Every Premier League Club’s Main Rival (2024/2025)

The Premier League’s huge expansion in worldwide popularity over recent decades has not changed the intensity of rivalries across the country. Tribalism plays a big part in English football, and every team has a rival they are desperate to beat and gain bragging rights over.

Whether it be the Merseyside derby or the fierce battle for supremacy in Manchester, each rivalry is different and needs to be fully explained to show the origins of the fixture. Some feuds are borne out of entrenched political beliefs and economic status, while others can be sparked by one innocuous act.

This article will outline who the arch-rival of every Premier League club is and go through historic clashes for each respective derby. Here is the complete list for all 20 Premier League teams for the 2024/2025 season.

Arsenal – Tottenham Hotspur

Arsenal’s main foe is undoubtedly Tottenham Hotspur, who they have had a fierce rivalry with for over 100 years. The Gunners hold a slight advantage over their North London counterparts, with 87 wins in this fixture to Tottenham’s 67.

Many will remember Arsenal winning the Premier League at White Hart Lane in 2004 during the invincible campaign, and this was the second time they had achieved this feat. Back in 1971, they also won the league at Tottenham’s stadium. The derby is not as dominant in Premier League history, with Arsenal winning 25 to Tottenham’s 15. In the Premier League, Arsenal have had eight red cards against their rivals, highlighting the feisty aspect of these matches.

Aston Villa – Birmingham City

The last game between these two sides based in Birmingham, traditionally known as England’s ‘Second City’, was in 2019, when Aston Villa won 1-0 at St Andrew’s. Jack Grealish scored the winning goal in this match, after being attacked by a Birmingham City supporter on the pitch earlier in the game.

Villa hold the upper hand in this derby, with 57 wins to Birmingham’s 38. Ken Leek and Gabriel Agbonlahor are the top scorers in the Second City Derby with five goals apiece. The first match between the sides took place back in November 1887, in a game that saw Villa comfortably win 4-0. It took 14 attempts for Birmingham to win their first match against Villa, which was in 1905.

Brentford – Fulham

Brentford’s main rival is their west London counterpart, Fulham. The Bees narrowly edge out their capital neighbours with 25 wins compared to Fulham’s 23. The other 18 head-to-head matches were draws, highlighting how close this rivalry has been on the pitch since the first meeting back in 1928.

When Fulham beat Brentford in England’s third tier in 1998, it seemed inconceivable that the club’s next meeting would be more than 16 years later in the League Cup. While Fulham were propelled into the Premier League by the riches of Mohamed Al-Fayed at the turn of the century, Brentford had to wait until a data revolution under Matthew Benham to move up the footballing pyramid. With both clubs now in the top flight, the rivalry is growing.

Brighton & Hove Albion – Crystal Palace

Although these clubs are separated by 43 miles, the ‘M23 derby’ often has to be explained to outside observers. One of the strangest rivalries in world football dates back to the 1970s when the clubs regularly played each other in the lower leagues. The ill-will was stoked by the personal rivalry between Brighton manager Alan Mullery and his Crystal Palace counterpart Terry Venables. At the end of a particularly fiery FA Cup tie in 1976, the two coaches had a bust-up, which resulted in Mullery exchanging unpleasantries with the Palace fans.

The head-to-head record is extremely close, as Palace have 38 wins to Brighton’s 42. In recent times, 1-1 has been a popular scoreline when these two teams meet. In fact, six of the last 11 matches have ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Bournemouth – Southampton

There has been an edge to the south coast derby between Bournemouth and Southampton in recent years, especially when both clubs were in the Premier League. The first top-flight meeting between the teams was back in November 2015, with Southampton winning the game 2-0.

However, Bournemouth bounced back with a 3-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium only four months later. The first meeting between the two sides was back in November 1953, when the Cherries were known as Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic. Since then, Bournemouth have an indifferent record against their rivals, with only nine wins in 34 matches. Southampton have won 16 of these clashes.

Chelsea – Tottenham Hotspur

Chelsea have many rivalries in London. However, the fiercest enmity is directed towards Tottenham Hotspur, who they have a positive head-to-head record against. Chelsea have won 79 games against Spurs, losing 56, since their first meeting back in December 1909.

Many fans will remember the infamous ‘Battle of the Bridge’, which saw Chelsea come from two goals behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Tottenham. That chaotic contest handed the Premier League title to underdogs Leicester City in 2016. Chelsea have been dominant in this fixture since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, winning 35 of the 64 games, only losing eight.

Crystal Palace – Brighton & Hove Albion

While Crystal Palace have rivalries with fellow capital clubs such as Millwall and Charlton Athletic, Brighton are their main enemies. Back in 2013, Palace beat Brighton over two legs in the Championship play-off semi-final. After a goalless contest in south London, Wilfried Zaha fired Palace to a 2-0 victory over Brighton at the AMEX Stadium.

Zaha is the derby’s leading scorer, boasting eight goals. Glenn Murray has scored seven times in this fixture while making more than 100 appearances for both clubs. Palace are now winless in six matches against their south coast rivals, with their last victory coming back in February 2021.

Everton – Liverpool

The Merseyside derby is one of the most historic rivalries in English football, with the first match taking place back in October 1894. Overall, the clubs have played each other 295 times, with Everton winning 84 to Liverpool’s 125.

The mid-1980s produced some of the best matches in Merseyside derby history between the two teams which were at the summit of the English game. Between 1982 and 1988, all seven top-flight titles were won by either Everton or Liverpool. The Merseyside neighbours most notably met in the 1986 FA Cup final, which saw Liverpool beat Everton 3-1. Three years later, the two clubs met again at Wembley, with the Reds winning 3-2 after extra time.

Fulham – Brentford

The Cottagers enjoyed a 2-1 win against Brentford in the Championship play-off final back in August 2020. Securing promotion against their rivals was sweet for Fulham fans, but the game was played behind closed doors due to the COVID pandemic. Joe Bryan scored two goals in extra-time to secure the win for Scott Parker’s side, including a spectacular free-kick which caught current Arsenal goalkeeper, David Raya off guard.

The clubs have only played four top-flight matches against each other. Fulham won the first meeting in August 2022, but are yet to defeat their west London rivals outside of Craven Cottage.

Ipswich Town – Norwich City

One day before England declared war on Germany in September 1939, Ipswich Town hosted Norwich City in the first-ever edition of the Old Farm derby to take place in the English football pyramid. One of those battles lasted six years while the other continues to rage on to this day.

The East Anglian derby may not be the fiercest rivalry in world football, fans of the two clubs often come from the same household, but it is a tribal affair. Suffolk’s Ipswich lie 40 miles away from Norwich in Norfolk and boast a far bigger trophy cabinet. Norwich can take solace from their stellar record in this fixture over recent years as they enjoy a record-breaking 14-game unbeaten streak.

Leicester City – Nottingham Forest

The modern iteration of Leicester City is easy to warm to for neutrals. By securing the most surprising title win in football history with Premier League glory in 2016, the Foxes became everyone’s second-favourite team. As the club’s triumphant manager Claudio Ranieri said: “In an era when money counts for everything, I think we give hope to everybody.”

The closest thing Leicester have to a rival would be fellow East Midlands outfit Nottingham Forest. Proximity is the basis for this feud, which may also have its roots in a 12-0 thrashing Forest dished out in April 1909. This record-breaking reverse can be explained by Leicester’s squad attending a teammate’s wedding two days earlier and continuing the celebrations into the early hours of the matchday. Long before Jamie Vardy, Leicester’s players knew how to party.

Liverpool – Everton

Liverpool have enjoyed a dominant record against Everton in the Premier League. Across the 64 matches they have played against their Merseyside rivals in the competition, the Reds have won 28, only losing 11.

There have been many memorable Premier League clashes between these two teams, including Divock Origi’s stoppage-time winner against Everton in December 2018. Jurgen Klopp’s side lost to Everton behind closed doors at Anfield in February 2021, which was the Toffees’ first victory away at Liverpool in 22 years. This was one of only two defeats that Klopp has suffered at the hands of Everton during his nine years on the red half of Merseyside.

Manchester City – Manchester United

Back in 2009, Sir Alex Ferguson was asked whether Manchester United would go into the Manchester derby underdogs. Ferguson told The Independent: “Not in my lifetime.” Eight Premier League titles later, and Manchester City are now undoubtedly the dominant team in the city.

The first match between the city rivals took place in October 1891. United have the edge in the overall head-to-head record, while City have enjoyed recent success in this fixture. Pep Guardiola’s side infamously earned a 2-1 victory in the 2023 FA Cup final only for United to get one over their rivals on the same grand stage 12 months later.

Manchester United – Manchester City

Although City have recently bossed the Manchester derby, United have historically been the dominant team. Manchester City had to wait 44 years for a league title after their triumph in 1968. From 1968 to 2012, United picked up 12 Premier League crowns, not only dominating the Manchester derby, but also English football.

Wayne Rooney’s famous bicycle kick goal in 2011 remains one of the best in the Manchester derby. Rooney is the top scorer in this fixture, scoring 11 goals. City’s Francis Lee and Sergio Aguero are two behind on nine, while United icon Eric Cantona managed to rack up eight goals in just seven derby appearances.

Newcastle United – Sunderland

Since 1992, there have been 28 editions of the Tyne-Wear derby in the Premier League. The most recent head-to-head was in the 2023/24 FA Cup when Newcastle beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Stadium of Light in the third round of the famous competition.

This is one of the most even derby matches in terms of results. Since the first meeting back in 1898, Newcastle have won 54 matches compared to Sunderland’s 53 victories. The other 49 derbies were drawn. On top of this, out of the 28 Premier League matches played against each other, both teams have won nine games, and the other 10 were drawn.

Nottingham Forest – Derby County

The East Midlands Derby is often overlooked in discussions about the best rivalries in English football. Undoubtedly, this fixture takes on extra prominence because of Brian Clough’s managerial presence at both clubs. In fact, the winner of each match takes home the Brian Clough trophy.

Clough was manager at Derby County from 1967 to 1973 before taking charge of Nottingham Forest from 1975 to 1993. He won the First Division title with Derby, along with four League Cups. At Forest, Clough famously won two European Cups and the First Division in the space of three golden years. The outspoken manager has been immortalised with a statue in both cities – and one in his hometown of Middlesbrough, for good measure.

Southampton – Portsmouth

The relationship between Southampton and neighbours Portsmouth was not always so toxic. The divide that widens every year is routinely blamed on the economic disparity between the coastal cities separated by 17 miles. But when Pompey won the 1939 FA Cup, inspired by the magical elixir of monkey glands, there was a shared sense of pride across the English south coast. The trophy was paraded around Southampton’s old home ground and earned pride of place in the town hall.

By the time Southampton won the oldest football competition in 1976, there was no whisper of mutual admiration. Portsmouth suffered relegation that same season and were effectively consigned to the third tier after a humbling defeat to the Saints. The sporadic meetings between these sides invariably inspire a hateful atmosphere that hasn’t always existed.

Tottenham Hotspur – Arsenal

Although they are behind Arsenal in terms of overall wins in the north London derby, Tottenham have had some memorable moments and players in these always hotly-contested games. Harry Kane was consistently a thorn in Arsenal’s side and has scored an unrivalled 14 goals in this fixture.

Kane is four goals ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor, who scored 10 goals and played for both clubs. Spurs also famously beat the Gunners 3-1 in the 1991 FA Cup semi-final, thanks to goals from Gary Lineker and Paul Gascoigne. Arsenal won the league that season, while Spurs went on to win the FA Cup.

West Ham United – Millwall

Although West Ham have many London-based feuds, such as Tottenham and Chelsea, Millwall are their main rivals. A contest often referred to as the Dockers derby, in a nod to the traditional trade of both fanbases, became especially well-known through hooligan films such as Green Street, following firm members from both clubs.

On the pitch, West Ham have won 19 of these matches, with Millwall winning three more since the first meeting in 1899. The most recent match between the two teams took place in February 2012, when West Ham beat Millwall 2-1 in the Championship. Millwall’s last win against the Hammers came all the way back in 2004.

Wolverhampton Wanderers – West Bromwich Albion

The Black Country Derby is another longstanding English rivalry that dates back to the 19th century. Since the first meeting in 1886, Wolves have won 54 games, while West Brom have claimed 65 victories.

The 2010/11 season saw both clubs in the top division of English football for the first time in 27 years. At the Hawthorns, the derby finished 1-1, with Wolves winning the return fixture 3-1. Most recently, the two teams played against each other in the fourth round of the 2023/24 FA Cup. Wolves advanced with a 2-0 victory away from home, but the contest was marred by crowd trouble between the two sets of supporters.

Statistics gathered from 11v11 and Transfermarkt. Correct as of 30th May 2024.