Liverpool and Manchester United are by far the most successful teams in England. The Reds have been a lot more successful in the European Cup or the UEFA Champions League, winning the competition for an English record six times — three more times than United. The Red Devils, meanwhile, have been considerably more dominant in England, winning a record 20 league titles — 13 Premier League titles — and 13 FA Cups. Liverpool has won the English top flight 19 times, but only one of the said triumphs has come in the Premier League era.
Sparks are guaranteed to fly when these two teams meet, and Sunday’s (September 1) Premier League clash at Old Trafford was no exception. The two teams fought tooth and nail, at least in the opening exchanges. However, Liverpool eventually pulled away, claiming a 3-0 win and extending their stellar run at the Theater of Dream in recent years. It marked the Merseysiders’ third victory in their last five games at Old Trafford. They have only lost one of their last seven games in Manchester.
Sunday’s victory was one of Liverpool’s most comprehensive in the Premier League, but it is nowhere close to the Reds’ biggest over Man Utd. Continue reading to check out Liverpool’s five biggest wins over Manchester United in the Premier League era.
#5 Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool (September 1, 2024)
Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, September 1, 2024, was their fifth-biggest in the Premier League era. Luis Diaz was the hero of the game, scoring twice in the 35th and 42nd minutes. Mohamed Salah wrapped up the party by scoring the third goal of the evening in the 56th minute.
Managing the biggest game of his short Liverpool career, Arne Slot fielded a strong XI to get the better of his countryman Erik ten Hag. Just seven minutes into the game, Trent Alexander-Arnold had the ball in the back of the net, but the goal did not stand after the VAR spotted an offside in the buildup. Liverpool, however, was not level for long, thanks to a thumping header from Diaz. The Colombian attacked Mohamed Salah’s cross with vigor and fired home from close range. Seven minutes later, Diaz played a one-two with Salah before applying a brilliant curling finish to make it 2-0.
After turning provider not once but twice, Salah scored the last goal of the game in the 56th minute. He applied a thumping finish to send Dominik Szobszlai’s layoff into the back of the Man Utd net.
#4 Manchester United 0-3 Liverpool (March 16, 2014)
Liverpool came agonizingly close to winning their first Premier League title in the 2013-14 season, finishing just two points behind Manchester City. The Reds played exceptionally all season long, losing only six of their 38 Premier League games.
Liverpool did the double over their arch-rivals Manchester United that season, beating them 1-0 at Anfield on September 1, 2013, before bagging a 3-0 victory at Old Trafford on March 16, 2014.
Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard opened the scoring for the visitors in the 34th minute, coolly converting his penalty. In the 46th minute, he scored another penalty, putting Liverpool 2-0 up. Gerrard could have gone on to score a hat-trick of penalties in the 78th minute, but failed to convert. Luis Suarez, who won the Golden Boot that season, scored Liverpool’s third goal, applying a confident finish in the 84th minute.
#3 Manchester United 1-4 Liverpool (March 14, 2009)
Defending English champions Manchester United got a rude reality check on March 14, 2009, as arch-nemesis Liverpool walked away with a thumping 4-1 victory from Old Trafford.
After Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina fouled Ji-Sung Park inside the area, Cristiano Ronaldo stepped up to take the penalty kick. The Portuguese superstar dispatched an excellent spot kick to make it 1-0 for the home side. Unfortunately for the Old Trafford faithful, things only went downhill from there.
Eight minutes after Ronaldo’s strike, Fernando Torres forced a mistake out of Nemanja Vidic and made it 1-1. Then, before the half-time whistle, Steven Gerrard drew a foul from Patrice Evra inside the area and made it 2-1 from the spot. In the final quarter of the hour, Vidic got marching orders for a foul on Gerrard and Fabio Aurelio scored a curler from the resulting free kick. Liverpool capped off their night with a goal in injury time, with substitute Andrea Dossena beating Edwin van der Sar with a delighful chip.
#2 Manchester United 0-5 Liverpool (October 24, 2021)
On October 16, 2021, Liverpool secured a thumping 5-0 win at Watford, giving themselves a confidence boost ahead of the trip to Manchester United. The Reds were the favorites to get all three points from their trip to Old Trafford, but no one expect them to dole out the same punishment they did to Watford.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Man Utd conceded early on, with Naby Keita firing the Anfield outfit into the lead in the fifth minute. Mohamed Salah claimed the assist for Liverpool’s opener. Five minutes later, Diogo Jota got in on the action, nodding Trent Alexander-Arnold’s delivery in from point-blank range.
Manchester United created a few chances of their own after conceding those two early goals, but Salah ensured the hosts could not even sniff a turnaround. The Egypt international, who has become one of the most important players in Liverpool’s history, scored a superb hat-trick at Old Trafford, netting twice in the first half (38′, 45+5′) and once more (50′) in the second 45. Contributing to four of Liverpool’s five goals, Salah proudly took home the Man of the Match award.
#1 Liverpool 7-0 Manchester United (March 5, 2023, Anfield)
Aroung one and a half years back, Liverpool claimed a record-breaking victory over arch-rivals Manchester United, beating them 7-0 at Anfield Stadium. The drubbing on March 5, 2023, is arguably the most embarrassing defeat Man Utd has endured in the Premier League era.
Manchester United did a decent enough job in the first half, creating a few chances and keeping Liverpool from running away with the game. The hosts did get their breakthrough in the opening 45, thanks to a well-taken goal from Cody Gakpo in the 43rd minute. However, it did not really look like the beginning of a historic result.
A couple of minutes into the second half, Darwin Nunez scored for the home side before Gakpo added another in the 50th minute. Mohamed Salah then joined the party, finding the back of the net in the 66th minute. Nunez was not quite done with his night and scored the fifth goal for the Reds in the 75th minute.
Outclassed and outplayed, Man Utd pretty much rolled over in the last 10 minutes and understandably conceded twice more, first through Salah (83′) and then Roberto Firmino (88′). Interestingly, Liverpool only had eight shots on target that day, which goes on to show how clinical their efforts were.
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