Top 11 Biggest Rivalries in English Football History
- Think Football Ideas
- Apr 8
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Rivalries in English football aren’t just about trophies or league positions. They’re about memory, emotion, and identity. Whether it’s a feud born in the 1800s still echoing across the terraces, or a flashpoint from just last season, these clashes evoke tribal loyalty, deep-rooted pride, and a certain rawness that fans across generations intimately connect with.
Beyond the tactics and table standings lie the stories that never make the stat sheets. The chants, the tears, the tackles, the triumphs—this is where the beautiful game earns its scars. And it’s why we keep coming back, season after season, generation after generation. These ten iconic rivalries don’t just shape the league—they define what football feels like in England.
Here Are The Top 11 Biggest Rivalries in English Football History
11. Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. West Bromwich Albion
Known as: The Black Country Derby
First face off: 1886
Wins: West Brom (65), Wolves (54), Draws (44)
This is England’s original street fight — gritty, fierce, and fiercely local. The Black Country Derby isn't fuelled by trophies or top-six ego, but by geography and unfiltered working-class pride.
In recent years, tensions boiled over again when the FA Cup threw the rivals together in 2024. The game was paused mid-play due to crowd trouble—flares, missiles, and fans charging barriers. The police expected violence, and they got it. Even in 2025, this rivalry is unrelenting.
The heat? It’s generational. The pride? Tribal. And every meeting feels like a war echoing through the industrial heart of England.
10. Leeds United vs. Manchester United
Known as: The Roses Rivalry
First face off: 1923
Wins: Man United (50), Leeds (26), Draws (37)
This one goes deeper than football—way deeper. It’s white rose vs. red rose, Yorkshire vs. Lancashire. The feud traces its roots back over 500 years to the War of the Roses.
In football terms, this rivalry came alive in the 70s with the rise of Don Revie's no-nonsense Leeds and the swagger of United's Busby Babes era. The ‘90s brought fire back, as Leeds remained one of the few clubs whose fans loathe Manchester United more than most.
Throw in players like Rio Ferdinand jumping from Leeds to United, and fixtures that feel like flashpoints, and you've got a classic grudge match with real teeth—even if Leeds have been in and out of the top flight.
9. Sheffield Wednesday vs. Sheffield United
Known as: The Steel City Derby
First face off: 1890
Wins: United (50), Wednesday (48), Draws (47)
Sheffield is a football city. And when it’s painted red and blue on Derby Day, everything else shuts down.
Their most recent encounter in 2023, after a five-year absence, saw Bramall Lane explode as the Blades edged Wednesday 1-0. That result only deepened the rift between the two sides that share a city but nothing else.
This isn’t about glamour. It’s about pride, legacy, and keeping your head up at work on Monday morning. Ask any Steel City native—this is the fixture that matters most.
8. West Ham United vs. Millwall
Known as: East London’s Bitter War
First face off: 1899
Wins: Millwall (38), West Ham (34), Draws (27)
This one’s raw. Ugly. And sometimes terrifying. Millwall and West Ham were born just a few miles apart along the Thames, rooted in dockland grit. But the hatred peaked in the ‘70s and ‘80s with the rise of the Inter City Firm and Millwall Bushwackers—two of the most notorious hooligan firms in England.
Even now, this fixture can’t happen without a police operation. In 2009, Upton Park turned into a riot zone during a League Cup clash. Flares lit the sky. Blood hit the concrete.
This rivalry isn’t fuelled by silverware—it’s tribal, primal, and carved into East London’s concrete bones.
7. Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City
Known as: The Second City Derby
First face off: 1879
Wins: Villa (57), Birmingham (38), Draws (31)
No derby screams chaos quite like this one. These two have been at each other for nearly 150 years, and every game feels like a knife-edge.
The 2019 clash is etched in infamy: a Birmingham fan ran onto the pitch and punched Jack Grealish. Grealish didn’t flinch—he got up and scored the winner. If there’s ever a goal that sums up this derby’s madness, that was it. The fixture’s not always in the Premier League spotlight, but it burns brighter than most.
6. Manchester United vs. Manchester City
Known as: The Manchester Derby
First met: 1881
Wins: Man United (80), Man City (61), Draws (55)
If there’s a rivalry that has grown in stature as rapidly as the city it calls home, it’s the Manchester Derby. It is a fault line in a city split by red and blue. It all began in 1881, when Newton Heath (United) faced St. Mark’s (City) in what was then a friendly affair.
But by the early 1900s, that had changed. City’s financial scandal in 1906 sent four star players—including the legendary Billy Meredith—across town to United, who soon claimed their first league title. The rivalry was born.
It gained edge through the decades: George Best’s brutal tackle in 1970, Francis Lee’s diving theatrics in 1971, and Denis Law’s infamous backheel goal for City in 1974 that confirmed United’s relegation—a poetic, painful twist of fate. Modern era? It's a battle of empires—Ferguson’s legacy vs. Guardiola’s machine. And it’s as fierce as ever.
5. Newcastle United vs. Sunderland
Known as: The Tyne-Wear Derby
First face off: 1883
Wins: Newcastle (54), Sunderland (53), Draws (50)
Separated by 12 miles, united by hate. For decades, this has been the North East's seismic showdown. From Kevin Phillips banging in goals at the Stadium of Light to Alan Shearer doing Shearer things at St James' Park, every derby feels like a local holiday with a sinister edge.
In 2024, Newcastle ended an 8-year derby drought with a 3-0 thumping in the FA Cup. It was their first win in the fixture since 2011. The Toon Army erupted. For them, this isn’t just football. It’s redemption.
4. Liverpool vs. Everton
Known as: The Merseyside Derby
First face off: 1894
Wins: Liverpool (99), Everton (68), Draws (78)
For decades, it was “the friendly derby,” with families supporting both clubs and Goodison Park just a walk from Anfield. But friendliness fades fast when red and blue go toe to toe.
Steven Gerrard’s thunderbolts, red cards galore (the most in Premier League history), and now the end of Goodison as we know it—all add extra layers to a rivalry that feels like a city tearing at its seams.
This is one of England’s purest derbies—passion without pretense, and it’s glorious.
3. Manchester United vs. Arsenal
Known as: The Premier League’s Defining Duel
First face off: 1894
Wins: Man United (99), Arsenal (90), Draws (55)
When Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger went head to head, the league was never the same. This was personal, tactical, emotional, and explosive.
From the Battle of Old Trafford (2003) to Van Nistelrooy's missed penalty and pizza flying in the tunnel, these games had everything.
The clash of cultures—Fergie’s gritty United vs. Wenger’s flair-filled Arsenal—made every match a blockbuster. Even as both clubs have evolved, this rivalry still feels like the gold standard of Premier League drama.
2. Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur
Known as: The North London Derby
First face off: 1909 (top-flight), real heat since 1913
Wins: Arsenal (84), Spurs (61), Draws (52)
What do you get when your rival literally moves into your backyard? North London rage. When Arsenal crossed the river into Spurs' territory in 1913, the feud was lit. And over a century later, it's still blazing. Few players have braved the divide—Sol Campbell did and was called "Judas" for life by Spurs fans.
From Henry’s full-pitch run to Kane's late headers, this game delivers moments you don’t forget. It’s not just a derby. It’s North London’s civil war.
1. Liverpool vs. Manchester United
Known as: The Northwest Derby
First face off: 1894
Wins: Man United (83), Liverpool (72), Draws (61)
The rivalry. The one. The crown jewel of English football. This isn’t about geography alone. It’s about supremacy. The two biggest clubs in England, with a combined 39 league titles, have been locked in a tug of war for glory since the 1890s.
It’s Dalglish vs. Best, Gerrard vs. Keane, Suárez vs. Evra, Klopp vs. Fergie’s ghost. In 2023, under Erik ten Hag's leadership, Liverpool thrashed United 7-0—United’s biggest ever defeat in the fixture. It wasn’t just a scoreline—it was a statement.
This game stops the country. It divides streets, workplaces, and entire nations of fans. It is, without question, the most iconic rivalry in English football.
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