An unfortunate punter was denied a sensational £37,306 payout by Raphael Varane as Manchester United dug deep to earn a goalless draw against Liverpool. The Red Devils managed to claim their first point at Anfield in over two years, with both sides lacking the required quality to break the deadlock.
Varane was picked to start at the back for United, playing the whole 90 minutes and helping the visitors to keep a clean sheet at the home of their greatest rivals. The Frenchman was among his side’s best performers in defence but, like all of his team-mates, was unable to come up with a winning goal.
One punter was desperately hoping for Varane to score in order to secure a payout of more than £37,000 as part of an audacious bet. The elusive goal never arrived, though, leaving United fan Josh to reflect on what might have been at the final whistle.
He took to X, formerly Twitter, to share the details of his incredible bet prior to kick-off at Anfield. A goal from Varane would have seen Josh laughing all the way to the bank after placing a stake of just £1, with his other selections coming in before the start of the match.
Josh had successfully predicted that Gabriel Jesus and Ollie Watkins would score from headers and that Mohammed Kudus would find the back of the net from outside the box. His four-fold bet was just one away from coming up trumps and would have seen him pocket huge winnings if Varane had managed to head home against Liverpool.
Unfortunately for Josh, his incredible bet fell through at the last hurdle due to Varane’s failure to break the deadlock at Anfield. He did not seem too upset after the final whistle, though, as he posted: “What a ride, made the day out five times better which is what it’s all about. Zero corners meant no chance.”
Varane was a rock at the back alongside Jonny Evans as United kept Liverpool at bay to earn a welcome point at the end of a tough week. His defensive efforts were hailed after the match by former Red Devils striker Quinton Fortune, who said that it was one of the finest performances he had seen from a United player.
“He is a leader, that’s what you want to see from a centre-back,” explained Fortune on MUTV. “That’s one of the best performances I’ve seen. At Anfield with [Darwin] Nunez, [Mohamed] Salah running at you. Let’s hope he stays fit, please God, because he’s a very, very important player for us.”
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