• GOOD: October 17 - Prediction: Everton 2 Liverpool 2. "Table-topping Everton are looking to defeat champions Liverpool in the Merseyside derby for the first time since 2010." Actual result: Everton 2 Liverpool 2. Close, but no cigar for Carlo Ancleotti's side in their attempt to end the hoodoo against the Reds. And it was good old VAR to the rescue here as Liverpool's Sadio Mane was denied an injury-time winner by those good folks at Stockley Park, thus preserving this fine piece of prediction work. AP
    GOOD: October 17 - Prediction: Everton 2 Liverpool 2. "Table-topping Everton are looking to defeat champions Liverpool in the Merseyside derby for the first time since 2010." Actual result: Everton 2 Liverpool 2. Close, but no cigar for Carlo Ancleotti's side in their attempt to end the hoodoo against the Reds. And it was good old VAR to the rescue here as Liverpool's Sadio Mane was denied an injury-time winner by those good folks at Stockley Park, thus preserving this fine piece of prediction work. AP
  • BAD: September 19 - Prediction: Manchester United 3 Crystal Palace 0. "It turned out to be a turbulent pre-season for a couple of United players." Actual result: United 1 Crystal Palace 3. Failing to heed my own warning of Harry Maguire and Mason Greenwood's troublesome summer, United capitulated in spectacular fashion as Wilfried Zaha scored twice against his former club. Reuters
    BAD: September 19 - Prediction: Manchester United 3 Crystal Palace 0. "It turned out to be a turbulent pre-season for a couple of United players." Actual result: United 1 Crystal Palace 3. Failing to heed my own warning of Harry Maguire and Mason Greenwood's troublesome summer, United capitulated in spectacular fashion as Wilfried Zaha scored twice against his former club. Reuters
  • UGLY: October 4 - Prediction: Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 2. [Villa] made light work of woeful Fulham ... but will be all too aware that Jurgen Klopp's side are a far different kettle of fish." Actual result: Villa 7 Liverpool 2. I mean, come on! No sane person could have predicted this astonishing result which is a perfect indicator of what a crazy season this has been. Mohamed Salah scored twice and yet still finished losing the match by five goals. Ollie Watkins had never scored a Premier league goal so, obviously, he grabbed a hat-trick at Villa Park against the reigning champions. Reuters
    UGLY: October 4 - Prediction: Aston Villa 1 Liverpool 2. [Villa] made light work of woeful Fulham ... but will be all too aware that Jurgen Klopp's side are a far different kettle of fish." Actual result: Villa 7 Liverpool 2. I mean, come on! No sane person could have predicted this astonishing result which is a perfect indicator of what a crazy season this has been. Mohamed Salah scored twice and yet still finished losing the match by five goals. Ollie Watkins had never scored a Premier league goal so, obviously, he grabbed a hat-trick at Villa Park against the reigning champions. Reuters
  • GOOD: October 31 - Predictions: Sheffield United 0 Manchester City 2, "Anything less than three points... and the alarm bells will be ringing for last season's runners-up." Burnley 0 Chelsea 3, "Surely it is only a matter of time before Chelsea's array of attacking talent propels them back towards the top four." Liverpool 2 West Ham 1, "West Ham ... will provide tricky opposition at Anfield". Actual results: Sheffield United 0 City 1, Burnley 0 Chelsea 3, Liverpool 2 West Ham 1. So close to a perfect day. One solitary City goal from what would have been a magnificent hat-trick ... where's Sergio Aguero when you need him? EPA
    GOOD: October 31 - Predictions: Sheffield United 0 Manchester City 2, "Anything less than three points... and the alarm bells will be ringing for last season's runners-up." Burnley 0 Chelsea 3, "Surely it is only a matter of time before Chelsea's array of attacking talent propels them back towards the top four." Liverpool 2 West Ham 1, "West Ham ... will provide tricky opposition at Anfield". Actual results: Sheffield United 0 City 1, Burnley 0 Chelsea 3, Liverpool 2 West Ham 1. So close to a perfect day. One solitary City goal from what would have been a magnificent hat-trick ... where's Sergio Aguero when you need him? EPA
  • BAD: October 4 - Prediction: Leicester City 3 West Ham 1. "Three wins out of three ... sees the Foxes sitting top of the pile and looking in fine shape." Actual result: Leicester 0 West Ham 3. Another classic result from this silly season. Leicester had just thrashed Manchester City 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium and looked in prime form, only to see West Ham visit the King Power and deal out a ruthless lesson in counter-attacking football. Getty
    BAD: October 4 - Prediction: Leicester City 3 West Ham 1. "Three wins out of three ... sees the Foxes sitting top of the pile and looking in fine shape." Actual result: Leicester 0 West Ham 3. Another classic result from this silly season. Leicester had just thrashed Manchester City 5-2 at the Etihad Stadium and looked in prime form, only to see West Ham visit the King Power and deal out a ruthless lesson in counter-attacking football. Getty
  • UGLY: October 4 - Prediction: Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1. "United recorded one of the luckiest wins in recent league history ... at Brighton. It would be quite funny if they could repeat the trick against moaning Mourinho." Actual result: United 1 Tottenham 6. There was certainly one person laughing at the end of this - and it wasn't me or United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Let down by erratic United once again. Reuters
    UGLY: October 4 - Prediction: Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1. "United recorded one of the luckiest wins in recent league history ... at Brighton. It would be quite funny if they could repeat the trick against moaning Mourinho." Actual result: United 1 Tottenham 6. There was certainly one person laughing at the end of this - and it wasn't me or United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Let down by erratic United once again. Reuters
  • GOOD: November 7 - Prediction: Chelsea 4 Sheffield United 1. "Could be a messy one at Stamford Bridge for the Blades." Actual result: Chelsea 4 Sheffield United 1. Granted, successfully predicting the in-form side that splashed out £220m on new signings this summer would comfortably beat a team without a win all season and just three goals to their name is not exactly Nostradamus, but a prediction right on the nose nonetheless. Getty
    GOOD: November 7 - Prediction: Chelsea 4 Sheffield United 1. "Could be a messy one at Stamford Bridge for the Blades." Actual result: Chelsea 4 Sheffield United 1. Granted, successfully predicting the in-form side that splashed out £220m on new signings this summer would comfortably beat a team without a win all season and just three goals to their name is not exactly Nostradamus, but a prediction right on the nose nonetheless. Getty
  • BAD: October 17 - Prediction: Newcastle 3 Manchester United 2. "How [Manchester United] fair will depend on which Newcastle side turns up." Actual result: Newcastle 1 Manchester United 4. Yes, the Newcastle side that got hammered at home by Brighton turned up at St James' Park again. Am not going to lie, I had the Magpies down to win 3-0 at one point - this had came a week after United had lost 6-1 to Spurs - before reigning myself in. After 85 minutes, the score was 1-1 before Newcastle downed tools and the Red Devils ran riot. Getty
    BAD: October 17 - Prediction: Newcastle 3 Manchester United 2. "How [Manchester United] fair will depend on which Newcastle side turns up." Actual result: Newcastle 1 Manchester United 4. Yes, the Newcastle side that got hammered at home by Brighton turned up at St James' Park again. Am not going to lie, I had the Magpies down to win 3-0 at one point - this had came a week after United had lost 6-1 to Spurs - before reigning myself in. After 85 minutes, the score was 1-1 before Newcastle downed tools and the Red Devils ran riot. Getty
  • UGLY: November 8 - Prediction: Arsenal 2 Aston Villa 0. "Mikel Arteta's team could find themselves in the top four as we head into the latest international break." Actual result: Arsenal 0 Aston Villa 3. Not even close on this one as form was again thrown out the window. Villa had just lost two on the trot while Arsenal were fresh from winning at Manchester United for the first time since 2006. But two-goal Ollie Watkins again had other ideas. Reuters
    UGLY: November 8 - Prediction: Arsenal 2 Aston Villa 0. "Mikel Arteta's team could find themselves in the top four as we head into the latest international break." Actual result: Arsenal 0 Aston Villa 3. Not even close on this one as form was again thrown out the window. Villa had just lost two on the trot while Arsenal were fresh from winning at Manchester United for the first time since 2006. But two-goal Ollie Watkins again had other ideas. Reuters
  • GOOD: September 12 - Prediction: Fulham 1 Arsenal 3. " The Gunners already have one trophy in the bag after beating champions Liverpool in the Community Shield, albeit on penalties." Actual result: Fulham 0 Arsenal 3. Opening game of the new season and just one goal away from a perfect start. This predicting lark was looking easy. Getty
    GOOD: September 12 - Prediction: Fulham 1 Arsenal 3. " The Gunners already have one trophy in the bag after beating champions Liverpool in the Community Shield, albeit on penalties." Actual result: Fulham 0 Arsenal 3. Opening game of the new season and just one goal away from a perfect start. This predicting lark was looking easy. Getty
  • BAD: November 6 - Prediction: Southampton 0 Newcastle United 2. "The Saints go marching on with their excellent start to the season ... But the knee injury to top scorer Danny Ings ... is a huge setback." Actual result: Southampton 2 Newcastle United 0. Despite the fair analysis of losing Ings, this call was nearly as woeful as the Newcastle performance. A convincing Saints win who went top of the Premier League for the first time ever. Reuters
    BAD: November 6 - Prediction: Southampton 0 Newcastle United 2. "The Saints go marching on with their excellent start to the season ... But the knee injury to top scorer Danny Ings ... is a huge setback." Actual result: Southampton 2 Newcastle United 0. Despite the fair analysis of losing Ings, this call was nearly as woeful as the Newcastle performance. A convincing Saints win who went top of the Premier League for the first time ever. Reuters
  • UGLY: November 7 - Prediction: Crystal Palace 1 Leeds United 3. "I see Bielsaball overcoming Roy Hodgson's pragmatism here." Actual result: Crystal Palace 4 Leeds United 1. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp might see Marcelo Bielsa as the best thing since sliced bread, but they have clearly failed to take into account the genius that is the former England manager. A humbling for myself and Bielsaball as alleged "pragmatism" deals out a humiliating lesson. Reuters
    UGLY: November 7 - Prediction: Crystal Palace 1 Leeds United 3. "I see Bielsaball overcoming Roy Hodgson's pragmatism here." Actual result: Crystal Palace 4 Leeds United 1. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp might see Marcelo Bielsa as the best thing since sliced bread, but they have clearly failed to take into account the genius that is the former England manager. A humbling for myself and Bielsaball as alleged "pragmatism" deals out a humiliating lesson. Reuters

Football

From Chelsea's win over Sheffield United to Aston Villa thrashing Liverpool: Good, bad and ugly of Premier League predictions

In what has been a madcap season so far, we take a look back at the perils of trying to predict what is going to happen next

Gareth Cox

November 15, 2020

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Attempting to predict Premier League results this season has been a thankless task to say the least.

I mean, who would have guessed that reigning champions Liverpool would have the second worst defensive record and been on the wrong end of a 7-2 thrashing at Aston Villa?

Or that Manchester United, who finished last season so strongly, would be sitting in the bottom half of the table in mid-November having lost 3-1 to Crystal Palace and 6-1 against Spurs, both at Old Trafford?

Or that Villa, stuck in a relegation dogfight for most of last season, would start the campaign with four wins on the spin? Or that Manchester City would be thrashed 5-2 at home to Leicester, only for the Foxes to go on and lose 3-0 to West Ham at the King Power Stadium a week later?

Looking at the table right now, we have Southampton and Villa in the top six, while City, Arsenal and United sit 10th, 11th and 14th, respectively. This is not your average season, to say the least.

So with the international break still in full swing and as we await the return of the craziest season in memory, what better time to take a look back at the good, the bad and the ugly of this season's Premier League predictions. To view the next image, click on the arrows or just swipe.

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