Supercomputer Predicts Premier League Title Winner After Man City’s Dramatic Victory Over Arsenal

Pep Guardiola’s side picked up their biggest win of the season on Sunday.

A huge win for Man City. | Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

Sunday’s meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal was billed as a potential title decider. While the race is not over mathematically, a huge hammerblow was dealt at the Etihad Stadium.

It was Pep Guardiola’s City who emerged victorious, snatching a nervy 2–1 win to move just three points behind Arsenal in the standings ahead of their midweek game against Burnley, before the Gunners next play. We could be looking at a straight shoot-out as to which team scores the most goals between now and the end of the season.

With a mammoth weekend now in the books, the Opta supercomputer has offered up its latest prediction for the Premier League title race.

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Supercomputer Predicts Premier League Title Race

The battle between Arsenal and Man City continues. | Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images

Position	Team	Current Points	Expected Points	Title Chances
1.	Arsenal	70	80.77	72.97%
2.	Man City	67	78.16	27.03%

Despite their crushing defeat on Sunday, Arsenal are still top of the predicted standings.

The supercomputer gives Arsenal a 72.97% chance of retaining top spot all the way to the end of the season, predicting City will end the season two points behind their fierce rivals and giving them just 27.03% chance of toppling Arsenal.

City are back in action on Wednesday against strugglers Burnley, when a victory could steer them to first place with just five games remaining.

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Supercomputer Predicts Champions League Qualification Race

Things are looking good for Man Utd. | Ash Donelon/Manchester United/Getty Images

Position	Team	Current Points	Expected Points	Qualification Chances
3.	Aston Villa	58	65.89	98.64%
4.	Man Utd	58	65.62	98.64%
5.	Liverpool	55	62.63	88.86%
6.	Bournemouth	48	55.32	2.55%
7.	Chelsea	48	55.18	4.75%
8.	Brighton	47	54.90	2.85%
9.	Brentford	48	54.34	2.47%
10.	Everton	47	53.81	0.83%
11.	Sunderland	46	52.25	0.22%
12.	Fulham	45	51.12	0.04%

Manchester United’s victory over Chelsea on Saturday has sealed a spot in the Champions League in every sense but mathematically. While the Red Devils still could tumble out of the qualification places, they almost certainly aren’t going to, backed with a 98.64% chance of qualifying.

Both Aston Villa and Liverpool boosted their own chances of finishing in the top five with late victories on Sunday. Virgil van Dijk’s 100th-minute header against Everton opens up a seven-point cushion for the Reds, with Villa a further three points up thanks to their own stoppage-time triumph over Sunderland.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have lost all sense of form at the worst possible time, tumbling out of the Champions League spots and in danger of missing out on any European action at all next season, such are the fine margins in this area of the table.

Tied on 48 points with the Blues are Brentford and Bournemouth, and the Cherries are even backed to leapfrog Liam Rosenior’s side into sixth. That being said, Chelsea’s chances of qualifying (4.75%) are still higher than Bournemouth (2.55%).

Brighton, Everton, Sunderland and Fulham are all on the outside looking in, well aware that just one good result could send them flying up the standings.

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Supercomputer Predicts Premier League Relegation Battle

Position	Team	Current Points	Expected Points	Relegation Chances
16.	Nott’m Forest	36	41.95	4.43%
17.	West Ham	32	38.40	38.97%
18.	Tottenham	31	36.92	56.16%
19.	Burnley	20	24.23	100.00%
20.	Wolves	17	22.95	100.00%

Leeds United fans will be delighted to see their team left out of this section. Victory over bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers leaves Daniel Farke’s side eight points clear of the drop zone with five games left to play.

Wolves’ fate has been sealed for months now and could be made official on Monday if West Ham United get anything from their visit to Crystal Palace. The same outcome is coming Burnley’s way in the next few weeks, with both sides given 100% chances of relegation.

The identity of the team joining Burnley and Wolves in the Championship next season is up for debate. Tottenham Hotspur currently occupy that unwanted spot after conceding a late equalizer to Brighton on Saturday, leaving them one point behind West Ham having played one game more.

West Ham’s chances of survival will be impacted by Monday’s game, but if their odds of relegation are anywhere close to the 38.97% they currently sit at, Nuno Espírito Santo will be satisfied.

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