Top 3 winning bets from Wednesday's football & darts

Who is in the EFL Cup final four?

Arsenal are the first team into the semi-finals of the EFL Cup after thrashing League 1 Sunderland 5-1. Eddie Nketiah scored a hat-trick and Nicolas Pepe and 18-year-old debutant Charlie Patino were also on the scoresheet as the Gunners negotiated a potential banana skin with ease. The draw for the semi-finals will be made after the other three quarter-finals on Wednesday night.

Eddie Nketiah Super Mega Minutes (settled at 289)

England Under-21 striker Nketiah has got the reputation as a bit of a specialist in this competition, and he made it five goals in three games this season with his three predatory finishes. The spread for his Super Mega Minutes – which double the goal minutes of a 2^nd strike and trebles those of a 3^rd – was set at 45-52, so buyers pocketed a tasty 237 times their bet.

Were there any shocks at the World Darts Championship?

Dimitri van den Bergh, the number 5 seed for this year’s tournament, became the biggest casualty so far, going down 3-1 to little known German Florian Hempel in the 2^nd Round last night. Hempel took the opening set, but when Van Den Bergh took three straight legs to level at 1-1, it looked like he’d found his groove and would make his experience tell. However, it was Hempel who went up a gear, dominating the final two sets to send the Belgian home for Christmas.

Highest Checkout x Total 180s (settled at 1562)

This was a top-quality match, with the German debutant Hempel starting fast, Van Den Bergh coming back into the match but then being shut down again by the young upstart. Van Den Bergh had the most 180s, winning that battle 6-5, and also the highest checkout at 142, so he did most of the heavy lifting in this Highest Checkout x Total 180s market. The spread was set at 1128-1203, meaning buyers won 359 times their stake.

How are Barcelona doing under Xavi in La Liga?

Barca missed the chance to go 4^th in La Liga, being held to a 1-1 draw at Sevilla despite their opponents being reduced to 10 men. Alejandro Gomez put the hosts ahead following a well rehearsed training ground routine, but Ronald Araujo headed Barcelona level just before half-time. Chelsea target Jules Kounde was sent off for throwing the ball at Jordi Alba in the 64^th minute, but the visitors couldn’t find a winner despite having plenty of chances. Bizarrely, in injury time, one of the best fell to Luuk de Jong, on loan at Barcelona from Sevilla, but he couldn’t find the finish he was looking for, heading straight at home keeper Bono.

Multi-Bookings (settled at 1100)

We saw plenty of buying in our bookings markets for last night’s match, and those expecting a feisty encounter weren’t disappointed. The Multi-Bookings market multiplies total 1^st half bookings points by total 2^nd half, and with five yellows and a red card in this match, buyers were well in profit. The Multi-Bookings spread was set at 755-875, so buyers won 225 times their bet.