Although there are still 37 games remaining, the opening weekend of the English Premier League had massive title race implications.
Defending champion Arsenal gained substantial ground in EPL odds, while other top contenders took significant steps backward.
Key Takeaways
- Arsenal now has a 56.5% chance of winning the league title.
- Chelsea climbed to third without playing a single match.
- Tottenham bottomed out, dropping from +2,200 to +5,500.
| Club | Current Odds | Last Week's Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | -130 | +105 |
| Manchester City | +280 | +290 |
| Chelsea | +750 | +800 |
| Liverpool | +800 | +600 |
| Manchester United | +1,800 | +800 |
| Tottenham | +5,500 | +2,200 |
| Aston Villa | +5,500 | +3,500 |
Arsenal was +140 just over a week ago before the Community Shield matchup with Man City. A 3-0 win — which did not bear any consequence on the league table — helped them to shorten to +105 heading into their league-opening match against newly promoted Coventry City.
Another 3-0 victory and a series of favorable results over the weekend led the Gunners to drop to -130 in EPL title odds on Monday morning, per FanDuel. Only one of 38 games (2.6%) has been played, but the champs have a 56.5% implied chance of winning the league, according to the odds.
Manchester City is still second in odds, just like they were a week ago. Their +280 odds are exactly the same as before the Community Shield and a slight improvement from their +290 value entering the weekend.
Chelsea, who finished 10th in the league last season, were among the biggest winners of the weekend—a status they earned without taking the pitch.
The Blues will face west London neighbors Fulham in a standalone match on Monday evening local time. But while the league waits to see how Xabi Alonso’s squad will look in their first match, they have already crept from +800 (fourth) to +750 (third) thanks to disappointing showings by their competitors.
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Stiff setbacks
Manchester United was a total no-show in its first league action of the season.
Fresh from climbing back into Premier League contention with a third-place finish, they fell to promoted side Hull City, 2-0. Hull was about a +750 pre-match underdog, whereas Man United was around -275.
The shocking result sent the Red Devils from +850 (fourth) to +1,800 (fifth). Those odds mean the club dropped from a 10.5% to a 5.3% chance of winning the league, all from one result.
Liverpool didn’t suffer the same fate as its arch rival, although it also didn’t achieve the result it hoped for. A 2-2 draw with Newcastle took the club from +600 to +800 and moved them into fourth, directly between Chelsea and Man United.
Aston Villa — which upset the odds and qualified for the Champions League last season — found itself on the wrong side of a 4-0 thumping by Brighton. The club dropped from +3,500 to +5,500, although it is still tied for the sixth-best chance of winning the league title.
No club suffered a greater loss than Tottenham. After signing Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes for a combined £177.5 million ($242.1 million) and bringing in manager Roberto De Zerbi, they suffered a thumping 3-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford. That result moved the club from +2,200 back to +5,500 in odds to win the Premier League.
Upcoming EPL odds
With Monday’s match between Chelsea and Fulham still yet to be played, most clubs are already looking ahead to next weekend.
The only match between any of the top seven contenders will occur next Monday, when Aston Villa hosts Arsenal. The champs are -210 on the moneyline, while the Villans are only +500.
All of the other contenders are favored in their respective matches. The closest line is Tottenham (+115) in a home matchup against Newcastle (+200).
