Jamie Carragher’s claim that Liverpool and Manchester City’s rivalry is the best we have ever had in English football is certainly wrong. Arsenal’s rivalry with Manchester United had more substance, competitiveness and dislike between the teams, which made it so much more enticing.
The battles between Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson were a sight to see and had so much impact that Arsenal and Man United are still considered major rivals despite neither side competing for a league title in over a decade. It’s a rivalry that will be forever lasting due to the competition between both sides in the late 90s and early ’00s.
Liverpool and Manchester City cannot replicate such a rivalry like the battles between Arsenal and Manchester United. Not only do the managers have a major reason why the two rivalries do not compare, but the personnel on the pitch also has a major say.
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Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane is arguably the most well-known player-to-player rivalry in Premier League history. The pair would aggressively contest to help their side come out on top in the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United.
There were iconic moments from this rivalry such as Vieira’s pre-match tunnel warning to Gary Neville. Not to mention the brawl at Highbury between the Frenchman and Keane.
Liverpool and Manchester City do not have that dislike between them, and there’s mutual respect between players of both sides, which dilute a hotly contested rivalry even if they are both fighting for the Premier League title. And this is why Arsenal and Man United will always be the greatest rivalry in the Premier League history.
You could never envisage Ibrahim Konate laughing in the face and pushing Riyad Mahrez for missing a last-minute penalty in a crucial title decider, which would then lead to a brawl between both sides, and a consequent ban after the match. This was exactly what Martin Keown did to Ruud Van Nistelrooy in the famous 2003 match between the Gunners and the Red Devils in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. A season where Arsenal would beat their rivals to the title, and go the whole season unbeaten.
The classic rivalry also had the famous 'pizzagate' moment where it was alleged that an Arsenal player had thrown a pizza at Sir Alex Ferguson in 2004, showing a clear dislike between the two sides, which enhanced the rivalry. Manchester City and Liverpool just do not have moments such as these.
Manchester City have won the last three out of four Premier League titles, with Liverpool only winning one of these. The league title was unpredictable during the peak times of the rivalry between Arsenal and Manchester United, with Wenger’s side coming out as league champions on three occasions, despite the domination by Ferguson’s team.
Carragher may be correct when saying that Manchester City and Liverpool have more quality, but in terms of a rivalry between the clubs, it is hardly seen, even on the pitch. Whereas Arsenal and Manchester United had a clear dislike for each other, which increased the intensity of the rivalry, and is a major reason why the fixture is still viewed as one of the Premier League’s biggest rivalries.
