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The most heated rivalries in English football
From the South Coast to North London – the low-down on the fiercest head-to-heads in football
The North London derby is set for another edition on Sunday 23 November at the Emirates. Arsenal are currently flying high as runaway league leaders, while Spurs have a mixed bag at the beginning of Thomas Frank’s reign.
Spurs vs Arsenal undoubtedly one of the biggest derbies in English football, but what other rivalries give the NLD a run for it’s money? We were desperate to find out, so we thought we’d narrow down the biggest, most charged rivalries in the country. Get ready – some of these ones are spicy.
Arsenal vs Spurs
The rivalry dates back to Arsenal’s move from Woolwich in 1913. Of the 197 matches they’ve played, Arsenal have won 84 times, Tottenham Hotspur 62 times, with 52 ending in draws. From an Arsenal perspective, the most consequential games include Arsenal winning the first division in 1971 at White Hart Lane, then repeating the trick in 2004 and securing the Premier League title. Meanwhile, a Gazza 35-yard free kick helped Spurs beat their rivals 3-1 in the 1991 FA Cup en route to lifting the trophy. In recent years, amid Arsenal’s resurgence coupled with Spurs’ waning league prowess, results have been somewhat one-sided, with the Gunners winning five of the last six. The fixture consistently proves to be the most entertaining derby in the Premier League. Despite, or perhaps because of the proximity of the two clubs to the summit of English football, there isn’t that much in the way of mortal needle among the fanbases, with Spurs v Chelsea seeming more vitriolic in recent years.
Sunderland vs Newcastle
The Tyne–Wear derby harks back to English Civil War and Jacobite risings-era resentments, and it’s just picked up from there really. Hooliganism has pervaded the match in recent years, with one pre-arranged fight between the Seaburn Casuals and the Newcastle Gremlins leading to what was described as “some of the worst football-related fighting ever witnessed in the United Kingdom”. The fixture itself is tantalisingly even, with Newcastle United just edging it by a single win (54 to 53 out of 157 competitive matches). Sunderland have won six of the past eight matches.
Liverpool vs Man United
Perhaps the most famous rivalry in English football owing to the stature of the two clubs, and the historic and economic animos between the cities they represent, with 35km separating them. Significant matches include the 1977 FA Cup final, which United won, scuppering Liverpool’s hopes of a potential treble. Liverpool, meanwhile, beat their inter-city rival in the final to life the 1983 League Cup. Elsewhere, Liverpool beat a poor United 7-0 in 2023. United lead the overall head-to-head, with 83 wins to Liverpool’s 71.
Southampton v Portsmouth
The South Coast derby is a tale of two cities with opposing fortunes at either end of the 20th century. Portsmouth spent the majority of the first half of the 1900s in the top tier, even winning the First Division in 1949 and 1950. Since the 60s, Southampton have been the higher performing club in the league on average, and largely in the First Division/Premier League. Dockworker rivalries among the two clubs’ fanbases exacerbated the fixture, which has only taken place 72 times. Harry Redknapp’s departure from Portsmouth to Southampton, only to return later to Pompey in 2005 following the Saints’ relegation from the top flight, has only worsened the sentiment between the clubs’ hierarchies and fanbases. Southampton currently leads the head-to-head with 35 wins.
Liverpool vs Everton
This inter-city rivalry is typically respectful enough among the fanbases owing to the fact that any one family might feature supporters of both teams. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t intense. Liverpool have dominated the tie this century, with results being more even in the 90s and before. Notable matches have included Liverpool’s 3-2 FA Cup final win against Everton five weeks after Hillsborough, and Everton’s 1-0 First Division win at Anfield in 1984 on the way to the league title.
Sheffield Weds vs Sheffield United
It’s Sheffield United who boast the best record in the Steel City Derby, with 51 wins to Sheffield Wednesday’s 48. Like the Merseyside Derby, the relationship between the two sets of fans in Sheffield is cordial yet fierce. Notable games have included the Owls 2-1 extra time FA Cup semi final win over the Blades in 1993, and a 1951 encounter at Brammall Lane United won 7–3 in front of a crowd of 51,075.
Aston Villa vs Birmingham City
The Second City derby has been contested 126 times between the two clubs, whose stadiums are just 2.4 miles apart. Aston Villa, one of the great sides of English football, have won 56 times, dominating the fixture in recent decades. Birmingham City sank Villa in the quarter-final of the 2010 League Cup, and there have been periods of relative parity between the clubs. Not the case currently, mind. One of the most actually hostile rivalries on this list.
Millwall vs West Ham
Presumably, the most obviously scary fixture on this list owing to the fanbases. For good or ill, Millwall fans come with a fearsome, not exactly tolerant reputation from the hooligan days, and if we’re generalising, West Ham aren’t exactly paragons of angelic niceties either. Both clubs started in the East End, supported primarily by dockworkers competing for the same business, deepening the rivalry. Past matches have led to deaths, and a match between these two in 2009 caused a riot with one Millwall fan stabbed, sparking establishment fears of the bad old days of the 80s returning. The two sides have met just 99 times, with Millwall leading the head-to-head with 38 wins.
