All three victories have been impressive in different ways. They put five past Coventry City in a dominant performance, three past champions Arsenal following some tactical ingenuity from Hurzeler, and two more past Sunderland today despite playing the majority of the second half with 10 men after Pascal Struijk ’s red card.

Arsenal remain favourites with the betting sites to retain the Premier League title, despite trailing Manchester City in the table.

References to the verdict were not difficult to find at stalls outside