We look back at the history of the English top flight and pick out the top 10 rivalries that have made the Premier League the best in the world.
The Premier League has played host to some intense rivalries since its inception in 1992, helping to maintain English football’s position as a world leader in the club game.
Here is a look at 10 of the best Premier League rivalries we have seen, both in terms of local pride and the battle for silverware. Read on for our list, and make sure to check out our Premier League betting page for all the latest markets and specials.
Top 10 biggest Premier League rivalries
10. Chelsea v Tottenham
A London derby that always has plenty of spice, Chelsea have lorded it over Tottenham in the Premier League era with 37 wins for the Blues compared to just eight for Spurs.
With 12 red cards issued along the way, it is a rivalry that often gets spicy. The ‘Battle of the Bridge’ will go down as one of the most infamous games in Premier League history, and one of the best Chelsea v Tottenham matches, as a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge ended Spurs’ championship dreams and handed the title to Leicester in May 2016.
9. Manchester United v Leeds
These bitter rivals are separated by the Pennines and there has never been any love lost between them. Leeds won the final campaign of the old First Division before Manchester United bagged the Premier League crown at the first attempt. Sir Alex Ferguson signed Old Trafford icon Eric Cantona from the Whites and an era of Red Devils domination followed.
8. Newcastle v Sunderland
Few areas of England can lay claim to being as passionate about their football as the North East and the Tyne-Wear derby is always fiercely contested. These clubs have both spent time outside of the top tier but their 28 Premier League derby tussles have yielded nine wins each and 10 draws as well as plenty of drama.
7. Aston Villa v Birmingham
There have been just 14 second-city derbies in the Premier League era but they have left a lasting impression. The rivalry between the Villans and the Blues is as intense as any in English football when they face off. Birmingham won four of the first six and were unbeaten, but then lost the next six and haven’t won in eight. Peter Enckelman’s goalkeeping howler for Villa in 2002 is a moment of Premier League infamy.
6. Liverpool v Everton
The Merseyside derby is often tagged as one of football’s friendlier rivalries, largely owing to the solidarity shown by Evertonians following the Hillsborough disaster, but there’s still plenty of antagonism. Liverpool hold the upper hand but the Toffees often punch above their weight and the 2-2 draw that signalled the final derby at Goodison Park this spring highlighted that, and stands as one of the best Merseyside derby matches ever.
5. Manchester United v Manchester City
Once tagged as the ‘noisy neighbours’ by Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester City have now toppled United as the dominant force in their own city. Under Pep Guardiola, the Citizens won a record four successive Premier League titles and they weren’t shy in making plenty of noise along the way. There have been some classic Manchester derby matches over the past two decades, including the 4-3 thriller in 2009 and City’s 6-3 rout of their arch rivals in 2022.
4. Arsenal v Tottenham
The North London derby is another treasured fixture, and has produced some incredible matches in recent years. The Gunners are three-time Premier League winners and the only side ever to be unbeaten throughout a season, while arch-rivals Spurs have toiled more often than not since the new era dawned.
3. Liverpool v Manchester City
A more modern development has seen Pep Guardiola’s City side and the Jurgen Klopp-led Reds providing some of the great contests of the last decade. In fact, the best Liverpool v Man City matches have arguably all taken place in the past 10 years. Indeed, were it not for the Spaniard’s brilliance, the German would surely have left Anfield with a handful of Premier League crowns, as opposed to just one.
2. Arsenal v Manchester United
The first great rivalry of the Premier League era was between the Gunners and Manchester United, under the stewardship of bosses Arsene Wenger and Ferguson, whose gripping wars on the touchline and through the media added to the sense of occasion when they met. The best Arsenal v Man Utd matches often decided league titles, and although tension in those matches regularly boiled over, underneath it all was a grudging respect among the players and bosses from that great era.
1. Liverpool v Manchester United
Simply the greatest rivalry in English club football, nothing surpasses a battle between these North-West icons. Sir Alex Ferguson famously suggested his quest was to knock Liverpool off their perch – or words to that effect – and the Scot certainly did that in his time at Old Trafford as he made United the most successful English club of all time. Liverpool had to wait until 2020 to finally win a Premier League title but the balance of power has since shifted back to Merseyside.
