For football fans, nothing can beat the excitement of a classic EPL derby match. The intense competition, the infamous controversies, and the aggressive shouting of fans always accompany the best derby rivalries in the English Premier League.
Every season has its own set of fiery matches, with teams competing against their neighbors. The best part about these matches? The passionate rivalries between the local teams!
It gives us some of the most epic football moments of all time. So, we asked 150 football fans about their favorite derby rivalries.
And here’s what we found – the best derby rivalries in the EPL as ranked by fans!
- Arsenal vs Chelsea.
- Manchester United vs Manchester City
- Liverpool vs Everton
- Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur
- Portsmouth vs Southampton
- Chelsea vs Fulham
- Manchester United vs Liverpool
- Aston Villa vs Birmingham City
1. Arsenal vs Chelsea:
| First Game | 1995 |
| Total Matches Played | 74 |
| Wins For Arsenal | 27 |
| Wins For Chelsea | 26 |
Of course, we are going to start with Arsenal vs Chelsea – the English Premier Legaue hasn’t witnessed a bigger rivalry yet!
Perhaps the most vital games between the two teams tend to come up in different cup competitions, including five crucial finals – 2019 EPL among them – and the 2003-2004 quarter-final for the Champions League, which witnessed Chelsea destroying the invincible Arsenal’s chances of emerging as European Champions.
Moreover, there’s Robin van Persie’s treble in 2011’s 5-3 game at Standford Bridge and Kanu’s hat-trick in the late 90s.
But what makes me annoyed is how the games between Arsenal and Chelsea are typically decided by underby-things such as ‘goals’ and ‘good play’ instead of the hatred that actually flows through the local rivalries.
Perhaps if Chelsea had been able to retain Diego Costa for somewhat longer, things might have been different. This was not the huge London fixture you would typically anticipate anytime soon, particularly considering Arsenal’s domination in the EPL along with Manchester United.
But it was the appointment of Jose Mourinho and the takeover of Roman Abramovich that witnessed the rivalry between the two sides really heat up, specifically in other competitions. In fact, the duo have faced each other in the finals five times since then.
In terms of drama and quality, this derby deserves the first spot – from Kanu’s memorable goal on a waterlogged pitch in the late nineties and Michael Essien’s screamer to the 6-0 drubbing, which witnessed Kieran Gibbs’ bizarre send-off and Van Persie’s hattrick.
Arsenal vs. Chelsea: Battle of Pride
Arsenal vs. Chelsea is one of the best derby rivalries of all time. It’s an epic battle for pride – which club is the pride of London?
In 2023, it was a home advantage that took the call on both encounters. While Arsenal tasted victory at the Emirates, Chelsea won at Stanford Bridge. The Blue’s victory witnessed a smart goal from Drogba early in the game, which was followed by a beautiful freekick from Alex.
Of course, Arsenal would have never taken this lightly. Next time around, Arsenal took revenge, picking their rivals apart with a fantastic 3-1 victory.
Interestingly, Jose Mourinho looked back at the time when he was inter-manager and addressed his dispute with Wenger to FourFourTwo, “I’m not the person to be in a club for three or four years without winning a trophy. Maybe Wenger should explain to Arsenal supporters how he has not won a single little trophy since 2005.”
2. Manchester United vs Manchester City
| First Game | 1881 |
| Total Matches Played | 192 |
| Wins For Manchester United | 78 |
| Wins For Manchester City | 61 |
For years, the whole Manchester United vs Manchester City debate was redundant, considering it was mostly a one-sided competition. Yes, it actually took Manchester City 11 attempts in the EPL to win a single derby.
City’s memorable win was followed by two more victories before Sheikh Mansour’s takeover in 2008. This takeover changed things forever.
While it might have taken City some time to find the right direction, especially during big occasions, including the last-minute winning goal by Michael Owen leading to a pulsating 4-3 victory in 2010 for Manchester United.
Yet it was Manchester City’s iconic 6-1 victory at Old Trafford that ended the 4-year EPL winning hiatus. In October 2011, the champions of Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t expect the challengers of Roberto Mancini to rip through them, scoring six goals and settling rivalries for the time being.
Without a doubt, it was Manchester City’s most emphatic victory in the history of best derby rivalries since the team’s biggest victory at Old Trafford in 1995.
Since then, things have changed forever, with fans going crazy over an onslaught of victories for Manchester City. United have beaten City only 5 times since 2016.
Moreover, looking back, the rivalry between City and United, that is, the Manchester derby, is perhaps English football’s longest-running battle. In fact, the two teams first met for a match way back in 1881, 3 years after Manchester United’s creation and only a year after City was formed.
Manchester United vs. Manchester City: A City of Reds and Blues
Perhaps Eric Cantona, a former Manchester United player, sums up the rivalry between the two teams accurately when he says, “On derby day in Manchester, the city is cut in two. The blues and reds invade the street, and if your team wins, the city belongs to you.”
From the 90s, when Manchester City could barely manage to bag any victories – even losing 7 times consecutively between 1993 and 2000 – to the present time, which started in 2012 with City winning their first EPL crown.
The 2012 season saw City’s team with a late-season form that included a 1-0 home victory against Manchester United, accompanying the iconic 6-1 victory at Old Trafford early in the same season.
3. Liverpool vs Everton:
| First Game | 1894 |
| Total Matches Played | 243 |
| Wins For Liverpool | 99 |
| Wins For Everton | 67 |
As committed football fans, we are all aware of the Merseyside derbies – plenty of combat, but goals? Not much.
In fact, Liverpool’s 2022 fixture in the current football season was a draw but without any goals. This match took the Liverpool vs Everton fixture to 24 – yes, 24 0-0s! The number is six times more than any other combination in the League’s history.
As a result, it is not surprising to see that at the rate of 2.26 goals every game, this happens to be the lowest-scoring fixture amongst the best derby rivalries. However, who actually cares about any goals when you can just jump to a montage of fervor and limbs?
Moreover, the Merseyside derby dominates the division as the perfect epitome of derby fury and passion, with more than 22 red cards. The only thing missing now is Divock Origi’s presence. FYI, Divock Origi has scored 22 goals for Liverpool in the English Premier League. Out of which, 6 goals were against Everton.
Ironically, Liverpool vs Everton is called a ‘friendly derby.’ It’s one of those ever-present fixtures in EPL’s long and bloody history. Having said that, it’s a fixture that has gotten the most number of red cards in the past three decades (since 1992).
For football fans, you know what this means – it does show a certain level of dedication from the players, including Pepe Reina’s scary goalkeeping, making spectacles out of ties, Liverpool’s legen-wait -for-it-dary Steven Gerrard’s iconic hattrick, and course, Origi’s last-minute win.
Liverpool vs Everton: The Battle Of The Red Cards
While Liverpool vs. Everton is one of EPL’s best derby rivalries, thanks to the 22 red cards, it fails to have a significant impact due to its consistent one-sidedness and absence of feistiness.
Tim Cahill, former Toffees player, said in this context, “No money in this world could convince me to play for Liverpool. That’s not a lack of respect for Liverpool supporters or the football club. It’s respect for the Everton supporters. You just can’t do that. It goes against everything that I stand for. No chance.”
4. Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur:
| First Game | 1909 |
| Total Matches Played | 194 |
| Wins For Arsenal | 81 |
| Wins For Everton | 61 |
The North London Derby is as entertaining and exciting as it gets.
Every season, we see both the North London derbies coming up with some very intensive drama on the field, pure happiness for some fans and heartbreak for others. In fact, their first match at the Emirates in the 2010-11 season was incredible to watch.
With the 2-0 score in favor of Arsenal in the 1st half, it did seem like the Gunners got it. But then 3 goals in the second half from Tottenham did mean that Spurs actually came back, and that too away from home, to ensure their very first victory at Emirates.
The next time these two sides faced each other at White Hart Lane, a close 3-3 draw took place in perhaps the season’s most fast-paced matches. If you think about it, it was one of the best matches from the 2010-2011 season.
Famed for being one of the best Derby rivalries of all time, matches between the two teams have gone through some major clashes. However, no other game in the history of North London derby could get any bigger than the memorable 2-2 tie in North London’s white half in 2004.
This is the game that witnessed Arsenal asking for a point to bag the champions’s title on their rival’s field before staying unbeaten for the remaining season. It is a draw that has been steeped in quality, tradition, and history.
In fact, Arsene Wenger once said (taken from his autobiography), “Have Tottenham closed the gap on Arsenal? Last time I checked, they were still 4 miles and 11 titles away.”
Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Best Derby In The EPL
Undoubtedly, the North London derby is one of the best derby rivalries in the EPL at the moment.
Their throbbing tie at the Emirates Stadium last year is evidence of how two committed teams went all out for victory. Moreover, the talented squads are currently led by managers who are charismatic, determined, and experienced.
Good news! We can only expect this rivalry to get better with each season.
In addition to the dedication of the teams and their managers, have you noticed how the two bitter arch-rivals have performed in terms of their recent finishes in the league?
5. Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur:
| First Game | 1909 |
| Total Matches Played | 175 |
| Wins For Chelsea | 77 |
| Wins For Tottenham Hotspur | 56 |
It doesn’t matter what people are saying – don’t you think that North London isn’t the best Premier League derby in the capital? We think so – for us, the honor legit goes to the aggressive games between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
The games always seem to reach a different level of charged-up hatred – and that is normal coming from the two popular teams most annoyed with Arsenal’s overall rise to the top in London. Moreover, the fixture never really disappoints – from 2016’s Battle of the Bridge to 2022’s pantomime handshake rage at the Stamford Bridge.
In the history of the English Premier League, only a single team has picked up 9 yellow cards in one game. Tottenham Hotspur is the only team to get 9 yellow cards in a single game in the history of the League. To make matters worse, Chelsea added another three yellow cards, pushing the grand total of the match to 12 yellow cards.
Well, you cannot really say that went down without a fight. TBH, it was more of a display of malice instead of merit. From Mousa Dembélé’s started squabbling with Mikel John Obi to players and managers brawling down the tunnel when the whistle blew finally.
On top of that, Chelsea literally came back from the dead, ending Spur’s hopes of winning the title. For sustaining Tottenham’s title Challenge, the team just needed one win. There wasn’t that much hope – a Spurs title needs three wins for the visiting team, accompanied by a couple of Leicester losses. But there was some hope – it was vague but undeniable.
As a result, it fell on Chelsea to simply take that away.
Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur: Chelsea Came Back From The Death To Snatch Victory
While Chelsea’s 2016 lineup was certainly good on paper, 45 minutes into the game, the Blues were already in trouble. After a muddle in the center annihilated Chelsea’s defensive line, leaving Erik Lamela to go ahead and pass the ball to Harry Kane – Kane opened the scoring for Tottenham.
The rivalry of this match was such that Chelsea fans were worried that they were perhaps going to see their first defeat at home against Tottenham in 26 years.
6. Portsmouth vs Southampton:
| First Game | 1900 |
| Total Matches Played | 71 |
| Wins For Southhampton | 35 |
| Wins For Portsmouth | 21 |
The Portsmouth vs Southhampton rivalry is one that fans tend to overlook due to the usual absence of the two teams together in the EPL. Having said that, there’s no point ignoring how both teams have managed to achieve top-level greatness in their own right while staying away from the spotlight.
Of course, in 2008, Portsmouth bagged the coveted FA Cup. Moreover, while Southhampton did not win any domestic title during their presence in the Premier League, they have managed to play an integral role with players like Luke Shaw, Virgil Van Dijk, and Sadio Mane, all going through the ranks at the famous St.Mary’s Stadium.
However, the two teams have had some derby matches in their Premier League. Interestingly, the record between the two teams is absolutely even, with two wins for each. But it was Portsmouth’s 2005 4-1 victory against Southhampton, A.K.A their rivals from the south coast, that has stayed with us.
Thinking back, the victory for Portsmouth was so much sweeter because former team manager Harry Redknapp had joined arch-rivals Southampton only a while back. Due to the rivalry of the two clubs, Redknapp’s move annoyed all Portsmouth fans at the time, making this victory so much sweeter.
In fact, Redknapp, the official website of Portsmouth, said, “There were just over 20,000 fans there, but it felt more like 200,000. The hatred towards us was like nothing I had ever experienced. There were six SAS men to protect us in the dugout, and they had helicopters flying above the team bus.”
Portsmouth vs Southampton: Overlooked, But Not Forgotten
Southampton actually dominated the derby games against Portsmouth in the post-war era. Interestingly, Southampton bagged 14 wins, while Portsmouth managed to win 6 times. Moreover, in 2003, Portsmouth’s much-awaited promotion to the English Premier League made matters even, reigniting the rivalry between the two clubs.
This was the very first time when the two clubs crossed paths in a standard league competition since the 1987-88 First Division season.
7. Chelsea vs Fulham:
| First Game | 1910 |
| Total Matches Played | 82 |
| Wins For Chelsea | 22 |
| Wins For Fulham | 2 |
To cut a long story short, Fullham’s victory rate against Chelsea (Fullham’s postcode neighbors) is very low, taking into account all the 1,542 EPL fixtures. While the Whites have emerged victorious 7 times in their 74 EPL encounters against Chelsea, the Blues have bagged 19 wins, losing just 1 of their 30 League matches against Fulham.
The thing about the top-flight derbies of west London is that these have stayed intermittent in the past few years. This is because the flour contestants of this derby – Fulham, Chelsea, Queen’s Park Rangers, and Brentford – had their own independent ups and downs over the years on the EPL’s ladder.
While Brentford met Fulham at the top level just once in August in recent times, which led to a 3-2 home win for Fulham, the Cottagers’ and QPR opening match in October 2011 led to a 6-0 victory for Fulham.
Moreover, the Rs and the Bees have managed to stay separate, as if they were in a sequence of alphabets, never crossing paths in the Premier League or even Divison One.
TBH, the OF top-flight encounters between Chelsea and Fulham came 14 years after at Craven Cottage, with Billy Gray bagging a major win for Chelsea in September 1949.
Chelsea vs Fulham: Stamford Bridge Meets Craven Cottage
It all started with Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage being located close to each other. So, when the two sides meet each other, it is a sight to see.
Sure, the west London derby might not be the most exciting derby to watch – but that doesn’t make it any less entertaining.
As far as we can recall, Fulham and Chelsea played recently in the third round of the Carling Cup – the match ended up going into penalties, with the Blues emerging as victorious at the end of the match.
While fans might not think of Fulham as Chelsea’s arch-rivals, Fulham definitely considers Chelsea to be their main rival. Moreover, for Cottagers, the west London derby is the season’s most pivotal match!
8. Manchester United vs Liverpool:
| First Game | 1894 |
| Total Matches Played | 240 |
| Wins For Manchester United | 90 |
| Wins For Liverpool | 81 |
This. Is. The. One. A complete certainty on the football calendar – and haven’t we witnessed just too many moments of pure happiness and magic?
Even last March, when Liverpool inflicted a crushing 7-0 defeat over Manchester United at Anfield, it was simply marvelous! Now, if you add Liverpool’s 4-1 victory at Old Trafford to the 7-0 victory, then the results are outstanding and one of the best Derby rivalries in English football.
Similarly, United also have some bragging rights! Remember Anthony Martial’s legendary goal, Berbatov’s memorable hattrick, and, in recent times, Juan Mata’s volley are all insane, establishing United’s spot in the League.
However, it was the turnover in the league’s titles that made things great for United. From the Liverpool fan’s banner saying, ‘Au Revoir Cantona, come back when you’ve won 18’ in 1994 to United actually coming back with 18 titles, the Red Devils got the last laugh.
Once, Ryan Giggs (who spent his entire professional career at United) had cheekily said, “I think I’ve always shown the right respect to Liverpool and the history they have. But I also know that it’s the team I get the most pleasure out of beating.”
This derby is a part of the general rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester. Since the two cities are just 35 miles apart from one another, they have been competing with each other not just in football but also in terms of their economies and industries.
Known as one of the best derby rivalries of all time, matches between Manchester United and Liverpool are some of the most passionate football moments in the world. The North West derby witnesses two of England’s most successful clubs, arch-rivals Liverpool and Manchester United, fight it out. FYI, the two clubs have won 137 trophies in total.
Manchester United vs Liverpool: What North West Derby Is Known For?
Yep, North West Derby is known for the Manchester United vs. Liverpool matches.
Technically, this happens to be a derby between the two clubs in the northwest – it’s a Lancashire derby, to be specific. But nobody actually thinks much about that! Instead, it is a clash, a battle, between the two most popular, not to mention successful clubs in the Legaue’s history. Think about it – it’s a side with 19 crowns against a side with 18 crowns.
This is the derby that you should never miss out on – things always tend to heat up in these matches.
9. Aston Villa vs Birmingham City:
| First Game | 1879 |
| Total Matches Played | 120 |
| Wins For Aston Villa | 52 |
| Wins For Birmingham City | 38 |
While Aston Villa and Birmingham City haven’t been making headlines for their rivalry since 2010, we can’t deny the two teams lit up our worlds in the 2000s with some crazy encounters.
Aston Villa vs Birmingham City is one of the finest local derbies of the league. Yes, it produced only 2.29 goals every game, with two infamous red cards in 14 competitive matches. However, both those dismissals led to a memorable 2-0 win at Villa Park for Birmingham in March 2023.
Talking about dismissals, can we ever forget the finest headbutt ever seen in the history of the League? Nope!
Interestingly, Dion Dublin and Robbie Savage were friends for nearly three decades. At the time, Savage was shocked when his long-time pal headbutted him during the fateful match.
But why was Aston Villa so annoyed with this fixture? Perhaps because that season’s reverse fixture at St. Andrews witnessed Birmingham enjoying their finest season since 1985 and winning against their rivals in a memorable game. The best part? Peter Enckelman’s role in the 2nd goal.
The Villa keeper failed to control the throw-in he received from Olof Mellberg and, allowed it to run into the net from under his foot. If he hadn’t touched the ball, then as per the game’s laws, Birmingham should have gotten a corner.
So, did the referee for the game, David Elleray, forget about the rule? We’ll never know, but it was deemed that the ball indeed brushed his foot – the goal was obviously counted, leading to some unsavory moments on the field.
In 2004, Mellberg said, “I don’t particularly like Birmingham City after the four games we have played against them in the Premiership. I can’t say the atmosphere between us has been brilliant. Not that we have to like each other.”
Aston Villa Vs. Birmingham City: The Local Rivalry To Remember!
While the last three games between the two teams during 2009-2010 produced just three goals. However, the 2002-2003 season is one to remember – it will stay with us forever!
Trapped in a depressing period, Birmingham has finished close to 2oth in every season of the last 6 Championships. But we can hope that one day soon, Birmingham City will make a memorable comeback in the English Premier League, all set to play their role in the purest derby of the division.
