Although nothing was on the line except pride for Cardiff City on the final day of the Premier League season, they were still able to pull off arguably one of their greatest results ever.
Nathaniel Mendez-Laing’s double led the relegated Bluebirds to a stunning 2-0 victory at Manchester United, defying William Hill’s pre-match odds of 9/1 (10.0) on an away win.
Neil Warnock’s men had already been condemned to an immediate Championship return after losing nine of their previous 11 games, but ensured they would go out with their heads held high.
A correct score wager would have paid out at a huge 50/1 (51.0) with the firm, and this result represents just the second time ever that United have lost 2-0 in the league at Old Trafford.
Elsewhere in England’s top-flight, Crystal Palace beat Bournemouth 5-3 in certainly the most entertaining match of the last day of the campaign.
The Eagles were favourites, priced at 3/4 (1.75) with William Hill, and the correct scoreline traded at around 125/1 (126.0) whilst over 7.5 goals was a general 25/1 (26.0) shot.
Also in the Premier League, Arsenal started the day as underdogs at Burnley but came out 3-1 winners thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace. The Gunners were 17/10 (2.70) pre-match with the Clarets at 31/20 (2.55).
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Bundesliga also saw some big winners, most notably Hertha Berlin’s 4-3 win at Augsburg paying out at 65/1 (66.0). Former Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou netted an injury time penalty to give the visitors the points.
Saturday also saw 5/1 (6.0) Werder Bremen won at Hoffenheim whilst 24/5 (5.80) Mainz stunned Europa League semi-finalists Eintracht Frankfurt 2-0 a day later.
In Spain, Real Madrid suffered their eleventh defeat of the season with a 3-1 loss at Real Sociedad. The 13-time European champions were 7/5 (2.40) with the hosts slightly longer at 17/10 (2.70).
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