Hello! Welcome to a weekly column from me, Ian Irving, host of the Talk of the Devils podcast. Every Saturday during the season, I will bring you the biggest talking points from the Talk of the Devils team, along with the best of our Manchester United content from across our channels. Let me know your views and be sure to give the podcast a watch or a listen.
We are the pride of all Europe,
The Cock of the North,
We hate the scousers,
And cockneys of course.
And Leeds.
Spend the hours before a match in the pubs around Old Trafford or on a bus to an away game, and you’ll hear this chant. It’s just one of the countless songs United supporters sing about their distaste for other clubs and other fans — concocted over decades, passed on through generations.
A rivalry these days isn’t just about the fans, or even the team on the field. In this age, it is framed in the transfer market, even in commercial deals, and across social media.
We discussed the topic of who United’s biggest rivals are at the end of the latest episode of Talk of the Devils. We could’ve done a whole podcast on the topic. But very quickly it was established that — in so many ways — the clear answer was: Liverpool.
There’s the history of the two clubs’ struggle for supremacy. The two most successful teams in the country and best supported English sides. The squabbling brothers of the north west. The words of Sir Alex Ferguson echoing across his battle to establish United as the biggest club in England. “My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f****** perch,” said Ferguson. “And you can print that.”
It’s not just about the joint ascent to 20 league titles and all the other trophies across different competitions. There’s a core foundation of Mancs and Scousers not liking each other very much that underpins it all.
The Manchester Ship Canal was built between 1887 and 1893 as a waterway from the docks of Salford Quays, a goal kick from Old Trafford, to the Irish Sea and it was designed to circumnavigate Liverpool. Unhappy with what they saw as excessive port charges, Manchester traders oversaw the digging of the ‘Big Ditch’. It’s the ultimate symbol of the relationship between the cities. It never stopped at arguments over trade — there are debates over fashion, haircuts, music… anything, basically.
There may not be a title on the line on Sunday but in reality, there never has been a title on the line in this fixture. The 2008-09 season is maybe the closest these two sides have come to fighting each other for a title in modern times, but beyond Rafa Benitez’s “facts” press conference, it never truly caught alight.
The mind games between managers have also been a founding principle of United’s great rivalries. Ferguson was a master of it. It was his conduct with officials and the perceived lack of punishment for it that promoted Benitez’s rant. Who can also forget Kevin Keegan’s interview, live on Sky in 1996? I can still see him. Black and white three-stripe sweatshirt, greying mullet with a huge pair of headphones on his head and a prodded finger pointed in the direction of injustice: “I’d love it if we beat them, love it.”
What about Ferguson vs Arsene Wenger? An iconic managerial clash that both men have admitted defined their careers. A pair only really united in their rivalries with Jose Mourinho when the self-titled Special One arrived to break their grip on the English top flight.
United vs Arsenal also brought us Roy Keane against Patrick Vieira. That moment in the hyped up Highbury tunnel. The Ruud van Nistelrooy missed penalty and Martin Keown’s unsavoury celebrations. ‘Pizzagate’ (or the ‘Battle of the Buffet’) as the Invincibles’ unbeaten run came to an end and Cesc Fabregas decided he would respond by throwing a slice of post-match pepperoni in the direction of Sir Alex. Or maybe it was margherita. I forget.
Martin Keown gets to know Ruud Van Nistelrooy (Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
There were rivalries between United squads and the Chelsea team of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba, and the Manchester City side of Carlos Tevez, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure.
Maybe that’s the only thing that’s been missing from the Premier League competition between United and Liverpool.
There’s certainly a direct competition on the pitch now. United trailed Liverpool by 43 points at this stage of last season. A 22-point improvement from matchweek 34 of last year to now for United and a 24-point drop over the same period for Liverpool shows the direction of travel. A win confirms Champions League football and probably a higher league finish than Liverpool. It could also be a decisive moment in Michael Carrick’s chances of becoming the permanent head coach.
Now, third spot represents best-of-the-rest status below Manchester City and Arsenal — but the medium-term target is to rejoin that title conversation.
The 2009-2013 period was a privilege to cover in the city as the Reds tried to keep the Blues at bay. The noisy neighbours, Blue Moon Rising, Welcome to Manchester. The whole thing became proper box office. There was the result City inflicted on United in October 2011 — and a headline-grabbing scoreline that I can’t mention here — that sent shockwaves through football, but the 1-0 win for City at the Etihad Stadium in April 2012 felt like a huge result. The nerves in the stadium before that game were maybe even bigger than the final day, when stoppage time decided the league.
On the show, Carl Anka asked Andy Mitten about how a match like that would look between United and Liverpool, and I have to agree that the excitement around that game would be unprecedented. City’s 2-1 win against Arsenal last month was one of the biggest matches for broadcast operations in recent years, outside of Premier League trophy lift days. Over 25 international broadcasters were on site to cover the game for billions of fans.
United vs Liverpool could be even bigger.
How their finances compare
It’s not just the Premier League table where United have been knocked off the top in the past decade — their financial dominance has also waned.
These charts from Chris Weatherspoon, The Athletic’s financial expert, show United last paid the Premier League’s biggest wage bill in the 2017-18 season and now trail not just Manchester City but also Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. Some of this is by the design of the INEOS-led regime. Some of it is the reality of one Champions League campaign in four seasons.
City, Liverpool and Arsenal also now generate more revenue than United, who earned at least £100m more than their nearest rivals a decade ago and over £200m more than Liverpool at that point. Another impact of a lack of European action and revenue.
Where United have remained consistent is spending on transfers: 10 years ago, they were only outspent by City and it was the same last season — not that it has always been reflected on the pitch. Outside of Chelsea’s huge gross transfer spend since the BlueCo takeover, United have tracked closely to their rivals, significantly outspending Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool in 2024-25. Their rivalry with City has at least continued in this sphere, as both clubs went in for Antoine Semenyo in January and will rival one another again in the summer in the chase for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson. United’s interest in Hugo Ekitike last summer also shows their competition with Liverpool.
Red all over
- One more goal, one more goal, Casemiro… it would see him reach double figures in the Premier League. Few central midfielders reach that tally without penalties. It would be another marker of his farewell tour after we celebrated his remarkable stats from the Brentford win.
- Brentford was yet another reminder of Bruno Fernandes’ impact on this Manchester United team. He is edging ever closer to history with his assist tally this campaign. Check those rearview mirrors, Thierry Henry, Carl cried on the pod and The Athletic FC tactics show has dug deeper on the tactical impact of the skipper this season.
- Any excuse for Laurie Whitwell to spend an afternoon with Mason Mount is never squandered, of course. But when the United midfielder is stating his intention to win the Premier League title, it was worth Laurie tagging along.
