Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United F.C. rivalry

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (October 2007)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2007)

The fixture between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of the most significant sporting rivalries in football, sometimes referred to as the North West derby. Both clubs hail from the North West of England, they are also the two most successful teams in England, between them they have won 76 major trophies. The fixture is usually played at midday, due to both media (TV) interest and to discourage fans from drinking before the game. Long-term Manchester United player Ryan Giggs says that Liverpool against Manchester United is "probably the most famous fixture in English football".^[1]

[edit] Roots

[edit] Inter-city rivalry

The rivalry can be considered as a manifestation of one which already had existed between the two cities since industrial times. During this time both were competing with each other for supremacy of the north-west, with Manchester famous for its manufacturing prowess while Liverpool was famous for the importance of its port.^[2] Once the Manchester Ship Canal was built, ships could bypass Liverpool and transport goods directly into Manchester. This caused job losses at the Port and resentment from the local people of Liverpool. Both the crests of Manchester United and Manchester City display a ship representing the canal. During the late 1970's and 1980's, the two cities had been in decline due to the downturn of industries. Liverpool FC's domination in this time gave their fans something to cheer but led to local Manchester people feeling annoyed as their team were going through one of their worst periods in history. Since then both Cities have again grown and found success with Manchester now being recognised as a world class city. Recently, Manchester hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games, while Liverpool was awarded the title of 2008 European Capital of Culture.

[edit] Football rivalry

Both clubs claim the title of 'the Greatest English Football Club', with Liverpool winning a total of 58 trophies, while Manchester United have 56. Liverpool dominated English football during the 1970s and 1980s, claiming the league title eleven times and the European Cup on four occasions during that period, including winning a treble of the League, and the League and European cups in 1984. Manchester United however, have dominated the 1990s and 2000s, winning the league title eleven times, a European Continental Treble (European Cup, the Premiership and the FA Cup) in 1999, two domestic Doubles and The European Double of the Premier League and European Cup in 2008. Both clubs are also the two most successful English sides in European competition, with Liverpool having been European champions 5 times, and Manchester United 3 times. With Manchester United's victory in the Premier League season 2008-09, the two clubs are tied with 18 league titles in England. Despite Liverpool's success in England, they have never won the Premier League since its founding in 1992.

As well as competing on the football pitch, both teams are also two of the biggest-earning, and widely-supported, football clubs in the world.^[3]

The rivalry has extended to the players as well. United striker Wayne Rooney, a product of Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton described how he grew up hating Liverpool.^[4] Liverpool's Steven Gerrard took a film crew on tour of his home where he showed off a collection of football shirts he had swapped with opposing players as part of the after match routine. He pointed out that there was no Manchester United shirts in there and that he would never have one of them in his house. Manchester United's Gary Neville has been publicly vocal in the past with regards to his dislike of Liverpool.

Table correct as of 16 May 2009

[edit] Player transfers

The rivalry between the two clubs has become so intense that since the 1964 transfer of Phil Chisnall from United to Liverpool, no player has been transferred since.^[5] Some players, however, have played for both clubs, but having played elsewhere between each tenure, such as Paul Ince (playing for Internazionale in between) and Peter Beardsley (Vancouver Whitecaps and Newcastle United) and more recently Michael Owen (Real Madrid and Newcastle United).^[6]

In 2007, there was a bid from Liverpool to sign Gabriel Heinze from United, but United refused to allow him to join their biggest rivals due to the ongoing feud. United claimed that it was agreed Heinze would only join a foreign club if he chose to leave.^[7] Heinze went public with his request to join Liverpool which was seen as the ultimate betrayal by the Manchester United fans. The Manchester United fans who once chanted "Argentina" in honour of the player now turned their backs on him. Heinze was eventually sold to Real Madrid instead.

[edit] Statistics

[edit] Last five head-to-head fixtures

[edit] All time results

[edit] Hooliganism

With the rise of football hooliganism across English football during the 1970s and 1980s, matches between the two clubs brought some minor and major incidents of hooliganism.^{[citation needed]} United's "Red Army" took huge numbers to Liverpool on match days and were particularly brutal. This was seen as a result of resentment due to United underperforming at this time while Liverpool were going through their most successful period in time. Since then, the modern game has seen a decrease in violence between the rival supporters and incidents are fairly uncommon. This is more likely due to an increase in Police presence and CCTV with huge steps taken to keep the fans separated. To this day, both sets of fans still hold a resentment toward each other.

At the 1996 FA Cup Final, an unidentified Liverpool fan spat at Eric Cantona and threw a punch at Alex Ferguson as a victorious Manchester United team walked up the steps at Wembley Stadium to collect the trophy from the Royal Box.^[15]

[edit] See also

• Liverpool F.C.
• Manchester United F.C.
• Major football rivalries

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• FootballDerbies.com