English Football Rivalries

What would you say is the biggest football rivalry in England?
You could make a case that each and every one of the 19 other teams in the Premier League is a rival. That would give you 190 rivalries. Now obviously some rivalries are bigger than others. Here are the main ones.



First and foremost you have the rivalries within the Big 4. Each of the six different fixtures involving two sides from the Big 4 has become a massive football rivalry.



If I was to rank them in terms of the strength of the football rivalry it would be as follows:

1. Manchester United - Liverpool rivalry
2. Manchester United - Arsenal rivalry
3. Liverpool - Chelsea rivalry
4. Manchester United - Chelsea rivalry
5. Liverpool - Arsenal rivalry
6. Arsenal - Chelsea rivalry

Here are the reasons why.
1) Manchester United and Liverpool are the two biggest clubs in England. They have both won the League 18 times and it is always a massive clash when these two meet. They truly hate each other with a passion.
2) Since the early 1990s, Arsenal have been United's main competition in terms of the league. Arsenal haven't won as many trophies and don't have the success in Europe that Liverpool has had.
3) Meeting five years in a row isn't normal and after that 4-4 draw, the Chelsea-Liverpool rivalry went to the next level.
4) Have met in some big games recently but doesn't have the historical weight of the others. Also decreased when Jose Mourinho left. Have ranked it above the Arsenal - Liverpool rivalry as it has the potential to be bigger than it.
5) The third triangle of the Big 3 rivalry. It is big but both sides hate Manchester United more than the other. Still the 1989 league conclusion and a number of Cup finals always means it is up there.
6) Local rivals but after having dealt with both Manchester United and Liverpool these two don't have the energy to muster up the anger. Only so much can be generated.


Then you have you local football rivalries or derbies. Now these are always going to be dramatic encounters but they are lessened somewhat because you can have one strong side against a weaker side. This is the case with the:

• Manchester United - Manchester City rivalry
• Liverpool - Everton rivalry
• Arsenal - Tottenham rivalry

Also after dealing with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United and then the big European sides, taking on an Everton or Tottenham doesn't appear to be much of a big deal.

I would say the Merseyside Derby is the biggest of the three because for the most these two have both remained competitive. Everton slipped in the 1990s but since David Moyes came on board they have consolidated.

The North London Derby is a passionate one but for a very long time Tottenham weren't competitive in it.

The Manchester Derby has suffered because for a long time Manchester City weren't in the Premier League.

But of the 190 different clashes in the Premier League, I would say that these are the biggest nine.