Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Manchester United win with a probability of 80%. A draw had a probability of 13.4% and a win for Reading had a probability of 6.61%.
The most likely scoreline for a Manchester United win was 2-0 with a probability of 13.29%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 3-0 (11.64%) and 1-0 (10.12%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (6.37%), while for a Reading win it was 0-1 (2.42%). The actual scoreline of 3-1 was predicted with a 7.3% likelihood. Our team at Sports Mole and our data analysis both correctly predicted that Manchester United would win this match.