50 PL opponents: Leicester to Man City

To mark Manchester United facing a 50th different club in the Premier League, following Luton Town's promotion, we're recalling our record against each one and showing the highlights from some classic meetings.

LEICESTER CITY

United boasts a fruitful record over Leicester, winning 21 of our 34 clashes and losing just 4. The Foxes’ status in the Premier League has been fluctuating, with a 2004 relegation seeing them drop from the top tier for a decade, returning for the 2014/15 campaign. Our most recent season saw us do the double over them, as they were once again relegated from the PL, meaning the King Power Stadium will no longer be on our away trips for the upcoming campaign. 

Classic match: Leicester 2 United 6 (1998/1999)

Our biggest win over Leicester came in the 98/99 campaign, the same season in which we won the treble. Dwight Yorke opened the scoring just 10 minutes in before the hosts pulled level through Theo Zagorakis. The Reds turned it up a notch in the second half, though, with Andy Cole restoring our lead just after the interval, followed by a quick double from Cole himself and Yorke once again. Steve Walsh pulled one back for the Foxes, but Yorke completed his hat-trick in the 86th minute, with Jaap Stam adding our sixth moments before full-time. 

Premier League record: 

Matches played: 34 
United wins: 21 
Draws: 9 
Leicester wins: 4 
United goals: 70
Leicester goals: 31 
Top scorer: Marcus Rashford (8)

LIVERPOOL 

A rivalry steeped in history, fans will have their pick of classic games between United and Liverpool over the years. History looks back favourably on the Reds, who have won 29 of our 62 encounters - drawing 13 and losing 19. There are many wins we look back on fondly, including a 1-0 win in which Rio Ferdinand scored a last-minute winner, and even our most recent home game against them in which we beat them 2-1 to kickstart Erik ten Hag’s first season managing the club. 

Classic match: Liverpool 1 United 2 (2014/2015)

Anfield is notoriously a difficult ground to go to, but United came away victorious on this occasion. After dominating the opening 15 minutes, Juan Mata fired us ahead. He completed his brace in the second half with a wonderful volley from an equally brilliant Angel di Maria assist. That came just after arguably the most talked-about moment of the game, which was, of course, the sending off of Liverpool captain Steve Gerrard. Subbed on at half-time, the midfielder was on the pitch for merely 38 seconds before being given his marching orders following a stamp on ex-Red Ander Herrera. Daniel Sturridge pulled one back for the hosts, but United saw out the win against our rivals. 

Premier League record:

Matches played: 62
United wins: 29 
Draws: 14 
Liverpool wins: 19
United goals: 81
Liverpool goals: 84
Top scorer: Wayne Rooney (6)

LUTON 

In May 2023, Luton Town reached the promised land. As Wembley looked on, the Bedfordshire side secured promotion from the Championship with a penalty shootout victory over Coventry City. 

That dramatic outcome means The Hatters will grace the top tier for the first time since 1992, so are we yet to formulate any Premier League record against them. We’re looking forward to welcoming Luton to Old Trafford, and in turn, visiting Kenilworth Road in the upcoming 2023/24 campaign. 

MANCHESTER CITY

Since the inception of the Premier League, the Reds went unbeaten from 1992 to 2002 against City, when they were promoted back to the top division after a handful of relegations. From then on, there have been plenty of enthralling encounters from Robin van Persie’s last-minute winner, Wayne Rooney’s overhead kick, and the Paul Pogba-inspired comeback at the Eithad to prevent City from winning the league title against us. 

Classic match: United 4 City 3 (2009/2010)

Our pick for the classic match comes from our 09/10 campaign with a frantic affair at the Theatre of Dreams. Arguably one of the best derbys of all time began with Rooney’s strike in just the second minute, but - now on the blue side of Manchester - Carlos Teves was quick to capitalise on a Ben Foster error to assist Gareth Barry. Darren Fletcher’s second-half brace was mirrored by Craig Bellamy, whose 90th-minute goal looked to snatch a point for the visitors. More drama would await, though, as Michael Owen’s composed finished with 96 minutes on the clock earned an emphatic win in front of the Stretford End. 

Premier League record:  

Matches played: 52 
United wins: 25
Draws: 9 
City wins: 19 
United goals: 76
City goals: 74
Top scorer: Wayne Rooney (8)