Manchester United vs Liverpool: The Roots of the Rivalry
The rivalry between Manchester United and Liverpool is a clash steeped not just in football, but in regional pride, industry, and identity. To understand it properly, you have to trace its roots through more than a century of history.
Manchester United were founded in 1878 as Newton Heath, while Liverpool came into being in 1892 after a boardroom split at Everton. The clubs were born less than 35 miles apart, yet represented cities with distinct characters: Liverpool as Britain’s gateway to the Atlantic world, Manchester as the industrial engine of the north.
When the Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, allowing trade to bypass Liverpool’s docks, resentment brewed — and football soon became another theatre for that rivalry.
In the early decades up to the First World War, both clubs flickered with success without establishing dominance. Liverpool secured league titles in 1901 and 1906, while United’s first golden moment arrived in 1908 with their maiden championship, followed by the 1909 FA Cup. These were the foundations of a competitive relationship, set against two growing footballing hubs.
The Northeast Rivalry Post-World War 1
Between the wars, Liverpool added further titles in 1922 and 1923, while United endured periods of struggle, including relegation in the 1920s. Football in this period was overshadowed by economic hardship — the Great Depression hit both cities hard — and while the rivalry existed, it had not yet grown into the fierce animosity seen later.
After the Second World War, fortunes shifted. Matt Busby, a former Liverpool player, rebuilt Manchester United with vision and daring. His youthful “Busby Babes” became symbols of post-war optimism, only for tragedy to strike in Munich in 1958, when eight players were killed in an air disaster.
Liverpool, under the steady stewardship of Bill Shankly from 1959, began laying the foundations of their own dynasty. By the 1960s, both clubs were rising giants, though United, inspired by Charlton, Law and Best, claimed the European Cup in 1968; the first English club to do so.
Liverpool’s Era of Dominance
The rivalry truly hardened in the 1970s and ’80s. Liverpool, under Shankly, Paisley and Dalglish, became a juggernaut: league titles, domestic cups and four European Cups poured into Anfield.
United remained powerful but inconsistent — capable of great cup runs and thrilling football, but unable to match Liverpool’s sustained dominance. Anfield revelled in glory, while Old Trafford simmered with envy and defiance. This was the era when the rivalry grew white-hot, every meeting charged with bragging rights and bitterness.
Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United
The balance swung again in the 1990s. The advent of the Premier League coincided with the rise of Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. His mantra was clear: to knock Liverpool “off their perch.” United swept to dominance with a mix of homegrown talent and inspired signings, conquering England and Europe with relentless regularity.
Liverpool, meanwhile, struggled to adapt, mired in near-misses and transitional managers. By 2009, Ferguson’s side equalled Liverpool’s tally of 18 league titles, and by 2011, they had surpassed it — a symbolic shift that cut deep into Anfield pride.
In the new millennium, the rivalry entered a new phase. Liverpool clung to European glory in Istanbul in 2005, while United added another Champions League crown in 2008 and continued their domestic dominance.
Post-Fergie and Liverpool Under Klopp
In the 2010s and beyond, Liverpool finally reasserted themselves under Jürgen Klopp, winning the Champions League in 2019 and ending a 30-year wait for a league title in 2020.
United, meanwhile, entered a post-Ferguson wilderness, struggling for identity but still capable of stinging their rivals.
Each clash remains more than a game: it is a contest of history, pride, and two cities forever bound together in antagonism.
Watch the short documentary about the Northeast Derby: Manchester United vs Liverpool
