‘The Arch-Rivals’, Liverpool vs. Manchester United: History, Facts, and Stats

The most popular game in the world of football is about to be played at Anfield this Saturday with around 700 million of viewers worldwide. The fact that the North-West Derby is watched more than the Spanish El Clasico (Barcelona and Real Madrid) is telling us about the importance of this clash on a global level.

HISTORY

Liverpool and Man United first met in 1894, and since then, they played 198 games overall, with the Red Devils leading the all-time series by 79 victories to Liverpool’s 65, while 54 matches ended as a draw. Ryan Giggs has the most appearances as he played in the North-West Derby on 48 occasions, while Steven Gerrard (LFC), George Wall (MUFC), and Sandy Turnbull (MUFC) are the top scorers with nine goals each. The Reds won the first game in 1984 by two goals to nil, back when United were called Newton Heath, while the latest encounter ended as a stalemate draw, back in January 2017. In the previous five duels, both teams recorded a win, and three games ended without a winner. When it comes to encounters at Anfield, United won two out of the last five but failed to score a single goal in the latest two.

RIVALRY

These two teams have been arch-rivals since the WWII and had a lot of success in both English and European competitions thanks to legendary managers such as Matt Busby and Alex Ferguson on one side, and Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley on the other. Man United are currently leading the all-time trophy race with 66 in total (including Community Shield and continental competitions), while Liverpool have 59 overall. The Red Devils managed to surpass the Reds with 20 league titles, mainly because Liverpool haven’t won the domestic league honor since 1990, and they have 18 to date.

Klopp vs. Mourinho

Two managers have met seven times in the last few years, including their previous tenures at Dortmund (Klopp), Real Madrid and Chelsea (Mourinho), with the German winning on three occasions, while three duels ended up as draws. The only time Mourinho was better than Klopp was in January 2016, when the Red Devils took three points at Anfield thanks to Wayne Rooney’s late goal. However, Klopp has problems when it comes to early kick-offs as he won only seven out of 20 games, along with eight defeats and five draws.

 

 




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