Manchester United legend Gary Neville has claimed that the rivalry between his former side and Leeds United has always been nastier than the Liverpool and Manchester United tussle.
Liverpool and Manchester United are the most successful English clubs in terms of trophies and have been sharing a rivalry that dates back to the tussle between the two cities since the industrial revolution in England.
Manchester United have won the most number of top flight titles with 20, just ahead of Liverpool’s haul of 18 while Leeds have been out of the Premier League for than 15 years.
But Neville insists that the rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds was more brutal and nasty when he was playing than the games against Liverpool.
He believes there was a deep-seated hatred between the two sets of supporters, which often showed on the pitch when the two sides collided, especially at Elland Road.
The former Manchester United defender said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football: “Particularly when we went to play at Leeds, it was brutal.
“Probably more brutal than Liverpool in some ways. The rivalry between Liverpool and United is huge, but the Leeds-Manchester United rivalry was almost like a deep hatred.
“There is a little bit of respect between Liverpool and Manchester United, just a little bit, but with Leeds, it just felt like a real nastiness, they would come on the pitch if they could, it was that type of feeling.”
Manchester United and Leeds have not played each other in a competitive game since the Red Devils beat the Whites 3-0 at Elland Road in a League Cup tie in 2011.
