Gameweek 3: the biggest call lands, but draws bite back
The crowd’s most confident call landed: 98% backed Manchester City FC, who beat Coventry City FC 1-0. That was the clearest agreement of Gameweek 3, and the result justified it. A good start for the group chat, then, though the rest of the Premier League round offered plenty of reasons to keep the celebrations sensible.
Results called right
44%
Up 3 points on the season (41%)
Exact scores nailed
12%
Up 4 points on the season (8%)
Confidence rewarded
City were not the only popular call to come through. Liverpool FC had 91% backing and won 0-2 away at Ipswich Town FC, giving the crowd another strong result to point to.
There was also satisfaction for the 75% who backed Arsenal FC, with a 2-1 win over Chelsea FC. Those were the standout examples of confidence matching the outcome. Calling the result and nailing the score are different challenges, mind.
Crowd vs reality
Manchester City FC 1-0 Coventry City FC
Ipswich Town FC 0-2 Liverpool FC
Arsenal FC 2-1 Chelsea FC
Fulham 2-3 Crystal Palace
Brentford 1-1 Sunderland
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Leeds United
Where the consensus came unstuck
Only 20% backed Crystal Palace to win at Fulham, but the visitors took it 2-3. A less popular call, and a rather satisfying one for anyone on that side of the argument.
The draws caused trouble too. Brentford finished 1-1 with Sunderland, an outcome backed by 20%. Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion drew 1-1 with Leeds United, with 23% calling the draw. Not much room for collective smugness there.
A split crowd, a shared point
The most divided fixture was Nottingham Forest v Tottenham Hotspur FC. Nottingham Forest attracted 42%, the draw 26%, and Tottenham Hotspur FC 32%.
It finished 0-0, so the least popular of those outcomes was the right one. Neither team had majority backing beforehand, and the result left the draw callers with the bragging rights. Sometimes sitting between the opposing camps is exactly the right place to be.
Better than the season benchmark
Across 10 completed games, with calls covering all 10, result accuracy was 44%. That sits above the season figure of 41%, even with those awkward outcomes in the mix.
Exact-score accuracy reached 12%, compared with 8% for the season. These crowd figures include every player, so this is the full picture rather than a selection of the best efforts. Better than the season benchmarks on both measures, but still plenty to argue over with your mates.
The crowd table has its own ideas
The crowd rates Aston Villa and Manchester United lower, while Hull City AFC and Ipswich Town FC are rated higher.
That adds another talking point beyond the weekend’s correct calls. Ipswich can appear among the crowd’s higher-rated teams even in a round when Liverpool’s win against them was so strongly backed.
Bring on Gameweek 4
There is no most-backed list available for Gameweek 4 yet. This week’s strongest backing went to Manchester City FC, Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC, and all delivered wins, but that is a recap, not a verdict on the next round. Time to put the bragging rights back up for discussion: gather your mates and make your calls.