United gets back on track with big second half

Soccer Betting Lines

12/23/2006 - Birmingham, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United assured itself the top spot in the Premiership at the half-way point of the season with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday.

After suffering a stunning 1-0 loss to West Ham last Sunday that saw the Red Devil's lead over Chelsea shrink to only two points, Sir Alex Ferguson's men rebounded with three second-half goals on Saturday to claim the maximum points.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice and Paul Scholes added a stunning volley to ensure that United remained on top.

The home side came out strong and nearly went ahead after 15 minutes. A free- kick from Gareth Barry was flicked on by Chris Sutton to Craig Gardner, who was making his first start of the season. Gardner's header skimmed the outside of the post and stayed out, but it served notice that United was in for a battle.

The visitors picked up their play over the rest of the half, but failed to capitalize on any of their chances.

After a scoreless first half, Ronaldo put United ahead 1-0 in the 59th minute. The Portuguese midfielder took control of the ball inside his own half and made a dashing run all the way to the edge of the Villa box. His first shot was blocked by Gary Cahill, but his second attempt was not to be denied as he fired inside the near-post to put his club ahead.

Five minutes later, the score line doubled on a brilliant strike from Scholes. Ryan Giggs' corner kick was headed clear of the box by Gavin McCann, but only made it as far as Scholes, who was set up 25-yards from goal. Scholes struck the ball first-time with a smashing volley that glanced off the underside of the cross bar and settled into the net for a two-goal edge.

With three points all but in the bank, Ronaldo added to his tally five minutes from time as he turned home Gary Neville's driven cross to account for the final tally.

The home side is now winless in its last seven league matches, and has dropped into the middle of the table after a promising start.

In other Premiership action on Saturday, Chelsea kept pace with United as Arjen Robben scored in the final minutes to give the Blues a 3-2 win over Wigan, Liverpool held its spot in third with a 2-0 win over last-place Watford and Arsenal stayed just a point behind the Reds as they thrashed Blackburn 6-2 at the Emirates Stadium. Nicolas Anelka scored twice to lead Bolton to a 2-0 win against Manchester City, Fulham and West Ham split the points in a 0-0 draw, Everton got a goal in each half to blank Reading 2-0 and Middlesbrough did the same to Charlton. Newcastle continued its push up the Premiership table with a 3-1 defeat of Tottenham and Portsmouth downed Sheffield United 3-1 at Fratton Park.

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MySportsbook.com refunds all bets on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay from NFL week one.

(September 14) – Week one of NFL action saw three teams go scoreless for the first time since 1977.  Another four were unable to get a touchdown and almost half of the underdogs covered the spread. Those three teams saved bettors at MySportsbook.com from losing out completely, thanks to the company’s unique NFL Shutout Rule -- which ensures that if the team you backed goes scoreless, your wager is refunded.

Sportsbook refunded tens of thousands of dollars to customers who bet on Oakland, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, the three teams that stunk up the field so badly that their fans and backers never had a chance to get up from their couches and cheer.  In the spirit of the low scoring start to the season, odds makers at the world’s largest online sportsbook and casino have set odds on how many total shutouts there will be this season. 

MySportsbook.com has posted updated sports betting lines for week two of the season.  Ben Roethlisberger’s health status is still questionable, so Willie Parker will try to lead Pittsburgh again as they travel to Jacksonville as a one point favorite.  After beating up on his little brother last week, Peyton Manning will look to lead the Colts to victory against Houston. Indianapolis is a whopping 13.5 favorite in the match-up.

Seattle, last year’s highest scoring team, showed the power of their defense with their gritty 9-6 win in Motown over the ravenous Lions.  They take their act back home to the comforts of Qwest Field where they will face the resurgent Arizona Cardinals.  The Seahawks are favored by a touchdown. 

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