safe bet to win this game but he does expect goals to be scored in Sunday's east midlands derby...

Nottm Forest 2.0811/10 v Derby 4.03/1; The Draw 3.65n/a

Nottingham Forest can move into the top 10 of the Championship with a win over east midlands rivals Derby at the City Ground on Sunday afternoon.

Sean O'Driscoll's men have stuttered of late, drawing two and losing one of their last three league games, though on home soil they remain unbeaten. The addition of Jermaine Jenas to the squad - on loan from Tottenham - will add some extra quality in midfield and he should make his debut against the Rams, though probably from the substitute's bench.

Defender Sam Hutchinson remains a doubt after missing last week's defeat to Leeds with a knee injury, whilst midfielder Adlene Guedioura is suspended.

Derby boss Nigel Clough is expected to name an unchanged squad for the short trip along the A52 and is likely to recall midfielder Michael Jacobs and striker Nathan Tyson after both missed the 1-2 home defeat to Burnley last week.

Match Odds

With home advantage Forest are deserving favourites to win the game but I'm still of the belief that they are slightly under-priced from time to time. New owners and a bit of cash to spend doesn't mean you will get instant results on the pitch, yet it seems this is how Forest are being priced up. After all, they've won just two league games from seven this season.

Having said that they are still the most likely winners of this game as they have started the season well on home soil, whilst Derby have failed to win away from home, scoring just one goal in three matches.

But as Opta point out the Rams did do the double over Forest last season, and Derby have lost just three of their last 10 visits to the City Ground. A local derby is a great leveller they say, and this is probably the reason for County's respectable record at the home of their neighbours.

At 2.0811/10 to back Forest are a little on the skinny side for my liking and I think the value call is to back the away team in the Draw No Bet market at around 2.915/8.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

This is pretty much a coin toss market with both options being available to back at 1.981/1 but a quick look at the history books tells us that these two always serve up goals at the City Ground.

Over 2.5 Goals would have paid out in each of the last six meetings, and in eight of the last nine meetings. In fact those last six meetings have seen an average of 4.66 goals scored with scorelines such as 5-2, 3-2, and 2-3 being recorded, so perhaps there's some merit in backing Over 3.5 Goals at 3.412/5.

True, basing football wagers on previous head-to-head stats is arguably not the best way to go about things, but it will take a brave man to back Unders in this market given what we know.

Recommended Bets

Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.981/1
Back Derby Draw No Bet @ 2.915/8

Ryder Cup News: Dominant USA team on the verge of victory

Mickelson and Bradley were the stars on Saturday

USA have built up a big lead in Chicago and Europe's hopes of retaining the Ryder Cup are all but over says Mike Norman...

USA 10 1.162/13, Europe 6 10.5n/a, Tie 20.019/1

Team USA are just four and a half points away from winning the Ryder Cup after another dominant day in Chicago, thanks in large to a putting master class.

Leading 5-3 overnight USA captain Davis Love III went into Saturday morning's foursomes without the out-of-form pairing of Steve Stricker and Tiger Woods, and his decision was fully justified thanks to a 3-1 session victory.

Stars of the morning were Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson, who demolished England's two best players Lee Westwood and Luke Donald 7 & 6. Bradley was sensational on the Medinah Country Club greens, holing almost every putt he had a look at.

There were also victories for Jason Dufner/Zach Johnson over Nicolas Colsaerts/Sergio Garcia (2 & 1) and Jim Furyk/Brandt Snedeker over the lacklustre pairing of Rory McIlroy/Graeme McDowell (1 up).

As good as USA were - and yes they were outstanding - Europe were extremely disappointing. Donald and Westwood were over par for their rounds, whilst McDowell and McIlroy - the number one player in the world remember - failed to make a single birdie until four holes from home.

The glimmer of light for Jose Maria Olazabal was the pairing of Justin Rose and Ian Poulter who defeated Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson (1 up) to avoid the session whitewash.

Ironically it was Watson and Simpson who earned USA's first point from the afternoon fourballs, beating Francesco Molinari and Justin Rose 5 & 4 thanks to an incredible putting display from the US Open champion. At one point, the European pair made three birdies in four holes yet they went from being two down to three down thanks to Simpson's sensational putting display.

The other afternoon fourballs were closely-fought affairs but nothing summed up this Ryder Cup more than what happened on the 17th green in the Dustin Johnson/Matt Kuchar v Paul Lawrie/Colsaerts match. With the match all square, all four players found the green with their tee shots; Lawrie's long putt missed, Colsaerts' 30-footer slid an inch past the hole, but Johnson's slick 25-foot down hill putt found the bottom of the cup.

It was a huge blow to the European team, but illustrated perfectly how brilliant the Americans have been on the greens. Team USA won the match one up.

In the last two matches it was good news for Europe, Donald/Garcia hanging on grimly to condemn Woods/Stricker to their third successive defeat, whilst Poulter/McIlroy birdied the last five holes to beat Dufner/Z.Johnson.

USA are now as short as 1.162/13 to win the Ryder Cup but if you don't want to get involved at those prohibitive odds then we still have a plethora of In-Play markets for you to consider. And tomorrow we'll be In-Play on all 12 Singles, as well as having a Day 3 Correct Score market.

MLB Tipping Sheet: Kyle can carry Cards to a win over Washington

Kyle Lohse is a serious talent

Three more bets from the MLB action courtesy of Richard Fletcher

Los Angeles Angels @ Texas Rangers
21:05 BST
The 87-70 Angels kept themselves in American League playoff contention with a stirring 7-4 victory over the 92-65 Rangers last night. Now just two games behind Oakland, their main rivals for a Wild Card berth, they head back to Rangers Ballpark led by Ervin Santana (9-12, 4.93 ERA). The righty seems to be timing his best form for the most crucial part of the season, as he struck out 11 batters in his last outing against a very decent White Sox team to contribute to a superb ERA of 2.88 since the start of August. Meanwhile, the Rangers' Derek Holland (11-6, 4.50 ERA) was horrible last time out against Oakland, and he was brought off after just three innings. Both teams here are handy with the bat, but Holland is 1-2 with a 6.20 ERA against the Angels this season, so the Angels at 2.111/10 are the recommendation here.

Tampa Bay Rays @ Chicago White Sox
21:05 BST
Both teams here still have American League playoff pretensions, with the 86-71 Rays currently in a battle with the Angels, A's and the 83-74 White Sox for the fifth and final Wild Card slot. While the Rays have a superior record to the White Sox, last night's 3-1 defeat puts added pressure on them in tonight's game. Matt Moore (10-11, 3.92 ERA) has not always demonstrated that he can deal with such pressure, and the worry is that after going less than four innings in three straight games, he's not the man for tonight (he hasn't won since August 19). Chris Sale (17-7, 2.86 ERA), on the other hand, arguably is the man for such an occasion. The lefty has shown tremendous durability and composure in solidifying his reputation, built in his first few years in the MLB, as a pitcher of much promise, and I wouldn't put it past him to pitch a perfect game soon. The superiority of Sale and the White Sox defence, at home, make them a good thing at 1.784/5.

Washington Nationals @ St Louis Cardinals
00:15 BST
In the National League's game of the day, the 95-62 Nationals, with a playoff berth already secured, travel back to the 85-72 Cardinals' Busch Stadium with their tails firmly between their legs after last night's 12-2 hiding. The Cardinals will be desperate to rack up another victory to hold on to their position of fifth place in the NL rankings. However, Jordan Zimmermann (12-8, 2.90 ERA) could be a major obstacle tonight, as he is in top form, going nearly seven innings last time against the Brewers, whilst allowing just one run. But the Cardinals play their trump card, choosing Kyle Lohse (16-3, 2.77 ERA) to start. Lohse is without doubt one of the premier pitchers in the NL, and his economical pitching could make all the difference in such an important game. It always pays to back the team who need it most, so the Cardinals are the 1.84/5 recommendation here.

Recommended Bets
Back LA Angels @ 2.111/10
Back Chicago White Sox @ 1.784/5
Back St Louis @ 1.84/5