Drogba's double sinks Arsenal

Soccer Betting Lines

02/07/2010 - London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Didier Drogba's first-half brace allowed Chelsea to claim an important 2-0 win over Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, returning the Blues to the top of the Premiership table.

Drogba opened the scoring inside of eight minutes and he added a second goal 15 minutes later, giving Chelsea a two-goal lead they never looked like giving away.

Chelsea moves two points clear of second-placed Manchester United with the win, while Arsenal's title hopes have all but disappeared as they are now nine points off the pace.

John Terry endured a terrible week leading up to the match as he was stripped of the England captaincy amid a scandal involving former teammate Wayne Bridge, but he had a hand in the opening goal early in the match.

A corner kick was played to the near post and Terry was able to flick it on to Drogba at the back post, where the striker easily stuffed it home from two yards out.

Arsenal responded well and they had Chelsea pinned back following the goal, but their best chance came in the 17th minute when Andrei Arshavin's volley eight yards from goal was hit into the legs of goalkeeper Petr Cech.

The hosts sat back and soaked up the Arsenal pressure before hitting the Gunners on the counter attack in the 23rd minute to take a 2-0 lead.

Frank Lampard carried the ball through midfield and played it wide to Drogba, who cut back past two defenders inside the area and lashed a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.

Arsenal wasn't able to create any real good opportunities until the 69th minute when a Cesc Fabregas free kick made its way past the wall and through traffic, only to be turned away by a good save from Cech.

It would be Arsenal's last decent chance as Chelsea easily cruised through the final 20 minutes, with Drogba nearly completing his hat trick six minutes from time with a 30-yard free kick that came back off the crossbar.

Sunday's other match saw Birmingham's Kevin Phillips come off the bench in the second half and score two goals in the final 10 minutes of a 2-1 Birmingham win over Wolverhampton.

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Sportsbook betting odds favor Europe in Ryder Cup

September 19, – Despite holding a decided edge in the all-time series, with 24 wins, 2 ties and 10 losses, Team USA is the underdog again heading into the Ryder Cup in Kidare, Ireland this weekend, according to MySportsbook.com.  The Europeans have captured four of the past five editions, including their largest victory ever, an 18 ½ to 9 ½ thumping in Michigan in 2004. Current Ryder Cup betting odds favor the Europeans to continue their winning ways; they are a 4-5 bet to take the title, compared to 6-5 for the Americans. 

Despite being knocked out in the first round of World Match play by Shaun Micheel, Tiger Woods is predicted to lead the US charge and be their highest point scorer for the week, with odds listed at 9-4 that he outpoints all other American players, including Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson and Chris DiMarco to  name a  few.  Team USA has four relatively unknown players on the roster but all four are 2007 tournament winners and have posted some of season’s best performances, each earning over $1.5 million on the PGA TOUR.  They include Zach Johnson, Vaughan Taylor, JJ Henry and Brett Wetterich.

The experienced European squad includes the likes of Luke Donald, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington, Jose Maria Olazabal and Darren Clarke, who’s emotions will be tested after the passing of his wife to a battle with cancer.  Donald and Garcia are in particularly good form and each is a 5-1 bet to lead the European squad in the points race. Donald has proven he can go head to head with Woods at a major event after a run for the $1.2 million purse at the PGA Championship. Garcia’s Ryder Cup credentials prove he’s ready for battle too.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your golf sportsbook needs.

Ryder Cup Odds

Europe
Tie
USA
4-5
10-1
6-5


Ryder Cup Top US point scorer
Tiger Woods
Jim Furyk
Phil Mickelson
Chris DiMarco
David Toms
Stewart Cink
Chad Campbell
Scott Verplank
Zach Johnson
Vaughan Taylor
JJ Henry
Brett Wetterich
9-4
4-1
5-1
7-1
8-1
12-1
15-1
15-1
25-1
30-1
30-1
50-1


Ryder Cup Top European scorer
Sergio Garcia
Luke Donald
Padraig Harrington
Colin Montgomerie
Darren Clarke
David Howell
Lee Westwood
Paul Casey
Henrik Stenson
Jose Maria Olazabal
Paul McGinley
Robert Karlsson
5-1
5-1
6-1
13-2
8-1
9-1
9-1
11-1
12-1
12-1
20-1
25-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com