Liverpool v Man United Timeline & H2H Stats

Liverpool and Manchester United each have footballing rivals much closer to home in the shape of royal-blue Everton and sky-blue Manchester City respectively. However, if you ask fans of either Liverpool or Man United who their biggest, most hated rival is, a very high proportion will answer the other red giants of the North West.

In terms of league titles, these two behemoths are easily the most successful in English football, with Man United just edging things by 20 to 19, as of the end of the 2023/24 campaign. They are also among the most successful English teams in both domestic cups. Additionally, in Europe Liverpool have more Champions League victories (six) than any English team, whilst United are second (three).

The North West Derby

Consistently fighting it out for the biggest trophies is key to this rivalry, with the broader picture of being the country’s most successful club also very important. That quest for supremacy is mirrored by the two cities, with both Liverpool and Manchester wanting to be seen as the most important city in the North. That has also helped this rivalry along, but the North West derby, as some label this clash, is very much built on multi-factorial foundations.

It goes back a long way too, and when Sir Alex Ferguson stated that his biggest challenge at United had been “knocking Liverpool off their f**king perch”, it was far from the beginning of hostilities between the teams. Some claim the rivalry between the cities, which of course fuels that between their major clubs, dates right back to the Industrial Revolution, when Liverpool’s key role as a port saw it overtake Manchester to arguably become the nation’s second city.

Irrespective of such historical background, the football rivalry intensified in the 1960s when both clubs were very powerful. United, managed by Matt Busby, won the league title in 1965 and 1967. They came second to Liverpool in 1964, whilst the Merseysiders also won the league in 1966. In 1968, it was Man City who topped the pile but Man United were second and Liverpool third.

The clubs then went in very divergent paths, however, and – especially from the Mancunian side of things – this created animosity. They saw their rivals dominate football in the rest of the decade and into the 1970s and 1980s, whilst they themselves endured a 26-year wait for another title success.

The roles were reversed from the early 1990s, with fans of the Reds getting increasingly bitter watching the Red Devils enjoy the sort of success that had been theirs for so long. With Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and the brilliance of Jürgen Klopp the pendulum swung once again but who knows what the future holds for both clubs now that the German has left Anfield.

Memorable Meetings

Over the years there have been far too many massively important, or incredibly memorable meetings between Liverpool and United to mention. Here, however, are a selection of some of the very biggest.

• Liverpool 7-0 Man United, 5th March 2023 – Liverpool humiliated their rivals in the Premier League.
• Man United 0-5 Liverpool, 24 October 2021 – Reds inflicted shocking defeat on United at Old Trafford in the Premier League.
• Liverpool 0-1 Man United, 11 May 1996 – Stunning Cantona volley sealed FA Cup win for United.
• Man United 2-1 Liverpool, 21 May 1977 – Almost 100,000 fans watched United beat their rivals in the FA Cup final.
• Liverpool 2-1 Man United, 26 March 1983 – Reds won League Cup final after extra time.

Liverpool’s Full Match History Against Man United