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On this week’s report we take a look at one of the fiercest rivalries in English football: Liverpool versus Manchester United. Which team is older? Which has won more head-to-heads? Have they ever played each other in a final? Which of them has won more league titles? These and other questions are answered in this week’s report, which also has a transcript below and explanations of key vocabulary (in bold) can be found at the foot of the post, while other key phrases (in blue) also have meanings explained.
1878 The year that Manchester United, as Newton Heath, came into existence – and in 1910 they moved to their current home of Old Trafford. Liverpool were founded 14 years after their rivals in 1892 entering the league the following year.
Manchester United have recorded 60 league wins over their rivals – Liverpool have managed 53 victories with 43 draws and if all matches are taken into consideration, for instance Cup matches, United lead 70-61.
5 The number of European Cups that Liverpool have won compared to United’s 3. Liverpool won their first in 1977 but United had already been victorious in 1968. Both sides have also been beaten twice in finals – United having lost in 2009 and 2011, while Liverpool missed out in 1985 and 2007.
19 is the number of domestic League titles that Manchester United have managed to win, that is one more than Liverpool though the last of those was in 1990. Indeed, when Liverpool last won the title United had only managed to win the English league on 7 occasions – the Red Devils have undoubtedly been the more successful side in recent times.
4 the number of times these two sides have met in major finals. The 1977 and 1996 FA Cup finals – both won by United – and the League Cup finals of 1983 and 2003 which both went to Liverpool. Liverpool have 7 League Cup titles – a record – while United have won the FA Cup on 11 occasions, also a record. In fact, United are the most successful club in English football with 53 trophies.
1964 The last time a player directly moved between the two clubs – Phil Chisnall who went from Liverpool to United. Though other players have played for both clubs (for example, Peter Beardsley and current player Michael Owen) very few have made the direct swap between the teams. This rivalry can also be seen by the fact that there have been 5 red cards in the last 7 matches between the two sides – no love lost at all.
1st: Manchester United have been ranked first by Forbes as the most valuable football club on the planet in 2011, while Liverpool feature in 9th place.
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Learn English Through Football Podcast: A show for football fans to improve their English language skills
