English Football’s greatest rivalry: Liverpool vs Manchester United

For several years, from generation to generation with many ‘big teams’ in the English Premier League, there are two clubs that have been head and shoulders above the rest. Those two clubs reign from the North Western region of England famous for the ‘Kop’ and the ‘Stretford End.’ They are Liverpool FC and Manchester United. They have been the dominant force in English Football and have also carried the English flag on their backs in European competitions as they share 8 Champions League titles between them. There are several rivalries in English Football but there is none like that of Manchester United going up against Liverpool.

There have been several stories about how the rivalry came about but it goes much deeper than just football. In the modern era, football may be the defining factor but it started long before Liverpool were dominant in the 1970s into the 80s which many believe is the main cause. The rivalry has gotten deeper and more intense as the years have gone by and the anticipation of the two clubs clashing every season could not be any higher than in the present day.

With Manchester United starting a new era under a new manager and Liverpool moving on from their top striker Luis Suarez, Yardie Sports takes a look at their rivalry and the reason behind its development over the years.

The Industrial Revolution

The hostility began as far as 1894 when the Manchester Ship Canal was completed which connected them to the Irish Sea and increased commercial activities. Liverpool was the dominating Industrial Sector because it’s Ports were better positioned than that of Manchester just 30 miles away. In order to compete, Manchester needed to get ships to be able to move right into Manchester and so the Manchester Canal was built. The Canal was built in order to bypass the Liverpool docks and lead straight into the heart of Manchester.

This led to an increase in competition between the cities as there were less dues for the Liverpool Ports which led to job losses and resentment from the locals in Liverpool. Of course this came to the delight of the people of Manchester because they were on the rise at the expense of their rivals just 30 miles away.

Manchester United Crest

The Liverpool fans were always given a reminder of how they lost out in the Industrial Revolution by the design of Red Devils’ crest. The crest includes a ship which represents the Manchester Ship Canal as a reflection of Manchester’s trade roots. The Liverpool followers always take it as an insult and have made their feelings known about it. The ship is also included on the crest of many other Mancunian institutions such as Manchester City Council and United city rivals Manchester City FC.

Liverpool Dominance

In England today, Manchester United is seen as the biggest club but that may not be entirely true. Liverpool has won 44 major trophies compared to United’s 42 and both teams share quite a deep history but it was the Liverpool dominance in the 1970s through to 1990 which many feels started the intense rivalry.

Liverpool managed to capture 11 League titles and 4 European Cups from 1975 to 1990 under the guidance of Bill Shankly who set the foundation for the likes of Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish. It was truly an era where Liverpool was the club to play for and during that time it was a guarantee that they would win at least one trophy every season. Their success was even sweeter since it came after Sir Matt Busby had led the Red Devils to European glory in 1968.

Distance Apart

The success of Liverpool was not very pleasing for the Manchester United fans because after becoming the first English Club to be European Champions, they had hoped to go onto greater things. However, it was their close rivals that were dominating and Liverpool’s success domestically and in Europe was just ‘too close to home’ for the Red Devils; both players and supporters alike.

Liverpool was on top of the world again in the faces of their close rivals who had gone toe-to-toe with them in the Industrial Sector but was now in the wilderness as they continue to slip down the scale in football. This was the one thing the Scousers could use to remind their rivals of their superiority before the completion of the Manchester Ship Canal. 

Manchester United’s media affection

Manchester United has always been marketed or portrayed as the ‘glamour club’ of English Football despite not being the major force. They were always seen as the ideal club especially for youngsters and the media is always featuring them. Liverpool were the dominant force flying the English flag high especially in Europe but still they were never given the same or as much love and affection as their rivals just 30 miles down the road.

The Scousers were not pleased by with the marketing their rivals were receiving especially since they (Liverpool) were the best Football Club in the land. The fans, especially those at the Kop End, were always regarded as some of the best in the country. They would always get behind their team so naturally they saw the lack of media attention on their heroes as a disrespect and so their actions towards Old Trafford and Man United on a whole got worse and the rivalry inevitably got deeper.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Pledge

After having a successful spell in Scotland with Aberdeen where he ended the Glasgow dominance between Celtic and Rangers, Alex Ferguson replaced Ron Atkinson as manager of Manchester United in November 1986. Upon his arrival, United had just 7 Premiership titles while their rivals just 30 miles away had 16. However the Scot made a brave but strong statement, making his intentions very clear. He stated that his greatest challenge was ‘knocking Liverpool off their perch.’ Clearly he knew back then that Liverpool was the benchmark in English Football and had to strive to their level.

Now more than ever, the Scousers were well aware that Manchester United was trying to take their crown. It was a statement that had rocked English Football as the new Scot in town set out on his mission. From the moment that statement was made, the rivalry was never the same because when both clubs meet it seems like a situation of life and death. Liverpool won two League titles infront of Sir Alex but he started the United dominance in 1993 and surpassed Liverpool in 2011.

The Treble

Perhaps the best squad Sir Alex had put together was that in the 1998/99 season of The Treble. It was a team built around the “Fergie Fledgings” namely Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville. Sir Alex had a deadly four upfront with Dwight Yorke, Andy Cole, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Teddy Sheringham led by captian Roy Keane with Dennis Irwin and Jaap Stam in defense and Peter Schmeichel in goal.

They won the League, FA Cup and Champions League and is the only English Club to ever achieve such a fate. It was rubbed in the faces of the Liverpool supporters especially since United had stopped them winning the Treble in 1977 but defeating the Scousers in the FA Cup final. The Scousers however reminded their arch-rivals that they were still the biggest club in the country which made Sir Alex and the entire Man United familty to push even harder for more success.

Sir Alex Ferguson Knighthood

In the wake of the Treble winning season, Alex Ferguson was knighted by the Queen which was seen as a perfect way to end a remarkable season for the former Aberdeen and Scotland manager. He was knighted for his Outstanding Services to Football and this immediately placed him on par with former Manchester United manager Sir Matt Busby who himself was knighted.

The achievment of the unprecedented Treble was already too much for the Scousers but this added more insult to injury. The Liverpool fans were angry that the contribution made by their former managers namely Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley went unnoticed. Shankly and Paisley were very successful managers who had contributed a lot not just to Liverpool but to English Football on a whole but were never given such praise, recognition and honour.

Today, Manchester United is certainly one of the biggest and best clubs in the world. They are certainly the biggest in a commercial sense and the club has a very wide fan base all over the world. The retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson saw United slipping to 7th place in the League which Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard admitted was a joy to watch. The rivalry will certainly continue to be bitter for years to come as both clubs try to achieve more success on the pitch.

Liverpool still boasts more European Cups than United despite being taken over domestically. Manchester United legends Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville were reported to have said they wanted to match Liverpool’s succes before they retire but United are still behind in Europe. There is still the burning desire at Old Trafford to reach at leat 5 Champions League trophies and with their commercial success and money to spend accoriding to CEO Ed Woodward, European glory may be on the horizon for the Red Devils.