Premier League · Gameweek 8 Verdict
Gameweek 8 Verdict: 3/10 correct as upsets dominate
Published 26 October 2026 · FootyPulse AI Analysis
The AI managed just 3 correct calls from 10 fixtures in Gameweek 8, as home favourites collapsed across the board. Season accuracy now stands at 43% (33 from 77), with this weekend's chaos reflecting how unpredictable the Premier League can be when confidence meets reality.
The scoreboard
Gameweek 8 delivered a bruising 3 from 10 for the model — one of the toughest weekends so far this season. Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle provided the only wins, while seven fixtures went against the grain. Season accuracy sits at 43% across 77 matches, a reminder that even data-driven systems struggle when upsets cluster.
Biggest upset
Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City was the headline shock. The model backed City with 58% confidence, but Villa turned the form book upside down at home. City's unbeaten run ended, and the AI's most confident call of the weekend turned into its most expensive miss.
Best correct call
Liverpool 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion was the standout success — not because it was obvious, but because it wasn't. The model gave Liverpool just 38% to win, the lowest confidence of any correct pick this gameweek. Brighton's strong underlying numbers made this a genuine toss-up, so getting it right feels like a minor victory amid the carnage.
Every fixture
- Ipswich Town 1-1 Nottingham Forest — Predicted Ipswich (48%), ended draw. ❌
- Aston Villa 2-1 Manchester City — Predicted City (58%), Villa won. ❌
- Coventry City 0-1 Fulham — Predicted Coventry (48%), Fulham won. ❌
- Arsenal 2-0 Everton — Predicted Arsenal (68%), Arsenal won. ✅
- Chelsea 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur — Predicted Chelsea (58%), Spurs won. ❌
- Liverpool 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion — Predicted Liverpool (38%), Liverpool won. ✅
- Crystal Palace 0-2 Newcastle United — Predicted Newcastle (38%), Newcastle won. ✅
- Manchester United 0-3 Bournemouth — Predicted United (58%), Bournemouth won. ❌
- Hull City 1-1 Brentford — Predicted Hull (38%), ended draw. ❌
- Sunderland 0-0 Leeds United — Predicted Leeds (50%), ended draw. ❌
Closing thoughts
Gameweek 8 was a humbling reminder that football doesn't care about probabilities. Home favourites were hammered, 58% picks crumbled, and the two lowest-confidence correct calls (Liverpool and Newcastle, both 38%) carried the day. The model's season accuracy has dipped below the halfway mark, and frankly, weekends like this are why we track everything honestly. See the pre-match preview to compare what the numbers expected versus what actually happened.
Half-time re-predictions this gameweek
At half-time the AI re-reads each match and re-predicts. Here is how those calls did against the pre-match calls, on the same set of Gameweek 8 matches.
Pre-match
3/10
30% correct
At half-time
5/10
50% correct
Where half-time changed the call
Ipswich Town 1–1 Nottingham Forest
Pre-match: Ipswich Town ✗ · Half-time: Draw (2–2) ✓
Why the call changed
- xG 0.4 v 1.4
- Shots on target 3 v 3
- Possession 57% v 43%
Chelsea 0–2 Tottenham Hotspur
Pre-match: Chelsea ✗ · Half-time: Draw (1–1) ✗
Why the call changed
- xG 0.3 v 0.5
- Shots on target 3 v 2
- Possession 30% v 70%
Hull City 1–1 Brentford
Pre-match: Hull City ✗ · Half-time: Draw (1–1) ✓
Why the call changed
- xG 1.0 v 0.5
- Shots on target 1 v 2
- Possession 44% v 56%
Crystal Palace 0–2 Newcastle United
Pre-match: Newcastle United ✓ · Half-time: Crystal Palace (1–0) ✗
Why the call changed
- xG 1.3 v 0.2
- Shots on target 2 v 0
- Possession 46% v 54%
Manchester United 0–3 Bournemouth
Pre-match: Manchester United ✗ · Half-time: Bournemouth (1–3) ✓
Why the call changed
- xG 0.2 v 1.5
- Shots on target 1 v 2
- Possession 55% v 45%
Sunderland 0–0 Leeds United
Pre-match: Leeds United ✗ · Half-time: Sunderland (1–0) ✗
Why the call changed
- xG 0.5 v 0.1
- Shots on target 2 v 0
- Possession 52% v 48%
This is a single gameweek — far too small a sample to read anything into, in either direction. See the running pre-match vs half-time comparison on our accuracy page for the season picture.
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Prediction figures in this article reflect the data available at the time of publication and may have shifted since. See the live Gameweek 8 fixtures for the current numbers on each match.
See how the AI called it before kickoff:
Read the Gameweek 8 preview →