Manchester United’s Biggest Rivalries
CuManchester United are one of the world’s biggest clubs in world football. Getting to those heights means you have to battle with other clubs to be the best. From their meteoric rise to the difficulties faced in the 80s, Manchester United have built their reputation in every top football competition from the Premier League to the Champions League. Let’s take a look at some of Manchester United’s biggest rivalries that have developed over the years.
Leeds United FC
Though the rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds may not be as significant today as it once was, it will still bring some intense memories back for fans that witnessed the two teams going head to head throughout recent history. The proximity of the two cities has always made the rivalry more intense and with Leeds having a strong influence on English football throughout the 60s and 70s, that only served to build up the tensions, every time the teams met.
During the 1960s, Manchester United were able to make a remarkable recovery from the tragedy of the Munich Air Disaster. Unfortunately, it was only shortly after that United began their decline and Leeds began to rise. They achieved promotion to the top flight in 1964 and only took them 5 years to lift the first division trophy in the 68/69 season. In 1973/74, Leeds would secure another title at the time that Manchester United were at their lowest point, post-Busby era. Leeds would also win the League Cup in ’68 and the FA Cup in ’72.
FA Cup
Both clubs would go on to encounter further difficulties in the 80s, although Manchester United would win 3 FA Cups between the Busby and Ferguson eras of dominance. An intense rivalry would reach new heights in the 1990s when Leeds and Manchester United went head-to-head for the First Division title in the 91/92 season. Leeds United would win the title but Man Utd would reclaim the prize just a year later in the first Premier League season. A huge part of their title win was the arrival of Eric Cantona from Leeds. The Frenchman would become a United legend, helping them to lift four titles in five years, including two League and FA Cup doubles.
As Manchester United built a dynasty, Leeds would try to rival them with significant investment with the aim of winning the biggest club competition in the world, the Champions League. While they came close, up to the semi-final stage, it wasn’t enough. The financial toll this took on the club would be felt for years to come. The instability would lead to the club having to sell most of their best players. Most notably, Alan Smith and Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United. Leeds would eventually be relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2003/2004 season and only returned to the top flight in the 20/21 season.
Chelsea
We have seen some incredible battles between United and Chelsea over the years, most notably between Sir Alex Ferguson and the self proclaimed ‘special one’, Jose Mourinho. However, even before the takeover of Chelsea by Roman Abramovich, the club challenged for many of the top honours in English football. Throughout the 90s and into the 00s, Chelsea engaged in many intense encounters with Manchester United. They won the 1997 and 2000 FA Cup, as well as the League Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1998.
When Abramovich took over, the club spared no expense in bolstering the squad and in 2004 when Jose Mourinho become manager, Chelsea were on their way to reaching incredible heights. At the time, it was Manchester United and Arsenal that were battling for every trophy in England but with the investment that Chelsea received, they were able to catch up and take over at a rapid pace.
From 2004 and 2011, it was either Manchester United or Chelsea that won the Premier League trophy, while sharing the spoils of various cup competitions. The highlight of this intense rivalry came in 2008 when the two teams met in the Champions League final in a rain swept Moscow and United narrowly won the tie on penalties.
Chelsea went on to win their first Champions League trophy in 2012, beating Bayern Munich in their own back yard. Since then, Chelsea have always been in competition for the top honours in football, building a rivalry with Manchester United that doesn’t look like stopping any time soon.
Arsenal
English football was once dominated by two of English football’s biggest clubs, Arsenal and Manchester United. during the late 90s and early 00s, the two teams would battle it out for the highest honours. This brought with it memorable matches and incredible moments involving players and managers. Arsene Wenger would arrive in London in 1996 and little was known about the French manager who had managed clubs like Monaco and Osaka.
Wegner’s Arsenal
The philosophy that Wenger brought to Arsenal would change the clubs fortunes for years to come and would pose the biggest threat to Sir Alex Ferguson’s United. The League and Cup double in the 97/98 season sent a shock through the rest of the league and London club almost did it again the following season. United were able to stop that from happening on the final day of the season, clinching the league title and knocking Arsenal out of the cup during a semi-final replay.
United went on to secure three Premier League titles from 1999 to 2001, but Wenger was building something special. Arsenal had just signed Thierry Henry who would lead Arsenal to another double in 2001/02, followed by an FA Cup victory in 2003. Arsenal would then do what no other club has done in the Premier League era and go undefeated in the 03/04 season. Even though United had won the league in 02.03 and the FA Cup during the 2003/04 season, the long rivalry, as well as Chelsea’s rise to prominence would take a toll. United would be able to recover and challenge Chelsea, but Arsenal took a step back and have struggled to regain former glories.
The rivalry between United and Arsenal during this period is seen by many as the greatest rivalry during the Premier League era and has yet to be surpassed by any other.
Manchester City
Two teams being from the same city is sure to develop into an intense rivalry, especially when the two clubs are competing for the same honours. Since the City Football Group took ownership of Manchester City, the two clubs have been closer than ever before, with city winning title after title and most recently, winning the treble, just as United did in 1999. In contrast, Manchester United have struggled to climb to the heights that their history is littered with. That makes the rivalry no less intense.
Throughout the years, the two clubs have been embroiled in different controversies, including the Carlos Tevez transfer from United to City in 2009. The transfer ignited the rivalry that had been building since the investment in City and it was now present in the fans of the two clubs more than ever. With the derby being a local affair, it means more than what happens on the football pitch. The recent success of City vs the legacy that United hold creates an incredible backdrop for each encounter.
The rise of Manchester City as a footballing powerhouse has only served to grow the rivalry across the world. The Derby has grown into a match that is watched across the globe by millions of people, meaning it’s not just local bragging rights that are at stake when the two teams meet.
Liverpool
United v Liverpool is one of the biggest rivalries in any sport across the world. The two most successful clubs in English football, they have consistently been at the very top of every competition available. Iconic players and managers resonate with fans of all clubs, even other intense rivals. It is the pinnacle of which other teams aspire to get to and the reason why this is such a big rivalry.
Manchester United enjoyed lots of success during the 50s and 60s but the 70s and 80s belonged to Liverpool. During that time, they achieved unprecedented success, securing an incredible 18 league titles. It was then that one man set out to dethrone Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson. The 90s and 00s marked a period of success for Manchester United that not only rivalled, but eclipsed that of Liverpool. Guiding the club to 13 Premier League titles, taking their tally to 20 league titles in total.
Local Rivalry
The rivalry is steeped in local history as well. Relations between the cities have been bitter since the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal and the success of the football teams has grown that rivalry exponentially. The stakes are always high when Liverpool play Manchester United and with the two clubs huge resurgence in recent years, along with Manchester City seemingly pushing for every trophy, the clubs have never need to take 3 points off each other more and is still considered to be Manchester United’s biggest rivalries.
Manchester United have become a rival of most of the major teams in England and this is in no small part due to the incredible success of the football club. Throughout the years, United have competed with and beaten top clubs to win major trophies and you can watch them in style. We are official hospitality resellers for Manchester United and are pleased to be able to offer the Victoria Warehouse package for every home game for the 23/24 season. We still have tickets available for Manchester United v Nottingham Forest – Click the link below to book yours now!