Well, I never saw that coming. A hat-trick from Cristiano Ronaldo at Old Trafford on Saturday to secure a vital 3-2 win over fellow top-four chasers Tottenham has reignited United’s season.
We’re still odds-against at 7/2 for a top-four finish behind Chelsea and Arsenal, but if our Portuguese striker can keep scoring for fun who knows what will happen in our last nine games of the season.
His first goal against Spurs had me purring. It was a proper flashback to the past.
Now on 12 goals for the season, Ronaldo has been cut to 20/1 to be the league’s top-scorer – the same price as Tottenham’s Harry Kane, who took his tally to 11 with his penalty at the weekend.
However, they’re both way behind the long odds-on favourite Mo Salah, who already has 20 goals to his name.
I can’t stop wondering what would have happened if Ronaldo had joined City rather than us. Well for certain he’d have got on target on Monday at Palace when City again had virtually all the play but lacked a centre forward - and had to settle for a point.
MEANWHILE it couldn’t have gone any better for St Helens so far this season in the Betfred Super League.
They’re right at the top of the table – and now the only unbeaten club in the land.
Saints put down a huge marker that they are going to make it four Grand Finals wins on the bounce with that impressive 28-2 victory over an out-of-sorts Warrington side at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday.
They were just a class above, with Jonny Lomax playing arguably his best ever game for the Saints.
Coach Kristian Woolf actually praised Warrington, who he said defended well, particularly in the first-half.
The fact George Williams was sent to the bin had an impact on the scoreline, but quite frankly St Helens were just better, with the Wire never really getting into the game despite taking an early lead.
So, on Saturday it’s Saints – unbeaten in five and riding high at the summit – in France to take on bottom club Toulouse, who are yet to pick up any points at all this season.
The big problem for Saints is the gowing injury list, and of course the risk of complacency.
The odds show these players, who always dig in for a result, could be on for another big win.
Naturally, after a favourable round for the Saints, we’ve shortened considerably in the betting at Betfred – into 11/8 – with the league’s title sponsors to win the Grand Final at Old Trafford in September.
Catalans, who are once again emerging as significant challengers at the top after thumping Wigan 28-0, are next best at 7/2 ahead of Wigan and Warrington who have drifted to 4/1 and 6/1 respectively.
Huddersfield, who sit second in the table currently, are the dark horses at 20/1.
As for Salford, well my home town club are on the slide after a promising start to the campaign – and are 13/8 to beat strugglers Leeds at home on Friday.
Despite taking an early penalty lead, the Wire struggled to contain Saints, going down to that heavy defeat.
Although the scoreline looks grim on paper, Wire coach Daryl Powell reckoned he saw improvements from Wolves’ defeat to Catalans the previous week. He did, however, accuse his side of panicking after a poor error in the second-half.
Powell and his players will be desperate to put a couple of disappointing results behind them when they host Wakefield Trinity in the Channel 4 game on Saturday.
SO we’re halfway through a fantastic Cheltenham Festival that has been full of drama – and the best has yet to come with the Gold Cup on Friday.
It’s a wide-open renewal, unlike some of the feature races earlier in the week.
Minella Indo bids to win the prestigious race back-to-back, with stablemate A Plus Tard hoping to go one better after finishing runner-up last year.
Al Boum Photo, for the great Willie Mullins, is looking to join a select few to land the Gold Cup hat-trick – while Gordon Elliott’s Galvin has been subject to plenty of support throughout the year and also has a massive chance.
Whatever happens, it promises to be a fascinating race – and I’ll be paying out with a smile, just grateful that capacity crowds are back at the Festival after a couple of years thanks to the dreaded Covid.
Finally a mother-of-two from Nottinghamshire has won £100,000 from just a £1 wager with us.
The 50-year-old opted to chance her arm on Betfred's Bonus King Bingo instead of her regular bet on the Irish Lotto.
Amazingly, all six numbers - which she picked based around the birthday of a much-loved uncle who died abroad aged 65 - came out, winning her the £100,000 jackpot.
Her uncle's birthday was 21st July 1965, so she picked the number 21 and added together six and five to make 11.
Three of the other numbers - namely 7, 14 and 24 - are all family members' birthdays, while the number 29 is the number of the house where her family used to live.
She said: “We’ll be using some of the winnings to go abroad to visit friends of my uncle to tell them about our amazing good fortune.
“We may also use the money to get a place abroad, maybe Spain, so we have a property that the family can use in years to come – and also a nice trip to Las Vegas.”
Bonus King Bingo is very popular, and we have plenty of winners who win big from small stakes, but it's rare that someone lands the £100k jackpot.
Well done to this Betfred regular who has clearly thought long and hard about how she’s going to spend her winnings.
It is a life-changing amount – and all for just a £1 stake!
A goal in the first five minutes and another one six minutes from time were enough to see Ashton safely into the second qualifying round of this year's FA Cup and a home tie against Scarborough.
After squandering a two-goal lead at home to Prescot Cables on Saturday, Hyde United spared their FA Cup blushes with a 1-0 win in Tuesday’s First Qualifying Round replay.
Tameside clubs discover their FA Cup fate
Robins through after replay
Curzon seal first home win
Hyde spare their blushes
