Premier League Rivalries
The Premier League is not short of entertainment and, being the biggest league in European football at this time, it is expected to have rivalries.
Without any doubt, the Premier League is hugely competitive, but the best rivalries take things to another level. On their own, these rivalries add excitement and passion to the games, as fans from both sides show their support and cheer for their teams.
Aside from being a product and a game, the Premier League means passion or religion to many fans whose teams have not been at the top of the league in recent years or have not seen the success of the ‘big boys’.
Several Premier League rivalries have not been played in recent years because one of the teams had dropped out of the elite division or both teams are no longer in the Premier League.
So many factors contribute to these rivalries, be it the big names, big money transfers, or the geographical proximity, or even history, these rivalries have kept the sheer brilliance of the Premier League alive.
Some of the most famous Premier League rivalries include the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, the Manchester Derby between Manchester United and Manchester City, and the Merseyside Derby between Liverpool and Everton.
Here is a look at some of the greatest rivalries in English football.
10. Manchester United vs Leeds United
As of today, this is one of the rivalries that are no longer active in the Premier League. The rivalry between Leeds United and Manchester United is sometimes nicknamed the Roses rivalry.
It is simply a rivalry played between the two Northern English clubs and it originates from the strong rivalry between the historic counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, which is popularly believed to have its origins in the Wars of the Roses of the 15th century.
Though the cities of Leeds and Manchester are 64 km apart, the tradition is upheld and this rivalry spirit between the two clubs is still much evident.
Meanwhile, independent research by the Football Fans Census has shown that, within English football, both Leeds and Manchester United are within the top three clubs based on the number of clubs that consider them to be their rivals.
In the 1970s, the rivalry between the two teams went beyond Old Trafford and Elland Road. Hostility became more intense over the years and it was at the time British football hooliganism was at its peak.
When these two teams meet, many people often got injured in fans’ clashes, but violence between fans of the clubs has declined sharply since then, thanks to the introduction of the Premier League and strict measures to combat violence.
While Manchester United have remained in the Premier League since its foundation, Leeds United have been relegated on a few occasions. The Leeds side were relegated from the Premier League in 2004 and did not return to the top echelon until 2020.
Although Leeds fans still consider Manchester United to be their main rivals, Manchester United fans have other rivals to contend with at this time – with Liverpool being their main ones.
Meanwhile, the rivalry was renewed in the 2020–21 Premier League season, following Leeds United’s promotion after winning the 2019–20 EFL Championship, with the sides’ first encounter thereafter ending 6–2 to Manchester United, followed by a 0–0 draw in the reverse fixture at Elland Road.
The two teams could have been fierce rivals in the past but in recent years, Manchester United have continued to dominate them each time they have met.
9. West Ham vs Millwall
Here is another rivalry that has not been played in a long time in the Premier League. This particular one, between Millwall and West Ham United, is one of the longest-standing and most bitter in English football.
The two teams, with Millwall Athletic and Thames Ironworks as their names back then, are both from the East End of London and less than three miles apart.
The first-ever meeting between them was in the 1899–1900 FA Cup. The match was historically known as the Dockers derby, as both sets of supporters were predominantly dock workers at shipyards on the Thames river.
The teams have usually competed in different divisions, spending only 12 seasons in the same tier of the Football League. Even so, the derbies have retained their passion and both sets of supporters still consider the other club their main rival.
They last played against each other in the 2011–12 Championship season. As of the 2023–24 season, West Ham play in the Premier League, and Millwall play in the Championship, and are certainly hoping to play against the Hammers in the Premier League in the future.
8. Newcastle vs Sunderland
The games involving Newcastle and Sunderland are better known as the Tyne–Wear derby or the North East derby. Apart from being a local derby match, it is a match filled with so much passion.
Based in northeastern England, the two cities of Sunderland and Newcastle are just 19 km apart. Sunderland play their home matches at the Stadium of Light, whilst Newcastle have St. James’ Park as the scene of their home games.
The first meeting of the two sides took place in 1883, with the first competitive fixture being an FA Cup tie in 1888, which Sunderland won 2–0 over Newcastle East End.
The two teams met consistently in the Premier League between 2010 and 2016, before the relegation of Newcastle at the end of the 2015/16 Premier League season. However, the Blacks Cats joined them in the Championship the following season and have not been able to return to the elite division since, while the Magpies have made a return and are now established in the Premier League top echelons.
7. Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal
Without any question, the rivalry between Arsenal and Spurs dates back over 100 years and originated in the manner that Arsenal arrived in North London.
In 1908, Arsenal as it is fondly called now – started life as Dial Square before they changed their name to Royal Arsenal and then to Woolwich Arsenal and then to The Arsenal – are Tottenham Hotspur’s fiercest rivals.
The only real difference between the rivalries of then and now was that Arsenal were based in South London.
However, it is the biggest rivalry in North London in the Premier League as of today and a fixture a lot of fans always look out for every campaign.
6. Manchester United vs Manchester City
Since the 2010s, the rivalry between Manchester United and Manchester City has been one of the most fiercely contested and storied in the Premier League.
It is a fixture regarded as the “Manchester Derby” and a battle for the bragging rights of the City of Manchester is always on the line when the two clash.
Manchester United have always dominated this fixture in the past, but since the takeover of City by Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in 2008, things have changed and the blue side of Manchester have been smiling since then.
Manchester City have won seven Premier League titles since the Abu Dhabi takeover, while the Red Devils have struggled to stake a claim on the title in the past decade.
The arrival of Pep Guardiola improved the fortunes of the Manchester City side and it has been clear in the way they have dominated this fixture over the last couple of years.
5. Everton vs Liverpool
These two city rivals have the longest-running top-flight derby in England, with its first official match being played on 13 October 1894.
Games between the two teams have been played continuously since the 1962–63 season. Part of the rivalry is due to the proximity of the two clubs’ home grounds, being less than a mile apart and within sight of each other across Stanley Park. Everton play their home matches at Goodison Park, while Liverpool play theirs at Anfield.
Both Liverpool and Everton have been in the Premier League since its inception in 1992 and have consistently met during those times.
Fixtures between the two sides, apart from being called the Merseyside derby, have been traditionally referred to as the “friendly derby” because of the large number of families in the City with both Everton and Liverpool supporters, and it remains one of the clashes for which total fan segregation is not a thing.
Without a doubt, Liverpool have dominated this fixture in recent years and have been more successful than their rivals both at home and abroad.
4. Birmingham City vs Aston Villa
In English football, while it is called the Second City derby or Birmingham derby, clashes between Aston Villa and Birmingham City are quite intense. First contested in 1879, the two grounds are separated by roughly 3.9 km.
While Villa have enjoyed a lot of success, the two did not meet in the Premier League until the Blues’ promotion to the top division in 2002. The newly promoted team won both derbies, 3–0 and 2–0 respectively.
It is worthy to note that the game in March 2003 at Villa Park, saw two Villa players sent off – Dion Dublin for a head-butt on Blues’ Robbie Savage and Joey Guðjónsson for a reckless two-footed tackle on Matthew Upson. After the drama on the pitch, the fans clashed outside of Villa Park.
The two teams met in the Premier League a few times and one notable incident in their Premier League era in the early 2010s was the appointment of former Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish as the man in the dug-out at Villa.
The reaction from both sets of supporters was one of anger and McLeish barely lasted at Villa Park, while Birmingham have not played a Premier League game for many a season.
Meanwhile, the two clubs have a history of being fierce rivals, even if they are currently in different divisions. A lot of bad blood still exists.
3. Chelsea vs Arsenal
Chelsea and Arsenal’s rivalry became renewed at the beginning of this century, thanks to the arrival of Jose Mourinho in the Premier League to compete with the established Arsene Wenger and Alex Ferguson.
It is a meeting between two sides from London – Arsenal (North) and Chelsea (West). By virtue of being city rivals, the two sets of fans and their players do not seem to like each other and games involving the two sides are usually intense.
Over the years, it has grown to become a serious rivalry between the teams and fans both on and off the pitch. The Gunners may have been a force to reckon with in the first 15 seasons of the Premier League, but the Blues have overtaken them with several title wins in the intervening years.
2. Liverpool vs Manchester City
Liverpool vs Manchester City is unarguably the biggest modern-day Premier League rivalry. It has become a thing following the competitiveness of the two sides in recent years. This isn’t one like Liverpool v Manchester United that has decades to back it up, however.
More importantly, Jurgen Klopp and his counterpart at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola, are considered to be rivals and they have done well to compete against each other in the Premier League over the last few years.
Between these two teams, some monumental games have been produced on the pitch in the last five years or so. While it has been tight in their matches, City have dominated the Premier League with the only blip being Liverpool’s sole PL title in Guardiola’s dominant reign.
1. Manchester United vs Liverpool
Without question, the biggest rivalry in the Premier League is Manchester United vs Liverpool. They are the two most successful clubs in the Premier League, the two club sides with the most support in the country, and to a large extent, around the world, and they are barely separated by 30 miles.
It is a known fact in the northwest of England that there is a real hatred between these two sides and it often transfers on and off the pitch.
During Liverpool’s bad spell, Manchester United thrived, but since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, the Reds have been more successful and are now more of a title contender than the Manchester side.