Ba brace denies Toffees
NEWCASTLE’S Demba Ba foiled a huge gamble on Everton with a late equaliser in a pulsating 2-2 draw at Goodison Park on Monday night.
The Toffees had been backed from 5-6 into 8-13 by kick-off and traded at 1.07 on Betdaq after Victor Anichebe appeared to have won the game with his 88th-minute strike. However, Ba scored his second goal of the game two minutes later to seal a draw for the visitors.
Leighton Baines had put Everton ahead early on – the left-back was a 16-1 shot to open the scoring. Hills make Everton 5-1 and Newcastle 10-1 to finish in the top four this season.
Juventus are no bigger than 4-6 to retain their Serie A title after claiming their third win in three games at Genoa on Sunday.
The Old Lady’s 3-1 win keeps them top of the league on goal difference at this early stage of the season but Napoli and Lazio also have 100 per cent records.
However, Inter are seen as the biggest threat to Juve’s chances – Andrea Stramaccioni’s men are 11-2 to win the title after a 2-0 victory at Torino. City rivals Milan, who were second-favourites in the ante-post betting, are out to 14-1 with Blue Square after a poor start.
Juventus’s most pressing concern is tomorrow night’s Champions League Group E match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian champions look likely to face John Terry, who suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s 0-0 draw at QPR but should be fit after coming through training yesterday.
There was bad news for QPR yesterday as it was confirmed that striker Andy Johnson faces a long lay-off with a cruciate ligament injury sustained against Chelsea.
Rangers will be without David Templeton for their Challenge Cup quarter-final against Queen of the South on Tuesday.
The winger could be sidelined for weeks with ankle ligament damage, while striker Andy Little also misses out with a foot injury. Rangers are 2-7 to win in 90 minutes.
