Beating the final whistle

The English Premier League (EPL) wrapped up its 2023-24 campaign over the weekend, but not before bettors made their final marks at the sportsbooks with a few crazy parlays.

took home more than $40,000 from a $53.39 wager on the first goalscorer in seven matches

Among the many winners were a couple of parlay bettors, one of whom took home more than $40,000 from a $53.39 wager on the first goalscorer in seven matches. Another turned $12.71 into $13,845.06 after they correctly predicted the winner of the top five leagues of English soccer.

While there won’t be any more EPL action for a few months, there’s a summer of headlines soon to come. But before those arrive, here’s a look at a few of the best EPL bets and parlays that were won on the final day of the season.

Remarkable EPL parlays 

The first parlay involving first goalscorers was not just a feat of skill at unprecedented odds, it involved wit and timing as well.

The bet included the following legs in a five-fold bet:

• Harvey Barnes first goalscorer
• Simon Adingra first goalscorer
• Jean-Philippe Mateta first goalscorer
• Alexis Mac Allister first goalscorer
• Phil Foden first goalscorer
• Dejan Kulusevski first goalscorer
• Gabriel Martinelli first goalscorer

Of those seven legs, two missed: Martinelli and Adingra. However, the bettor cashed out for the grand prize of $41,144.66 in the nick of time.

“It was 21, 5 fold bets,” the bettor wrote on their X (formerly Twitter) account. “£19,700 ($25,035.35) for the five fold that won when five had scored and I assume the extra was the potential that another of the two could still score.”

An hour and change after that bettor cashed out, X user Joe Briant walked away with their near-$14,000 prize as Manchester City defeated West Ham United to wrap up their record fourth straight EPL title and cashed the final leg of the parlay.

The improbable bet included the following legs:

• Chesterfield English National League Winner
• Portsmouth Sky Bet League One Winner
• Stockport County Sky Bet League Two Winner
• Leicester Sky Bet Championship Winner
• Manchester City Premier League Winner

Man City needed a win on the final day to hold off Arsenal, who finished two points behind the champions and would have won the title on goal difference had West Ham played City to a draw.

More odds shake-ups and outlooks

EPL odds weren’t thrown for a loop only with the parlays. Just a few weeks ago, Man City was nearly even with Arsenal in title odds at +150 and +175, respectively. This was the season after Arsenal set the record for the latest blown lead in the table to, guess who, Man City.

Chelsea also made a late comeback and finished sixth in the table despite being 11th in on March 30 after a 2-2 draw with Burnley. They were even a +225 underdog to finish in the top six on May 7, while Newcastle, who finished seventh, was -250.

Erling Haaland won the Golden Boot as expected, followed by the newly-announced PFA Young Player of the Season, Cole Palmer.

Ollie Watkins surprisingly won the assist title with 13 as he helped propel Aston Villa to its best finish since 1995-96. Palmer again finished second with 11, followed by the odds-on favorite, Kevin De Bruyne, who tied eight others with 10.

unsure how he would motivate his team next year

According to bet365, Man City is a -110 favorite to win the league for the fifth straight time in 2024-25 despite manager Pep Guardiola admitting in his post-match interview on Sunday that he was unsure how he would motivate his team next year.

Arsenal is second in odds to win the league at +225, followed by Liverpool (+800), Chelsea (+2000), Newcastle United (+2500), and Manchester United (+2500).

The final bit of EPL action will come in the FA Cup Final between Man City and Man United on Saturday. There are -330 odds of a City win, +450 odds on a draw, and +700 of a United win after 90 minutes, per FanDuel.