Our leading tipster, Lewis Jones—better known in the betting community as Jones Knows—was on fire last weekend, delivering a standout performance that many are now hoping he can replicate. The big question on everyone’s mind is whether he can once again produce that kind of magic.
Anfield is set to showcase an attacking brand of football, especially now that Liverpool have re‑engineered their squad and brought in a manager with a clear offensive pedigree, Andoni Iraola. While the home side’s flair is undeniable, the betting market seems to be demanding more goal contributions from Nottingham Forest than they have actually demonstrated under Oliver Glasner’s stewardship. Forest’s recent form highlights this concern. In both of their matches against Leeds United they failed to find the back of the net, managing a meagre 1.4 expected goals across a full 180 minutes of play.
The lack of a cutting edge in the final third has become a worrying trend for a side that has struggled to create clear‑cut chances. Glasner has been vocal about the challenges he inherited at Forest: key player exits, a period of upheaval, and limited time to embed his tactical ideas. Building a cohesive project often requires patience, and the data suggests that his teams have yet to adjust fully to his system. A historical footnote adds further intrigue.
In the five meetings between Glasner‑led squads and Iraola’s sides, Forest have managed to score in only one encounter, failing to find the net in four of those games. This pattern reinforces the idea that a low‑scoring affair could be on the cards, making an under‑2.5‑goals market at 5/4 with Sky Bet appear to be a value proposition. Turning to individual players, Kiernan Dewsbury‑Hall continues to attract attention.
After his goal against Crystal Palace featured in last week’s column, I am still backing him at 4/1 with Sky Bet. The reason is simple: he no longer fits the traditional mould of a central midfielder.
In the Palace game he operated in an advanced No 10 role, acting as a genuine goal threat and finishing with a superb left‑footed strike after slipping inside the box. He recorded three attempts, one on target, and logged four touches inside the opposition penalty area. His involvement didn’t stop there. In the mid‑week clash with Preston, albeit a Championship side, he registered seven shots.
While the opposition was a step below Premier League quality, the performance reinforced a pattern I observed against Palace—Dewsbury‑Hall is being given licence to attack. He now works alongside Thierno Barry, exploiting pockets between midfield and defence and positioning himself to finish moves rather than merely making late runs from deeper positions.
Bournemouth, hosting the match, should provide him with further opportunities to showcase this evolved role. There is an appealing narrative when two newly‑promoted clubs meet early in a Premier League season. In the last 36 such fixtures, the total goal line has exceeded 1.5 goals on 35 occasions, indicating a strong propensity for scoring. Moreover, the most recent five promoted teams to play their inaugural home game of the campaign have all secured victory, suggesting that history favours a positive result for Coventry.
However, Frank Lampard’s side still wrestles with defensive frailties, having been exposed by Arsenal in a 3‑0 loss on opening day and then conceding twice to Plymouth in the Carabao Cup. Hull City, meanwhile, have launched their season in spectacular fashion.
Their 2‑0 triumph over Manchester United demonstrated aggression, disciplined organization, and a set‑piece threat that could trouble many opponents this term. From a betting‑system perspective, a one‑unit stake on Hull whenever they have started a game at odds longer than 2/1 since the start of last season would have yielded a £34.96 profit, thanks to wins at Millwall (twice), Middlesbrough, and the headline‑grabbing victory over United.
Given this context, a safer approach might be to remove the result from consideration entirely and opt for both teams to score and over 2.5 goals at evens with Sky Bet. Betting often forces us to decide whether a poor performance signals a deeper issue or simply creates a pricing inefficiency.
I lean toward the latter when it comes to Tottenham Hotspur. Their 3‑0 defeat at Brentford was, frankly, disastrous. Spurs appeared disjointed, physically outmatched, and defensively vulnerable.
Roberto De Zerbi himself admitted after the match that his side was "not a team" yet. Yet, I am prepared to give them another chance.
De Zerbi boasts an impressive record in the immediate aftermath of heavy defeats: his teams have won eight of the eleven matches following a loss by three or more goals, averaging 2.1 goals in those games. This sample size is sufficient for me to view Tottenham, currently priced at 6/5 with Sky Bet, as a worthwhile bet.
The Brentford loss had mitigating factors. Spurs fielded five competitive debutants, were missing Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro, and several players returned late from the World Cup or experienced disrupted pre‑season preparations. While none of this excuses the performance, it suggests that the issues are, at least in part, fixable. There is also a sense that the squad’s cavalry is returning.
I am not yet convinced that Tottenham have reverted fully to the pre‑season expectations, but the home‑win odds look attractive and the scenario aligns with a classic reaction‑type game for De Zerbi’s men. Chelsea, on the other hand, may be cultivating the league’s most potent attack.
Their recent 3‑1 victory over Fulham displayed aggression, verticality, and a controlled chaos that left many pundits talking. Xabi Alonso deployed Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers in supporting roles behind João Pedro; the trio combined for all three goals, and Alonso praised them as central to his vision.
Their electric performance, however, was tempered by a defensive lapse when Robert Sánchez made a costly error, allowing Fulham two chances to exploit a vulnerable back line. The lack of authority from the goalkeeper undermines the defensive cohesion. If Chelsea can resolve that structural weakness, I am confident they will regularly produce high‑scoring games.
Consequently, betting on over 2.5 goals and both teams to score should become a staple for Chelsea fixtures, beginning with a 4/5 price from Sky Bet. Brentford, despite firing 26 shots and posting an expected‑goals tally of 3.87—the highest of the opening weekend—have struggled to replicate that firepower away from home, averaging just 1.15 goals per game under Keith Andrews. Their previous meeting with Hull ended 0‑0, a dull affair with a combined xG of only 0.98, suggesting both managers may prioritize avoiding defeat over attacking intent. In that context, a draw and under 2.5 goals at 100/30 with Sky Bet appears a respectable price.
While many focused on Cole Palmer after Fulham’s 3‑2 loss to Chelsea, Josh King also delivered an impressive performance. The teenage forward scored Fulham’s opening goal at Craven Cottage, recorded three shots (two on target), and constantly threatened in transition. Rather than a one‑off flash, King acted as Fulham’s primary attacking outlet, showing willingness to carry the ball and take responsibility.
The market still treats him as an emerging talent, but his 9/2 odds to score with Sky Bet present an intriguing option in a tightly contested match. Set‑piece opportunities also merit attention. Manchester United won just 42 % of their duels in the 2‑0 loss to Hull, the lowest figure among Premier League sides on the opening weekend, highlighting a physical deficiency.
Since Michael Carrick took charge, United have conceded 20 league goals in 18 matches, half of which have come from dead‑ball situations—a ratio only surpassed by Bournemouth and Leeds. Hull exploited this weakness perfectly, scoring both goals from set pieces at Old Trafford. Ipswich Town’s defender Dara O’Shea is the first‑contact man on set pieces for the club, averaging 0.95 shots per 90 minutes over the last year—a remarkable figure for a defender and an indicator of Ipswich’s aggressive targeting of his aerial ability.
He is priced at evens for at least one shot and 18/1 to score with Sky Bet. Arsenal’s new signing, Christos Tzolis, made an instant impact on his Premier League debut, delivering a fearless performance against Coventry.
He logged four shots and eight touches inside the opposition box—more than any Arsenal player in that match. At 15/8 to score with Sky Bet in a game where Arsenal are heavy favourites, he represents a player worth considering.
Conversely, Matty Cash is offered at 11/4 to be booked, a compelling proposition given his likely role in marking Tzolis. Cash received twelve cards last season, and Tzolis, during his time at Club Brugge, drew a card every 206 minutes—a strikingly high rate. In summary, the early Premier League schedule offers a mix of value bets across goal markets, set‑piece specialists, and emerging talents.
By analysing team form, historical trends, and individual player contributions, bettors can identify opportunities that the market has yet to fully price in.