Benteke and Sturridge cut for golden boot after opening day strikes

Aston Villa striker Christian Benteke and Liverpool forward Daniel Sturridge made their cases for the Premier League’s top scorer heard on the opening day of the season.

Benteke struck twice as Villa produced a shock 3-1 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates, nodding in a rebound from a penalty before later dispatching another spot-kick.

The Belgian has since been cut from 16/1 to 12/1 for the golden boot this campaign, after finishing fourth top scorer with 19 goals last season.

Benteke performed a transfer U-turn during the summer, signing a contract extension at Villa Park after previously claiming he wanted to move to a bigger club.

And Paul Lambert could be rewarded for convincing the 22-year-old to turn down interest from Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal with more strikes, after a lively display in the capital yielded a brace for his side.

Earlier in the day, Daniel Sturridge got off the mark as Liverpool beat Stoke City 1-0 at Anfield.

Sturridge’s long-range effort was well deserved after an impressive performance for Brendan Rodgers’ outfit, as the Reds started the season with a win.

And the England international has seen his odds for the golden boot this campaign drop from 20/1 into 16/1 as a result.

Last season Sturridge netted 11 league goals, one for Chelsea and 10 for Liverpool following his £12million January move from Stamford Bridge to Anfield.

And with Luis Suarez currently banned and his future the subject of ongoing speculation, Sturridge has the opportunity to become the main man at Liverpool up front.

In their way stands market favourite Robin Van Persie and Sergio Aguero, while Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez and Wayne Rooney share Sturridge’s odds.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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