← Back to all articlesWhat are the Biggest Premier League Rivalries
English football's rivalries pre-date the Premier League by more than a century, but the 1992 rebrand and the broadcast era have given them a global audience. Below is a hand-curated ranking of the ten most heated rivalries to have featured in Premier League fixtures, blending intensity, history, on-field flashpoints, and the cultural weight of each derby.
On this page
- Manchester Derby (Manchester United vs Manchester City)
- North West Derby (Manchester United vs Liverpool)
- North London Derby (Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur)
- Merseyside Derby (Liverpool vs Everton)
- Arsenal vs Manchester United
- Chelsea vs Tottenham
- Tyne-Wear Derby (Newcastle United vs Sunderland)
- West Midlands Derby (Aston Villa vs Birmingham City / Wolves)
- South Coast Derby (Southampton vs Portsmouth)
- West London Derby (Chelsea vs Fulham / Brentford / QPR)
Derby records, by the numbers
- 23 red cards in Merseyside derbies, most of any single Premier League fixture, 1992-2024
- 6-1 City's win at Old Trafford, Oct 2011, the highest-scoring Manchester derby in Premier League history
- 39 league titles shared between Liverpool and Man Utd, more than any other two-club English pairing
- 4-4 Arsenal's draw with Tottenham, Oct 2008, one of the most chaotic North London derbies on record
- 1881 the first Manchester derby, Newton Heath (United) vs Ardwick (City)
- 1887 the first North London derby, predating Arsenal's 1913 move to Highbury
1. Manchester Derby (Manchester United vs Manchester City)
First contested 1881 (as Newton Heath vs Ardwick) · Premier League era from 1992
The Manchester derby has shifted from one-sided, United dominant through the 1990s and 2000s, to among the most balanced fixtures in world football following the 2008 Sheikh Mansour takeover at City. The 6-1 City win at Old Trafford in October 2011 remains the highest-scoring Manchester derby in Premier League history. Eight Premier League titles have gone to Manchester clubs since 2012, six to City and two to United.
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2. North West Derby (Manchester United vs Liverpool)
First contested 1894 · England's most-watched club fixture
United and Liverpool have won 39 English league titles between them, more than any other two-club pairing in the country. The rivalry is rooted in industrial-era competition between the two cities and intensified through the alternating dominance of each club, Liverpool through the 1970s-80s, United through the 1990s-2000s. Old Trafford and Anfield meetings remain the highest-rated Premier League broadcasts globally each season.
Read more on full north west derby details
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3. North London Derby (Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur)
First contested 1887 · Premier League era from 1992
Arsenal and Tottenham's rivalry stems from Arsenal's controversial 1913 move from Woolwich to Highbury, four miles from Spurs' old ground at White Hart Lane. The fixture has produced some of the Premier League's most chaotic matches, including the 4-4 draw at the Emirates in October 2008 and Spurs' 5-1 League Cup semi-final win at White Hart Lane the same year. The Arsenal-Tottenham fixture also holds the Premier League record for most red cards in a single derby across the competition's history.
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4. Merseyside Derby (Liverpool vs Everton)
First contested 1894 · The "Friendly Derby" that stopped being friendly
Merseyside is the only English derby contested by two clubs born from a single founding row. Liverpool FC was founded in 1892 after Everton left Anfield over a rent dispute with landowner John Houlding. The fixture historically held the title of "Friendly Derby" because home and away fans weren't segregated through the mid-20th century. It now holds the Premier League record for most red cards in any single fixture, 23 between 1992 and 2024.
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5. Arsenal vs Manchester United
Premier League title rivals 1996-2004 · Wenger vs Ferguson
The defining Premier League rivalry of the late 1990s and early 2000s pitted Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United against Arsène Wenger's Arsenal. Title-deciding meetings included the "Battle of Old Trafford" in September 2003, a 0-0 draw featuring multiple red cards and a touchline brawl, and the Pizzagate incident at Old Trafford in October 2004. Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane's tunnel confrontation at Highbury in February 2005 remains one of the most iconic pre-match moments in Premier League history.
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6. Chelsea vs Tottenham
London rivals · Battle of the Bridge 2016
Chelsea-Spurs is rooted in London geography and a string of high-stakes Premier League meetings that have shaped both clubs' title and Champions League campaigns. The "Battle of the Bridge" in May 2016 produced nine yellow cards and effectively handed Leicester the Premier League title when Spurs surrendered a 2-0 lead. Chelsea hold the historic upper hand in head-to-head Premier League meetings.
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7. Tyne-Wear Derby (Newcastle United vs Sunderland)
Last contested in the Premier League 2015-16
Newcastle and Sunderland's North East rivalry pre-dates the Premier League by more than a century, with the two clubs separated by just 12 miles. The most recent Premier League Tyne-Wear meetings were a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light in October 2015 and a 1-0 Sunderland win at St James' Park in March 2016. Sunderland's Premier League relegation in 2017 paused the top-flight version of the fixture; the rivalry remains one of the most fiercely contested in English football's lower divisions.
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8. West Midlands Derby (Aston Villa vs Birmingham City / Wolves)
Villa-Birmingham last Premier League meeting 2011 · Villa-Wolves now the active PL fixture
Aston Villa and Birmingham City share a five-mile city border and a 150-year rivalry, but Birmingham's prolonged spell outside the top flight has shifted the West Midlands Premier League derby toward Villa-Wolves. Villa's recent Champions League qualification has raised the stakes of West Midlands fixtures, with Villa, Wolves and Birmingham all competing for regional supremacy across the divisions.
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09. South Coast Derby (Southampton vs Portsmouth)
Last contested in the top flight 2005 · Premier League dormant
Southampton and Portsmouth's 20-mile rivalry is one of English football's most intense regional fixtures, but the two clubs haven't met in the Premier League since Portsmouth's 2010 relegation. Pompey's 4-1 win at St Mary's in April 2005 is the most recent top-flight derby meeting. The fixture remains dormant in Premier League terms but is actively contested in EFL competition.
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10. West London Derby (Chelsea vs Fulham / Brentford / QPR)
Chelsea-Fulham active PL fixture · QPR last in Premier League 2014-15
West London's Premier League derbies have become more frequent since Brentford's 2021 promotion and Fulham's recent stability in the top flight. Chelsea's Stamford Bridge is barely a mile from Fulham's Craven Cottage and three miles from Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium. The cluster of West London clubs in close proximity is unique in the Premier League, with four professional clubs all within a six-mile radius.
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The takeaway
Premier League rivalries are shaped by local bragging rights (location based), history (successes), and the broadcast era's amplification of every crunching tackle. The Manchester, Merseyside, North London and North West derbies will remain the league's commercial centrepiece for as long as their clubs stay in the top flight. The regional rivalries (West Midlands, Tyne-Wear, South Coast) come and go with promotion and relegation, but their cultural weight in the local community is undiminished.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest rivalry in the Premier League? The Manchester derby (Manchester United vs Manchester City) and the North West derby (Manchester United vs Liverpool) are consistently rated the two biggest Premier League rivalries, broadcast worldwide and routinely the most-watched club fixtures globally each season. The North London derby (Arsenal vs Tottenham) is the largest London-based rivalry by audience.
Which derby has the most red cards in Premier League history? The Merseyside derby (Liverpool vs Everton) holds the Premier League record for most red cards in a single fixture, with 23 dismissals between 1992 and 2024. The rivalry's nickname has shifted from the "Friendly Derby" of the mid-20th century to one of the most fiercely contested fixtures in modern English football.
When was the last Tyne-Wear derby in the Premier League? The last Tyne-Wear derby in the Premier League was a 1-0 Sunderland win at St James' Park in March 2016. Sunderland's relegation in 2017 paused the Premier League version of the fixture; it continues actively in EFL competition whenever the two clubs share a division.
Why do Arsenal and Tottenham dislike each other? Arsenal and Tottenham's rivalry stems from Arsenal's controversial 1913 move from Woolwich, south of the Thames, to Highbury in North London, just four miles from Tottenham's old ground. Tottenham have viewed Arsenal as territorial intruders ever since, and the two clubs have contested the North London derby in every Premier League season.
Are Chelsea and Fulham really rivals? Chelsea and Fulham are West London neighbours separated by just one mile, with Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage both on the Thames. The fixture has been contested in every Premier League season Fulham have been in the top flight. It's a lower-intensity rivalry than Manchester or Merseyside, but firmly established in West London football culture.
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