Liverpool v Manchester United: Why are they rivals?

Manchester United face last season's champions Liverpool in a top-of-the-table clash this weekend in the Premier League.

Ole Gunnar Solskjær's United team lead Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool side by three points going into the match.

It's the first time since both sides have been battling it out at the top of the league in over a decade.

Despite this, Liverpool versus Manchester United is widely thought to be one of the biggest and most famous rivalries in football history.

Read on here to find out why.

Understanding the origins of Manchester and Liverpool's rivalry

During the industrial revolution in the 19th century, Manchester and Liverpool were both thriving in the North West of England.

Manchester was known for being one of the best textile bases in the world and had some of the biggest factories around.

Liverpool, on the other hand, had an amazing shipping port so it could bring in and send out loads of goods abroad.

However, at the end of the century, the Manchester shipping canal was completed.

This meant that ships didn't have to stop at the ports in Liverpool anymore and could head straight to Manchester via the canal to deliver their textile materials.

This created a lot of resentment in Liverpool where local residents lost business and jobs when the ships no longer stopped at the docks.

Rivalry on the pitch

You might wonder why Manchester City and Everton haven't been dragged into this rivalry in the same way.

It's mainly because they haven't been nearly as successful as Manchester United and Liverpool on the pitch.

Between them, United and Liverpool have won an incredible 131 major trophies since forming in the late nineteenth century.

Manchester United have won 20 league titles and Liverpool are just one behind with 19.

Liverpool lead the way with six European cup titles, compared to United's three.

The First Division

Before it was re-branded as the Premier League in 1992, the top division in England was called the First Division.

Liverpool dominated during the First Division era, winning 18 of their 19 titles in that time.

United couldn't keep up with their arch rivals.

Despite dominating throughout the 1960s under a manager called Matt Busby, their title victory of 1967 would be their last for 26 years.

Liverpool were particularly dominant in the 1980s, winning seven titles and two European cups.

The Premier League

Under the guidance of a Scottish manager called Alex Ferguson Manchester United completely turned the tables on their great rivals.

In 1992, the First Division was rebranded as The Premier League.

Games became pay-per-view on television and clubs had access to a lot more cash thanks to money TV companies paid to show the matches.

Manchester United quickly took advantage and dominated the early years by winning six titles in the 1990s.

By the time Alex Ferguson retired in 2013, he had helped the club overtake Liverpool's record of 18 titles.

Manchester United had 20 titles while Liverpool hadn't won the league since 1990.

Battling it out in the Premier League

The two sides have actually only finished first and second in the Premier League once. That was during the 2008-2009 season.

Liverpool looked like they were finally going to topple their great rivals as they went into 2009 on top of the table.

This was around the time that captain Steven Gerrard and striker, Fernando Torres, were at their prime.

However, Liverpool couldn't maintain their lead over the Red Devils and - despite only losing two games all season - they ended up losing the title.

Klopp

Since the exit of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United have been unable to add to their Premier League titles.

Meanwhile, in 2015, Liverpool hired a German manager called Jurgen Klopp.

He had serious success in German football after leading Borussia Dortmund to two league titles and a Champions League final.

Klopp soon proved his worth at Liverpool, helping the club to the Champions League final in 2018 and 2019.

The club's victory in the 2019 final was their sixth title in the competition.

In 2019-2020 Klopp managed Liverpool to their first ever Premier League title.

It was the club's first league title in 30 years.

Who do you think is going to win the league this season? Let us know by commenting below.