Manchester United and Liverpool renew their rivalry this weekend, with the 2 most profitable English golf equipment assembly within the Premier League at Outdated Trafford.
Together with Man Utd’s years as Newton Heath, this would be the 216th assembly between these two golf equipment in all competitions. A fixture fuelled by the shut proximity and industrial rivalry of the 2 cities, that is thought of one of many largest rivalries in English league soccer – a lot so, that the majority followers of each golf equipment would take into account this greater than their respective native derbies towards Manchester Metropolis and Everton.
It’s arguably the largest fixture within the English soccer league calendar, so we sit up for the sport on Sunday by answering six key questions with data-led solutions.
Are Manchester United and Liverpool Actually the Greatest English Soccer Golf equipment?
Briefly, sure. The Premier League period might not have been sort to Liverpool for league titles, having solely received one in 31 years of the competitors because it started in 1992-93, however soccer didn’t start in 1992.
Manchester United’s 20 top-flight English league titles is a report, with Liverpool’s 2019-20 success their nineteenth top-flight crown – which means these two golf equipment are essentially the most profitable in England.
Coming into the period of the Premier League in 1992-93, Liverpool led Manchester United by 18 titles to seven, however Sir Alex Ferguson’s first English title in 1992-93 started a shifting of the panorama. The Purple Devils had been capable of win eight of the primary 11 Premier League titles, ultimately equalling Liverpool’s report in 2008-09 earlier than overtaking them two seasons later.
Liverpool’s 2019-20 success – their first league title in 30 years – got here within the Covid-disrupted marketing campaign, however they did it in model: successful the league with seven video games to spare to interrupt the all-time top-flight English league report.
Manchester United completed under Liverpool within the English league pyramid throughout 23 successive seasons between 1968-69 and 1990-91, a report for both membership within the rivalry and a run that ended with United’s second-place end in 1991-92 – 4 locations above Liverpool in sixth.
The most important hole ever seen between these two sides got here in 1954-55, when United completed fifth in Division One whereas Liverpool led to eleventh within the second tier.
The report within the different course is Liverpool’s title-winning 1900-01 marketing campaign, once they completed 27 locations above United within the league system – then as Newton Heath, who completed tenth within the Second Division.
In addition to successful essentially the most English top-flight league titles, these two golf equipment have the best win ratios within the top-tier. United’s 48% edges Liverpool’s 47.6%, however Liverpool have secured essentially the most wins (2,061) – they’re the one staff to succeed in 2,000 top-flight victories in historical past, with Arsenal set to develop into the second within the coming months.
With regards to essentially the most profitable golf equipment in English historical past throughout all competitions, it’s Liverpool that prepared the ground with 46 main trophies (excluding tremendous cups) – two forward of Manchester United.
Have Manchester United Fallen Behind Liverpool in Current Years?
The stats definitely counsel so.
Primarily based on 38-game rolling points-per-game averages, Liverpool are presently on 2.22 per recreation, which is effectively forward of Manchester United’s 1.58. The final time that United had a superior 38-game PPG common to Liverpool was again at this stage final season, following their Matchday 3 win over Nottingham Forest at Outdated Trafford.
The overwhelming majority of Manchester United’s time within the Premier League underneath Ferguson noticed them have a superior PPG common than Liverpool throughout a 38-game interval, however when he left the membership after match 810, Liverpool started to advance and since then it’s been largely the Reds on prime.
Since Ferguson retired, Liverpool have averaged 78.5 factors a season throughout 11 accomplished Premier League campaigns. This common is over 10 factors greater than Man Utd in that interval (68.1).
Nonetheless, throughout all home competitions, United have received the identical variety of main trophies throughout these 11 seasons. Their 4 main home honours since Ferguson left the membership have come through two FA Cup titles (2016, 2024) and two League Cup trophies (2017, 2023), whereas Liverpool have a Premier League crown (2020), one FA Cup (2022) and two League Cup trophies (2022, 2024).
Liverpool have had extra success on overseas soil in that point, although, successful the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Tremendous Cup and FIFA Membership World Cup (all 2019), whereas United lifted the UEFA Europa League (2017).
Are Manchester United’s Performances Trigger for Concern?
Erik ten Hag’s first season as Manchester United supervisor went comparatively effectively. A 3rd-place end within the Premier League got here with their finest factors tally since 2017-18. Additionally they had two home cup ultimate appearances, beating Newcastle United within the League Cup to safe the Purple Devils’ first trophy in six years. Additionally they reached the FA Cup ultimate, shedding to rivals Manchester Metropolis.
Final season was just about a catastrophe till it was rescued by an unlikely FA Cup ultimate success over Metropolis. An eighth-place end with 60 factors on the board within the Premier League was their worst within the prime flight since 1989-90, whereas they suffered 14 defeats – greater than ever earlier than in a Premier League season and as many as United misplaced of their final three league campaigns underneath Ferguson’s administration.
The primary challenge was their porous defence, which conceded 58 objectives – their worst report in a league season since 1978-79 (63). They allowed opponents 667 pictures at their purpose, which was higher than solely relegated Sheffield United and 117 greater than they tried themselves.
Throughout the 38 video games in 2023-24, they allowed opponents a non-penalty anticipated objectives complete of 64.6, which was 13.2 greater than they tried themselves (51.4). Trying on the viz under, making an allowance for Manchester United’s six-game rolling xG common each for and towards over that point, it isn’t fairly. As a quite simple information, purple shading is nice whereas crimson shading is dangerous. There’s loads of crimson final season.
If you evaluate that to Liverpool over the identical timeframe, it’s much more alarming.
Arne Slot’s Began Nicely, however What’s the Greatest Begin by a Premier League Supervisor?
Wins towards Ipswich City and Brentford have seen Arne Slot develop into the primary supervisor to win their first two Premier League video games accountable for Liverpool.
The final Liverpool boss to win their opening two league video games in cost was Graeme Souness in April 1991, however not since William Connell in December 1922 has a Liverpool supervisor received their first three league video games in cost. Slot has an opportunity to finish that 102-year run on Sunday afternoon at Outdated Trafford.
Even when he does win this weekend, Slot can have some method to go earlier than getting near one of the best unbeaten begins by a Premier League supervisor.
Maurizio Sarri loved a 12-game unbeaten run to life as a Premier League supervisor in 2018-19, when he started his stint as Chelsea boss with eight wins and 4 attracts. That overtook Frank Clark’s report from 1994, which was an 11-game unbeaten run as Nottingham Forest supervisor.
Most not too long ago, Ange Postecoglou began very effectively at Tottenham final season after taking on, successful eight and drawing two of his first 10 video games as a Premier League supervisor, earlier than accidents and suspensions started to pile up and Spurs ultimately completed fifth.
With two wins from two, there’s nonetheless potential for Slot to go on and break the Premier League report for the longest successful begin as a supervisor within the competitors. That report is presently shared by Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola, who received their opening six matches as Chelsea and Manchester Metropolis managers respectively.
Earlier than the season started, we had been capable of analyse the Premier League fixtures utilizing our Opta Energy Rankings and reveal that Slot’s Liverpool had the best begin to the 2024-25 marketing campaign. To this point, this appears to be working within the Dutchman’s favour.
Mohamed Salah File Versus Manchester United Is Nice, Isn’t It?
Mohamed Salah’s report towards Man Utd is one of the best within the Premier League period.
The Egyptian ahead has scored 11 objectives in 13 Premier League appearances towards the Purple Devils, which is yet another than Alan Shearer managed to attain in 25 matches towards them (10). Salah has additionally scored extra objectives at Outdated Trafford than another visiting participant in Premier League historical past, with six objectives in six video games there, which is yet another than Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard (5).
General, no participant in Premier League historical past has extra purpose involvements towards United than Salah, each general (15 – 11 objectives, 4 assists) and particularly at Outdated Trafford within the competitors (7 – 6 objectives, 1 help).
all competitions, Salah has much more objectives towards Man Utd at Outdated Trafford. He scored within the 4-3 FA Cup defeat there in March, whereas he hit a brace in Manchester within the January 2021 FA Cup loss. That’s 14 objectives in 15 aggressive video games for Liverpool towards Man Utd, with 9 in eight video games at Outdated Trafford.
Manchester United vs Liverpool on a Sunday – That Feels Frequent?
This would be the thirty fifth time that Manchester United and Liverpool have performed each other on a Sunday within the Premier League, which is greater than another fixture within the historical past of the competitors forward of Chelsea vs Liverpool (33) and Arsenal vs Man Utd (31).
In reality, this recreation has been performed throughout all seven days of the week within the Premier League period, with simply 19 of the encounters approaching a Saturday and three of these coming within the conventional 3pm kick-off slot – March 1993, September 1994 and April 2004.
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