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Rivalries and derbies are often the matches that football supporters look forward to the most. Every club has a rivalry whether they’re a local neighbour or a challenger for honours.
Some of these matches have been played 100s of times and have over a century of history. Others are a little more modern but are today just as significant to supporters and the media.
But they can often be a little disappointing. Whether the occasion gets to the players or the whole contest is overhyped. Neutrals just want to see goals so we wanted to find out which derby matches see the most and which ones don’t.
154 Rivalries. 12,165 matches. 33,956 goals
To find out, we looked at 154 rivalries in English football. We compiled data for 12,165 matches in which 33,956 goals were scored. From there, we filtered it down to 12 finalists as some of the biggest rivalries in English football.
All data was taken before the start of the 2021/22 season. We looked only at competitive matches between the two clubs dating back as far as the 1870s.
Without further ado, here are some of the biggest rivalries in English football ranked by how boring they are.
Manchester Derby: Manchester Utd vs Manchester City
The Manchester Derby sees City and United face off for local bragging rights and, more recently, titles and European spots. Think back to previous Manchester Derbies and some great matches come to mind.
But they don’t all finish 4-3 or 6-1. These matches have produced an average of 2.78 goals per game which is pretty standard. 47.57% of them have finished with under 2.5 total goals. They aren’t all classics when the two Manchester sides meet.
Manchester United vs Liverpool
It’s the biggest derby match in English football but Manchester United vs Liverpool but it hasn’t been the most exciting fixture on the pitch. This matchup has been played 235 times making it one of the most regular fixtures in English football.
That may have stabilised the data. These fixtures have decided league titles for decades but we’ve seen an average of 2.727 goals per match. That’s around the average for England’s top leagues and slightly below the figure for all the rivalries we looked at.
Merseyside Derby: Liverpool vs Everton
The Friendly Derby can sometimes be a little too friendly. Liverpool and Everton first met back in 1894 and have played more competitive matches than any of the other 12 derbies we looked at.
The Merseyside Derby has been played 289 times down the year. 807 goals went in during those matches which averages out to 2.79 per game. It’s a decent return but what makes this derby stand out is the number of 0-0 draws. 13.15% of those matches finished goalless, the second-highest number of the 12 derbies we looked at.
Liverpool vs Manchester City
But the most exciting English derby match we looked at is Liverpool vs Manchester City. These sides aren’t traditional rivals but less than 35 miles separate their grounds. There usually isn’t too much between them in the Premier League table these days which only makes these matches better.
We should expect goals whenever Liverpool and Manchester City face off. Their 217 matches have produced 689 goals. That’s around 3.17 per match, the highest of the rivalries we looked at by some distance. 95.39% of their matches had at least one goal and 58.99% of them had over 2.5 total match goals.
North London Derby: Arsenal vs Tottenham
It’s often seen as one of the most exciting fixtures in the Premier League but there are some better matches than the North London Derby. Arsenal vs Tottenham is seen as a good fixture for the neutrals and the evidence points to a decent matchup.
We’ve looked at 203 of these matches dating back to the first in 1896. What stands out in the Arsenal vs Tottenham rivalry is just how few of these matches finished goalless. Only 12 of the 203 fixtures we looked at finished 0-0. That’s around 5.1%, one of the lowest figures of the rivalries we researched.
Arsenal vs Manchester United
Looking at the statistics, Arsenal vs Manchester United is a much more enjoyable match for neutrals. This fixture decided Premier League titles for a long time but still throws up excitement for neutrals.
What stands out in this one is the number of matches that finished with a lot of goals. 55.13% of these matches finished with over 2.5 total match goals. The average figure for the other games we examined was around 52.29%. Only one other rivalry had a higher percentage of its matches with over 2.5 goals.
Tyne-Wear Derby: Newcastle vs Sunderland
The Tyne-Wear Derby sees Newcastle take on Sunderland. We haven’t seen one of these matches in the top flight for over five years but they usually produced a fair amount of excitement for the neutrals.
We see about 2.92 goals per match when these two sides meet. The stats for this matchup are solid across the board which proves that this match isn’t just for supporters in the North-East of England.
South Coast Derby: Southampton vs Portsmouth
The statistics are fairly similar for this one. The South Coast Derby sees Southampton take on Portsmouth. There is no love lost between these two clubs with this 120-year rivalry.
Matches are infrequent these days with Portsmouth in the lower leagues. We haven’t seen a meeting between them in the top flight since 2005 but what we usually get is goals.
There has been an average of 2.92 goals in each of their 71 competitive matches in English competitions. Only three of them have finished goalless. That’s a figure of 4.23%, the lowest percentage of any of the matches we examined.
South Wales Derby: Swansea City vs Cardiff City
The South Wales Derby between Swansea City and Cardiff City is one of the fiercest in the English football league. These sides often compete not just for points but for the honour of being the biggest and best side in Wales.
We’ve seen some memorable matches down the years. They’ve faced off in cup finals and shared eight-goal thrillers. In 2009, referee Mike Dean was struck by a coin thrown from the crowd in a particularly competitive match. The two sides faced off in England’s top division for the first time in 2013 but matches have since been more common in the Championship.
This hasn’t been a high-scoring fixture in the past. Competitive matches in English competitions between these sides have produced an average of 2.41 goals per game. Over 58% of meetings between the sides finished with under 2.5 goals. For all the drama and competition, this match rarely delivers on the pitch.
Dockers Derby: West Ham vs Millwall
West Ham vs Millwall is known for its violence in the stands as much as its competition on the pitch. The historic match data explains why.
The Dockers Derby often sees more action in the stands than on the pitch. Competitive games between West Ham and Millwall since their first meeting in 1899 have often been low scoring. These meetings have produced an average of 2.48 goals per match. That’s well below the average for the top divisions in England and the rest of the rivalries we looked at.
Second City Derby: Birmingham vs Aston Villa
Birmingham and Aston Villa haven’t faced off as often as some of the other sides on this list. The Second City Derby sees the two biggest clubs in the Birmingham area meet.
It has been a common fixture for over 130 years to two sets of passionate supporters. Neutrals haven’t had the best time of it. There has been an average of 2.78 goals per match in the Second City Derby. Only 11 of the 128 matches have finished 0-0 but very few have been classics.
Potteries Derby: Stoke vs Port Vale
Stoke City vs Port Vale, otherwise known as the Potteries Derby was the most boring matchup we found. These sides haven’t faced off since February 2002 but when they have, it’s been disappointing,
They have played each other 52 times down the years and have only shared more than four goals in a single match on two occasions. 15.38% of their matches finished 0-0, the highest of any of the 12 rivalries on this list.
Their 52 games have seen 103 goals, a rate of 1.98 per match. The average number of goals for each of the rivalries we look at was 2.786 per game. The majority of the matches between these two clubs took place in the lower divisions of English football. They’ve played out a couple of cup matches but there haven’t been too many highlights.
