Liverpool v Manchester United: The fiercest rivalry in English football
Liverpool and Manchester United share one of the most bitter rivalries in England.
It says everything about the fierce nature of the feud between the Reds that it as seen as each side’s biggest fixture on the Premier League calendar.
Even though United have Manchester City and the L4 club have Everton, nothing quite comes close to the clashes between England’s most successful teams.
Between them, the two outfits have won 40 league titles, 21 FA Cups, 16 League Cups, 13 European titles and two Club World Cups, summing up their dominance.
The distance of just 35 miles between the two sides also contributes to forming what is a sizable rivalry, one fueled by the hunt for success over the other.
Liverpool v Manchester United record
It is fair to say that in recent years, the Merseysiders have gotten the better of their biggest enemies on the Premier League stage.
This has seen the Red Devils pick up just three league wins over their rivals since 2016, with Liverpool going unbeaten in the last five league meetings.
An Amad Diallo goal was enough to secure an FA Cup quarter-final win for the Old Trafford club in March 2024, but this is as good as it has been for them in recent years.
That isn’t to say that United don’t have the upper hand historically when it comes to their record in the derby, having nearly 20 more wins than the Liverpudlians.
This has seen a record of 82 wins for Liverpool, 71 draws and 91 wins for Manchester United be racked up since the first clash between the two back in 1894 when United were known as Newton Heath.
| Result | |
| Liverpool | 82 |
| Draw | 71 |
| Manchester United | 91 |
Liverpool v Manchester United historic quotes
There is certainly no love lost between the two clubs, with Sir Alex Ferguson proving this and then some with a historic line in a pre-match press conference.
He once said: “My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their perch. And you can print that.”
That isn’t to say that the Scouse side of the rivalry hasn’t had things to say in a similar ilk, with Robbie Fowler saying: “You admire them for what they’ve achieved and respect them, but, as Liverpool, we think we’re better.”
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher had similar thoughts and feelings with his iconic line, “Let’s get this clear: I want United to lose every time they play. I’m pleased when they lose.”
Liverpool v Manchester United iconic matches and moments
With such tension behind every meeting between the two English giants, it is little surprise that many iconic moments are seen.
In recent years, Jurgen Klopp’s men secured a majestic 7-0 win over United at Anfield, just two years after they scored five at Old Trafford back in October 2021.
In years before this, games had become more competitive, and they were full of memorable moments for both clubs to look back on fondly.
In September 2010, Dimitar Berbatov netted a hat-trick in the M16 to help his side secure a 3-2 win before going on to win the Premier League title.
This helped their supporters forget the pain of the year before when Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena helped secure a famous 4-1 win away from home, where Nemanja Vidic had an afternoon to forget.
These sorts of memorable moments have made this derby what it is, with fans always able to think back to the huge clashes, such as the 3-3 draw in January 1994.
United went 3-0 up after just 24 minutes on Merseyside, but thanks to a late Neil Ruddock goal with barely 10 minutes to spare, the Reds salvaged a point.
Sign up for the Liverpool News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Liverpool news sent straight to your phone.