Liverpool are one of a small number of teams that have been ever-present in the Premier League since its first season in 1992/93. However, as we all know, football was played before the SKY cameras were there to record it and in this article we are taking a look at Liverpool’s wider history in terms of the top flight.
The Reds were founded way back in 1892 and ascended to the highest tier of English football in 1894/95, although that initial stay lasted just one campaign. They bounced straight back up though, winning the old Second Division and since then have spent the vast majority of their time in the First Division/Premier League. Over the years they have played over 50 different clubs in the top tier, but which have they beaten the most?
Most Wins in Top Flight Have Come Against Villa
One of the biggest factors impacting the answer to this question is how often Liverpool have met other teams in the First Division and Premier League. There are many historically smaller clubs that Liverpool have played infrequently and no matter how well they have performed, such sides have no chance of featuring here.
For example, the Reds have faced Carlisle just twice in the top flight, in 1974/75, and although they boast a 100% record, Carlisle are obviously not going to feature (again!) in this article. Indeed, even a side like Bournemouth, whom Liverpool have met many times recently, and against whom they have a 78.57% win rate, have simply not been in the top flight long enough to be in the running.
As it happens, it is Aston Villa that Liverpool have beaten more times than any other club in the top tier of English football. This is not all that surprising, because Villa were one of the founding members of the Football League and are among the elite in terms of top-flight seasons. The list below shows the teams that have competed the most seasons in England’s highest tier – even if one of them only somehow manage to cling on most years!
- Everton, 121
- Aston Villa, 110
- Liverpool, 109
- Arsenal, 107
- Man United, 99
- Man City, 95
- Newcastle United, 92
Note that details include the 2023/24 season
Almost all of Liverpool’s clashes with Villa have come in the top flight, the only exception being when the pair met in the second tier in 1959/60. That season the Villans were champions and went up, the Reds finishing third and just missing out on promotion. Liverpool beat Villa 2-1 at Anfield, both goals from Dave Hickson, who also played for Villa and, most famously, Everton. The return game was a 4-4 thriller in the Midlands, Hickson again on the scoresheet.
Liverpool vs Aston Villa
Returning to the crux of the matter, with one meeting between the teams still to come in the 2023/24 campaign, Liverpool have a massive 93 top-tier wins over Villa. That is by some distance the most they have managed over any team in the league. In all, they have played Villa 191 times in league action, with 189 of those meetings being at the highest level. The record currently stands at:
- 93 Liverpool Wins
- 40 Draws
- 56 Villa Wins
The Reds have not beaten any other side more than 90 times in league action, even if we disregard the restriction of only including top-flight matches. They boast 87 wins over Newcastle United and 83 over Man City, with local rivals Everton next on 82, then Arsenal on 79.
It is notable that all of those teams feature on the list of clubs with most campaigns in the top flight, even though the wins figures quoted, Villa aside, refer to all meetings (which is to say all league meetings, no matter what the division). This is simply down to the fact that Liverpool, and indeed all of these huge football clubs, have spent the majority of time in the old First Division and modern Premier League.
Liverpool’s Most Common League Opponent
Liverpool’s most frequent opponent in league action has been Everton, with the local rivals having butted heads a massive 210 times. With 146 clashes in the First Division and 64 in the Premier League era, incredibly every single one of those meetings has taken place in the top tier.
That means the Reds have beaten the Blues 82 times in the top flight, equating to a 39% success rate, with 69 draws and 59 wins for the Toffees. That draw figure is very high, with just under a third of all league clashes between the city rivals ending with the spoils shared. Indeed, Liverpool have drawn more games with Everton than any other club, that statement applying to league games, top flight ones, and all games full stop.
Team to Beat Liverpool the Most
Annoying as it is to think about, the team to have the best record, at least in terms of league wins, against Liverpool is that lot from Manchester. Man United, another team to appear on the list above of sides to have played most seasons in the top flight, have beaten Liverpool 69 times, with the overall record standing at:
- 61 Wins for Liverpool
- 69 Wins for Man United
- 52 Draws
- 182 Total League Games
Those stats do include four meetings in the second tier but regardless, the Red Devils are, rather annoyingly, the team with the most league wins, and top flight league victories, over Liverpool. Arsenal are next in terms of total league wins, boasting 67, though the Gunners have met the Reds 18 more times than Man United have. Next come – whisper it very quietly – the Toffees, who boast 58 league wins over Liverpool, with all of those, obviously, being in the top tier.