Premier League predictions: Man United vs Brighton, Arsenal vs Crystal Palace and the rest of Matchday 9 - The Athletic

The Athletic's Premier League predictions challenge for week nine highlights Arsenal's strong defensive performance, which has benefited the algorithm's accuracy. The algorithm correctly predicted Arsenal's recent 2-0 win against West Ham United and 1-0 victory at Fulham, earning an extra seven points due to precise scoreline predictions.

Arsenal has conceded only three goals in eight Premier League matches, putting them on track to potentially break Chelsea's record from the 2004-05 season. Across all competitions, they have kept nine clean sheets in 12 games, underscoring their defensive strength. A subscriber named Matthew correctly noted Arsenal's low concession rate, while the author's prediction of a 2-1 win over Fulham was incorrect, reinforcing the algorithm's superiority in this instance.

In the challenge, four participants—a guest subscriber, a six-year-old named Wilfred, the algorithm, and the author—predict Premier League results each week. Points are awarded as follows: three points for a correct scoreline, one point for a correct result, and a bonus point for any unique correct prediction. For example, subscriber Steve earned eight points last week by accurately predicting two results, including a bonus for Burnley's 2-0 win over Leeds United.

Steve's performance brought the subscribers back into contention, while the author had a poor week due to underestimating teams like Bournemouth and Brentford. Wilfred also scored eight points, correctly predicting Brighton's 2-1 win over Newcastle and other results, though he regretted Arsenal not scoring a second goal against Fulham. Notably, no one predicted Aston Villa's win at Tottenham or Manchester United's victory over Liverpool, and Brentford's win over West Ham was also missed by all predictors.

The algorithm now leads the competition by five points, demonstrating its reliability, especially in forecasting Arsenal's outcomes. The challenge continues to showcase varying levels of success among the participants.