Paddy Power have paid out on Liverpool to become the 2022/23 Premier League champions - before a ball has even been kicked during the upcoming campaign.
Jurgen Klopp's side missed out on the top-flight title last season by a single point, with Manchester City completing a dramatic comeback against Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium to secure top spot and leave the Reds disappointed on the final day for the second time in four years.
Liverpool put down an early marker on Saturday afternoon by defeating Pep Guardiola's men 3-1 to claim the Community Shield and were worthy winners at the home of Leicester City. Whether or not this result will have a lasting impact on the Sky Blues remains to be seen, though Paddy Power are convinced they have seen enough to decide which team will be coming out on top come May.
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The betting company have announced any individual who backed the Reds for Premier League glory prior to yesterday's kick-off will receive their potential winnings immediately, representing a brave call from the bookmakers given how there has been so little between the teams in recent years.
Explaining their reasoning behind this decision, a Paddy Power spokesperson said: "Some say the Community Shield is just a glorified friendly – but you won’t hear that at Paddy Power. Oh no, we take the traditional curtain raiser so seriously that we’ve decided to be ultra-generous and hit the big red button marked ‘Pay Out‘ to punters who backed Liverpool to win the 2022/23 Premier League title prior to them beating Man City at the King Power today. In the very unlikely event that we’ve called this wrong we’ll end up with some very expensive pie on our faces.”
Fellow betting company, BetFred, followed a similar path last season after declaring City champions despite there being 18 matches remaining. Speaking ahead of the Sky Blues' match with Brentford in December, BetFred owner, Fred Done, said: "I have paid out on City.
"If you backed City with me, go and get paid now online or in one of my shops. I am paying out on City. It's going to cost me towards £750,000, but all the City fans can go and celebrate with champagne on New Years Eve. Go and get your dough City fans."
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