The bitter rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool is widely regarded as one of the fiercest feuds in world football. While both clubs have more localised rivalries, against Manchester City and Everton respectively, the competition between the two biggest football teams in the northwest is considered the main rivalry by supporters, pundits and former players alike.
Both clubs have both become mainstays in the upper echelon of the Premier League and are two of the most passionately supported teams in the country. The fixture between the two teams, often referred to as the ‘Northwest Derby’, is one of the first games all football fans look out for when the season’s fixture list is released.
As the two of the most successful clubs in English football history, it is easy to see why the competition between the two historic teams is as intense as it is. However, that would be doing a disservice to the century-spanning tensions between the two cities, as the animosity between the football clubs goes far deeper than simply a sporting rivalry.
Despite being situated just 35 miles apart, there is a distinctive difference in identity and culture as the two northern cities often clash over their views on music, sports and other cultural values.
The tensions between the people of Liverpool and Manchester can be dated back to the Industrial Revolution which saw economic and industrial competition develop between the cities. Up until the 18th century, Manchester had a far greater population than Liverpool and was considered the major city of the north. However, by the end of the century, Liverpool had developed into a major seaport which was integral to the growth of the northern cotton mill industry. Over the following decades, Liverpool’s growth saw it overtake Manchester, and it became known as Great Britain’s ‘second city’ during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Tensions between the cities grew further following the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, which was funded and developed by Mancunian merchants and was vehemently opposed by Liverpudlian politicians at the time. A disdain developed between the working-class dockers of Liverpool and Manchester labourers following the completion of the canal in 1894. The canal was completed just three months before the first meeting between Manchester United (known then as Newton Heath) and Liverpool football club and the sporting rivalry between the two cities was born.
The head-to-head feud between the two football clubs developed during the 1960s after Bill Shankly took Liverpool back into the first division and competed directly with Manchester United over league titles, sharing four league titles (two each) between 1964 and 1967.
However, United would drop away following this period and would not win another league title for 26 years following their 1967 victory, whereas Liverpool enjoyed a dominant spell of success over the following couple of decades, winning numerous league titles, domestic cups and European trophies between 1972 and 1992.
It was during the 70s and 80s that the rivalry between the clubs escalated, according to football experts. Manchester United developed a glamour profile and were seen as ‘media darlings’ during this period, being labelled as the ‘The Glams’ by Liverpool supporters who felt as though their side’s workman-like teams were always overshadowed by the superstars of Man Utd in the media.
The friction only grew between the two sets of supporters after a role reversal of sorts saw Liverpool endure a baron spell of league titles while Manchester United enjoyed a spell of dominance throughout the 90s and 00s.
The Rivalry to This Day
The forever feud
The arrival of Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford in 1986 saw a turnaround in fortunes for the Manchester club as United went on to win an incredible 38 trophies during Ferguson’s 26-year spell at the club, which saw them finally return to their glory days and cement themselves as a domineering force in both English and European football.
Chasing down Liverpool’s trophy record was clearly a motivating factor for Man Utd, with Alex Ferguson infamously claiming in 2002, “My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f***ing perch, and you can print that.”
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Liverpool and Man Utd are the only teams in England to have won over 65 major honours each, if Community Shields, UEFA Super Cups and FIFA Club World Cups are counted.
Since Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, United have failed to add any more league titles to their total, while Liverpool ended their 30-year league title drought by winning the Premier League title under Jurgen Klopp in the 2019/20 season.
Whether the two colossal clubs are competing over league titles and domestic trophies or not, the rivalry is now so ingrained in the psyche of both sets of supporters that an underlying tension is always present whenever Manchester United and Liverpool engage in battle on a football pitch.
