Weekend in numbers: Why Chelsea win proved to be an upset

Manchester United look set to be among the title favourites next year after the Red Devils loss to Chelsea proved to be something of an upset.

Ladbrokes has revealed that some 60 per cent of the match result bets placed on the Stamford Bridge clash were for United to win.

With the Lion’s share of the possession and a far greater number of shots, Louis van Gaal will feel his side should have won, but Chelsea’s 1-0 victory took them a step closer to the title and left the majority of punters feeling blue.

There were smiles on the faces of a lucky few, with three per cent of correct score bettors opting for the 1-0 result at 6/1.

And with Eden Hazard living up to his Player of the Year nomination with the only goal, 15 per cent of first goalscorer punters were also celebrating a 13/2 win when the final whistle came.

Elsewhere in the FA Cup, plenty of backers were justified in thinking Championship side Reading would make their top flight opponents Arsenal work for their place in the final, with 50 per cent of bets coming for the draw at 90 minutes.

Having held the Gunners in normal time, the majority of bets came for Steve Clarke’s side to complete the job, with 45 per cent of extra time match results bets coming for the Royals, compared to 38 per cent for the Emirates side.

And in the other semi-final Steven Gerrard wasn’t the only one disappointed with his failure to have a major impact on the game.

A total of 15 per cent of anytime scorer bets were placed on the outgoing Liverpool skipper, while one in 10 first goalscorer bets came for the former England man.

A fairytale FA Cup ending to bring his Anfield career to a close wasn’t to be and if those punters want a chance to back their man again next season, it will have to be for success Stateside, with Gerrard joining LA Galaxy at the end of the current campaign.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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