Bookies end title race by becoming first to pay out on Arsenal Premier League victory

Arsenal's win over Manchester United on Sunday has cause one bookies to become the first to pay out on them going on to win the Premier League.

There's a long way still to go, as every single pundit keeps saying, but the Gunners win over United was certainly a big step in their chase for the title.

Erik ten Hag's side went into the game knowing they'd inflicted the only defeat on Mikel Arteta's side in the league this season and another victory could put themselves into the title race.

Marcus Rashford may have got United off to the perfect start but it was Eddie Nketiah's second goal of the evening that eventually decided the match.

Having defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby the previous weekend, it left the Gunners in a very good position in the table.

They now lead closest rivals Manchester City by five points and even have a game in hand over Pep Guardiola's team, who are looking more fallible than they ever previously have, although still very dangerous.

That's probably why bookies Stake.com have decided to end the title race and just hand out money to anyone who backed the north Londoners to win the title this year.

Having started at 28/1 to win the league, as fifth favourites, hundreds of punters will be getting their winnings now, including one lucky gambler who is picking up £14,000 before the longest month of the year has finished.

Nketiah scores the winner. Image: Alamy

Head of Sportsbook Marketing for Stake, Jarrod Febbraio said, "We’re calling it early - Arsenal are this season’s Premier League Champions.

"We’ve seen enough of the Gunners to make the decision to pay out on all bets for them to be crowned champions, so fans who had the faith at the start of term won’t have to wait any longer to be paid out.

"Despite starting the season as the fifth most likely side to lift the title, they’ve stormed to the top of the table in style and we don’t see City, Manchester United or any other rival catching them, meaning we’ll hand over thousands in early payouts so the red side of North London can get the title party started early.”

The odds have slowly been reducing on the title heading to the club for the first time since their undefeated league season in 2003/04.

Outside of the payouts, anyone wanting to jump on the Arsenal hype train now would only get odds of 7/10 for the title to go to Arteta's side.

Image: Alamy

Fans of Manchester City might be raising their eyebrows with intrigue that someone thinks that the title race has already been run, and won.

The team who have won the title in the previous two seasons still have to face the current league leaders home and away, with the first game coming on February 15th at the Emirates Stadium.

Wins in those two game would put them right back in the title picture, even though the Gunners still have a game in hand over second place.

There are very few people that would worry Arsenal right now however, with the sort of form they've been in all throughout the campaign showing no signs of slowing down.