It was a day for the road warriors in the Premier League on October 17th. Liverpool edged Brentford 2-1, Chelsea shut out Everton 2-0, and Aston Villa slipped past Newcastle United 1-0, making it three straight away wins to open the slate. Manchester City provided the lone home victory, surviving a stiff test from Ipswich Town in a 3-2 thriller at the Etihad. Fulham also held on at home, defeating Hull City 1-0 in a tight affair. The day belonged to the visitors, who largely controlled the narrative across the league.
The XO Sports model had a modest afternoon, going 2-for-5 on the day. Both correct calls came on the home side, with the model nailing Manchester City over Ipswich and Fulham over Hull City. Where things went sideways was in the three away victories. The model favored Brentford, Everton, and Newcastle at home, all of which fell short. No top picks were designated for this slate, so there were no marquee calls to lean on. The model’s predicted scores were closest in the Manchester City match, reflecting its stronger confidence there, with a 63 percent probability attached to that pick.