Liverpool and Man United are without doubt two of the greatest clubs in England. Their rivalry has long been a huge characteristic of British football, and along with El Clasico and Italy’s Milan derby, clashes between the two Premier League giants are among the world’s most followed soccer encounters.
Both teams face each other again in less than 24 hours, and this time, we go back to 2008 to look at all the battles between the titans since then. Readers must nonetheless note that video highlights shown below only concern clashes related to the EPL.
Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United: 13 September 2008
This match is one not to forget. A fierce Carlos Tevez first put Manchester United in front after only three minutes thanks to a nice movement by Dimitar Berbatov; but, but an own goal mid-way through the first half from Wesley Brown rudely destabilized the Red Devils’ team.
With several tactical mistakes from Coach Sir Alex Ferguson, there was no way the visitors were going to make a comeback. Eventually, it was substitute Ryan Babel who scored the winner for Liverpool, only to give the hosts a lucky 2-1 victory at Anfield.
Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool: 14 March 2009
Defeating Manchester United at the Old Trafford is normally a very difficult thing to do, especially when the Mancunians are determined to correct a mistake. However, this was really not the case for Liverpool in the second part of the 2008/09 season. A goal from Cristiano Ronaldo after 23 minutes of play surprisingly turned out to be United’s only goal of the match, as Liverpool boldly came back to lead 4-1 in the end—subsequent to crucial contributions from Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Fabio Aurelio, and Andrea Dossena.
Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United: 25 October 2009
For another time, Liverpool imposed themselves over Manchester United in the year 2009. The match’s first half presented much suspense and a lot of possibilities, as it ended goalless. Rafael Benitez’s men then fought harder in the second period to steal a 2-0 triumph, with goals coming from Fernando Torres after 65 minutes, and David N’Gog at the 90th minute.
Manchester United 2-1 Liverpool: 21 March 2010
Manchester United’s revenge in the Premier League finally came in 2010, when they were at last able to silence their archrivals 2-1 in front of 75,216 spectators at the Old Trafford. With seven more match-days remaining the Premier League, both sides knew that they had to make as much efforts as possible to secure themselves the table’s best places.
Apparently, the favour went United’s way, and all Liverpool fans could do was watch their short winning streak over the Red Devils come to an end. Goals from Wayne Rooney and Ji-Sung Park sealed the win for the hosts, after Fernando Torres had given the visitors an early lead.
Manchester United 3-2 Liverpool: 19 September 2010
In this match, Liverpool were quite impressive and efficient in front of goal, but Manchester United were factually better. The Reds managed to score two goals through a double from Steven Gerrard, which saw them draw level ten minutes after the hour mark. Yet, with Dimitar Berbatov completing a hat-trick in the end, two goals just weren’t enough.
