Highlights
Manchester United's Premier League record against the 'Big Six' shows mixed results, with varying degrees of success against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham Hotspur.
United have had the upper hand against Arsenal and Tottenham, while Chelsea have been a more challenging opponent in the Premier League era.
Liverpool and Manchester City have dominated in recent years, with the latter winning six out of the last seven league titles.
Manchester United have won the Premier League 13 times, with their last title coming back in the 2012/13 season. Since 1992, the club's main rivals have been the other five clubs involved in the 'Big Six', which has formed in the last couple of decades. This includes their rivals Manchester City, who have won eight Premier League titles since 2012, winning six out of the last seven under manager Pep Guardiola.
Last season, Erik ten Hag's side won one out of ten games against other 'Big Six' teams, and in recent times, they have experienced some humiliating defeats to their rivals. This includes the 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in March 2023. However, their record against these teams has not always been below par, especially in the 1990s and 2000s. Here is a complete guide to United's record against the rest of the 'Big Six' in the Premier League era.
Record Against Arsenal
United have had the upper hand against Arsenal in the Premier League era, winning 26, losing 20, and drawing 18. In fact, it wasn't until 1995 that the Gunners won their first match against Sir Alex Ferguson's side in the new league format. There were some memorable clashes between the sides in the early 2000s, notably the 0-0 draw in the 2003/04 season, which saw Ruud van Nistelrooy miss a last-minute penalty after it was controversially awarded. After his miss, Martin Keown was seen celebrating in the face of van Nistelrooy, which has become an infamous moment. Asked about the aftermath of the penalty, Keown told the Kammy & Ben's Proper Football Podcast,
"It was not ideal behaviour, especially in front of kids. It was like being in the playground again, wasn't it? Running after somebody. But it just happened.
"Even on the way to recording this, somebody jumped up and down in front of me trying to recreate [the incident]. I don't think a week has gone by in those 20 years, honestly, where no-one has mentioned it.
"But there was a tremendous desire and passion to pull away the stranglehold that United had on English football - and this group of players were capable of doing it."
The tunnel fight between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira at Highbury in February 2005 also made the rivalry famous. United won this game 4-2, and this era of the Premier League was dominated by these two teams. In recent times, Arsenal have been superior to United, winning four out of the last five head-to-head matches. In fact, in the 2023/24 season, the Gunners secured a double against the Red Devils for the first time since the 2006/07 campaign. They have achieved this feat on four occasions in the Premier League era.
Record Against Chelsea
Chelsea have proved to be tough opponents for United in the Premier League, especially since Roman Abramovich's takeover of the club in 2004. Following Abramovich's acquisition of the London outfit, Chelsea won the league twice in a row under the charismatic management of Jose Mourinho. In fact, from November 2003 to May 2007, United won one game in eight against the Blues.
Recently, United have had an impressive head-to-head record against Chelsea, losing only one out of their last 13 matches. Last time out, Cole Palmer scored a stoppage time winner to beat United 4-3 and secure their first win against the Red Devils in six years. The most common result when these two teams have met in the Premier League has been a draw. Over 40% of the games between United and Chelsea have ended in a stalemate, with both teams winning the same number of games against each other.
Record Against Liverpool
It wasn't until 2020 that United's arch-rivals Liverpool won their first Premier League title. In the early years of the new league format, United dominated Liverpool, losing only three times between 1992 and 2000. The tables have turned recently, though, especially when Jurgen Klopp led the Merseyside club. This included 5-0 and 7-0 Liverpool victories in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Ten Hag's pre-match statement that his "players like to play in such atmospheres" ahead of the 7-0 drubbing in March 2023 was clearly misguided. In fact, since December 2018, the Red Devils have only won once in 12 games against Liverpool. The only victory in this time was a 2-1 triumph in 2022, thanks to goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.
With Klopp now gone from the hotseat, United will be hoping that they can gain the upper hand over the incoming manager, Arne Slot, in his first season. Overall, United have won 29 matches against Liverpool, losing 19. It is worth noting that they have conceded more than they scored against their rivals in the Premier League era, which has not been helped by the demolitions in 2022 and 2023.
Record Against Manchester City
Once labelled the 'noisy neighbours', City were inferior to their rivals in their early years of the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, City only won one game against United, which was a 3-1 victory, thanks to goals from Nicolas Anelka and Shaun Goater. Since the takeover of the club in 2008 by the Abu Dhabi United Group, the blue side of Manchester have been resurgent.
Since 2012, City have won the Premier League eight times and are currently the dominant team in English football, winning a record-breaking four titles in a row. They are still behind United in the head-to-head record since 1992, winning 20 games against their rivals and losing 25. They have won the Manchester derby five out of the last six times, though, so it doesn't look like it will be long until they catch up. During City's 6-3 victory against United in 2022, Guy Moybray said on commentary for Match of the Day,
" Sir Alex Ferguson was once asked if City would ever go into a derby as favourites. He said: 'Not in my lifetime'. Now it's every time."
Record Against Tottenham Hotspur
United have been dominant against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, winning over 60% of their matches against the London club. This included the 5-3 victory against Spurs in the 2001/02 season, where the Red Devils were 3-0 down at half-time. It hasn't always been completely one-sided, though, with Tottenham running out 6-1 winners against United at Old Trafford in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Former captain and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville to described the performance as "absolutely pathetic".
This result kickstarted a seven-match winning run against Spurs, which saw them complete the double against their opponents for three consecutive seasons. Ange Postecoglou helped to restore the balance last season, picking up four points in the two games against United. This helped his side finish six points and three positions ahead of Ten Hag's team in the league table.