The rivalry between Leeds United and Manchester United, sometimes nicknamed the Roses rivalry, is a footballing

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

played between the Northern English clubs

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system. Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...

and

Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...

. The rivalry originates from the strong rivalry between the historic counties of

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

and

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, which is popularly believed to have its origins in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...

of the 15th century. Although the cities of

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

lie over apart, the tradition is upheld and this strong feeling can still be seen between the two clubs. Independent research by the Football Fans Census has shown that, within English football, both Leeds and Manchester United are ranked within the top three clubs based on the number of clubs that consider them to be their rivals. In the past, rivalry between the two clubs has gone beyond the action on the field at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...

and

Elland Road Elland Road, or Elland Road Stadium, is a football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, which has been the Home (sports), home of Leeds United F.C., Leeds United since the club's formation in 1919. The stadium is the List of foot ...

. Hostility became more intense over the years and during the 1970s, when

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

football hooliganism Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviors perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism typically involves ...

was at its height, fights between the Leeds United Service Crew and Manchester United's

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

, the club's respective hooligan firms, were commonplace and became known as some of the most violent clashes in British football. Many people were injured in these encounters but violence between fans of the clubs has declined sharply since the 1970s for a number of reasons, mainly due to the general reduction in hooliganism. As recently as January 2010, prior to the two clubs meeting in the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

3rd round, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the matches as "fantastic, feisty occasions" with an "electric" atmosphere. The rivalry has also been labelled by ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' as "English football's most intense – and inexplicable – rivalry". These encounters have been particularly scarce since 1982, the year that Leeds were relegated to the Second Division. Hooliganism was still rife among fans of English league clubs at this stage, and by the time Leeds returned to the top flight in 1990 the problem was less severe and has remained a lesser problem since. The rivalry and the hooliganism have been effectively curtailed since 2004, when Leeds were relegated from the Premier League. The teams met only twice between 2004 and 2020, and while polling showed Leeds fans still considered Manchester United to be their main rivals, Manchester United fans considered

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

to be their main rivals, followed by

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

, Chelsea, and

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

. The rivalry was renewed in the 2020–21 Premier League season, following Leeds United's promotion after winning the 2019–20 EFL Championship, with the sides' first encounter thereafter ending 6–2 to Manchester United. In terms of trophies won, the rivalry has been heavily in favour of Manchester United, who have won 68 trophies to Leeds United's 9.

Roots

Wars of the Roses

The rivalry is considered to be a sporting manifestation of the established rivalry between the counties of

and

, which can loosely be traced back to the

, a series of

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

s fought between the rival

Plantagenet The House of Plantagenet ( /plænˈtædʒənət/ ''plan-TAJ-ə-nət'') was a royal house which originated from the French county of Anjou. The name Plantagenet is used by modern historians to identify four distinct royal houses: the Angev ...

royal houses of

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

and Lancaster for the throne of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

during the 15th century. The battles contested during the wars were particularly bloody, especially the

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

, which took place just away from Leeds and is described as "England's bloodiest ever battle". The colours of each football team's

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

shirts A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...

fittingly correspond to the respective rose representing their historic county – Leeds with a white kit, resembling the Yorkshire rose and Manchester United with a red shirt, like the Lancashire rose. However, Manchester United's colours have not always been red and Leeds only adopted their white kit in the 1960s, inspired by

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional Football club (association football), football club based in Madrid. The club competes in La Liga, th ...

. There is a similar rivalry in the sport of

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

, in which matches are contested on a county basis. In this case, the '' Roses Match'' is the name given to games played between

Yorkshire County Cricket Club Yorkshire County Cricket Club is a professional Cricket club based in Yorkshire, England. The team competes in the County Championship, the top tier of English First-class cricket. Nicknamed "Vikings". Yorkshire also competes in T20 Blast, O ...

and

Lancashire County Cricket Club Lancashire Cricket Club represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of Lancashire in Cricket in England, English cricket. The club has held first-class cricket, first-class status since it was founded in 1864. Lancashire's ho ...

. Although the clubs cover the larger county region, Yorkshire are based in Leeds and play at the

Headingley Stadium Headingley Stadium is a stadium complex in Headingley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, and England. Linked by a two-sided stand housing common facilities, it comprises two separate grounds: Headingley Cricket Ground (home of Yorkshire County Cricket Clu ...

, while Lancashire play at the

Old Trafford Cricket Ground Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1857 as the home of Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known ...

in Manchester, close to the football stadium of the same name. Manchester is now in the metropolitan county of

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, while Leeds is now in the metropolitan county of

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

Industrial Revolution

A direct rivalry between the cities of Leeds and Manchester sprang up during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

during the 18th and 19th centuries. The entire country was going through an unprecedented phase of economic growth and Leeds'

economy An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

had grown rapidly thanks to the

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

len

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

. Meanwhile, to the

west West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

in Manchester, the

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

industry began to flourish, with factories fuelled by the transportation of cheap

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

down the

Bridgewater Canal The Bridgewater Canal connects Runcorn, Manchester and Leigh, Greater Manchester, Leigh, in North West England. It was commissioned by Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater, to transport coal from his mines in Worsley to Manchester. It was ...

. During the mid-19th century, Leeds had constructed the impressive

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...

Leeds Town Hall Leeds Town Hall is a 19th-century municipal building on The Headrow (formerly Park Lane), Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Planned to include law courts, a council chamber, offices, a public hall, and a suite of ceremonial rooms, it was built be ...

, though the wealth which Manchester had acquired allowed them to retort by constructing striking architectural works of their own, such as the Grade I listed

Manchester Town Hall Manchester Town Hall is a Victorian era, Victorian, Gothic Revival architecture, Neo-gothic City and town halls, municipal building in Manchester, England. It is the ceremonial headquarters of Manchester City Council and houses a number of local ...

. This served to establish the rivalry between the two cities even further.

Football

Earliest meetings

Manchester United were the first side to emerge, despite club football itself first originating in Yorkshire. The club was founded in 1878 as Newton Heath L&YR by employees of

Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major History of rail transport in Great Britain, British railway company before the Railways Act 1921, 1923 Grouping. It was Incorporation (business)#Incorporation in the United Kingdom, incorpo ...

, with the company – as the name suggests – covering both historic counties. The club's new owners later changed their name to Manchester United in 1902. Leeds had traditionally been a

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby 13/XIII in non-Anglophone Europe, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playin ...

city so it was a while before the attraction of football finally appealed to the local people. An association football club was finally made though in 1904, when Leeds City emerged. The two sides clashed for the first time in the Second Division at Manchester United's Bank Street stadium on 15 January 1906 in front of 6,000 fans. Leeds City won the game 3–0, but United won the return game at

2–1 in April. These matches proved to be both the first and the last times that the two clubs met, as Manchester United were promoted to the First Division at the end of the 1905–06 season and Leeds City were eventually forcibly disbanded due to financial irregularities. A new club was formed under the name "Leeds United", and they began playing in the

Midland League The Midland Football League, officially known as the Capelli Sport Midland Football League since January 2025 for sponsorship reasons, is an English football league that was founded in 2014 by the merger of the former Midland Alliance and Midl ...

, taking the place vacated by Leeds City's reserve team. The club also took over Elland Road, which had been occupied by Yorkshire Amateur since the demise of Leeds City. Leeds United were elected to the Second Division on 31 May 1920 and they met Manchester United for the first time at Old Trafford on 20 January 1923. However, the 25,000 spectators went home disappointed as the match ended 0–0. Manchester United claimed the first victory, and indeed the first away win, between the two sides, when they beat Leeds 1–0 at Elland Road a week later on 27 January. It took Leeds until the 1925–26 season to gain their first victory, winning 2–0 at Elland Road on 3 October. In the 1928–29 season Leeds achieved their first away victory against Manchester United, with a 2–1 win at Old Trafford in the First Division. Leeds also won the fixture at Elland Road 3–2 and became the first of the two sides to achieve a double over the other (winning both fixtures between the two sides in one season). Manchester United's first double over Leeds, however, did not come until 1946–47, when a 3–1 win at Old Trafford was followed by a 2–0 win at Elland Road. Neither side was particularly successful during this period though, and the two sides only met sporadically due to several promotions and relegations.

Busby v Revie – the rivalry intensifies

It was not until after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

that Manchester United became a fully-fledged footballing power, as they picked up three league titles during the 1950s.

Matt Busby Sir Alexander Matthew Busby (26 May 1909 – 20 January 1994) was a Scottish football player and manager, who managed Manchester United between 1945 and 1969 and again for the second half of the 1970–71 season. He was the first manager of an E ...

was the man who had coached Manchester United to glory and he remained at the club until 1969. Meanwhile, across to the east, Leeds United had signed up former player

Don Revie Donald George Revie (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an English footballer and manager. He is best known for managing Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, winning the Football League First Division twice and the FA Cup once, before being the Eng ...

as their

player-manager A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...

and he soon took the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

's post full-time. Manchester United's side during this era featured the likes of

Bobby Charlton Sir Robert Charlton (11 October 1937 – 21 October 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, left winger or centre-forward. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was a member ...

Denis Law Denis Law (24 February 1940 – 17 January 2025) was a Scottish footballer who played as a forward. His career as a football player began at Second Division Huddersfield Town in 1956. After four years at Huddersfield, he was signed by Manchest ...

and

George Best George Best (22 May 1946 – 25 November 2005) was a Northern Irish professional association football, footballer who played as a winger (association football), winger, spending most of his club career at Manchester United F.C., Manchester Un ...

, while under Revie Leeds had gained a reputation as a tough, uncompromising side, with the likes of Bobby's brother

Jack Charlton John Charlton (8 May 193510 July 2020) was an English professional Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager who played as a Defender (association football), centre-back for Leeds. He was part of the England ...

Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who played for Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Hull City A.F.C., Hull City, and the Scotland national football team, Scot ...

, and Norman Hunter. Another key member of Revie's side was the Irishman

Johnny Giles Michael John Giles (born 6 November 1940) is an Irish former association football player and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from management in 1985, Giles served as ...

, who joined Leeds from Manchester United for £33,000 in 1963. During the 1964–65 season, the two sides were drawn against each other in the

semi-finals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, ...

of the

for a chance to reach the final. The tie at Hillsborough was a very rough game – the image of Jack Charlton and Denis Law punching each other and wrestling on the ground epitomised the spirit in which the game was played – and it ended 0–0, with the

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire, although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

commenting "both sides behaved like a pack of dogs snapping and snarling at each other over a bone". The replay at the

City Ground The City Ground is a association football, football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest F.C., Nottingham Forest since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,455. ...

was tense and it took 89 minutes for Bremner to fire in the winner for Leeds. The two clubs finished 1st and 2nd in the league that same season, both on 61 points, but the Mancunians won the title due to a better

goal average A goal or objective is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan, and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines. A goal is roughly similar to ...

. The rivalry between the two sides carried on at full force throughout the rest of the 1960s and the 1970s. Leeds achieved both domestic and European success, winning the First Division title in the 1968–69 season and the 1973–74 season, as well as finishing runners-up five more times, and never finishing outside the top four places whilst Revie was at the helm. Leeds earned a feared reputation for toppling European sides, including the likes of Juventus, Barcelona, Napoli, Anderlecht and Valencia; in doing so they became Inter-Cities Fairs champions twice and once runners-up, and controversially came runners up in the 1973 European Cup Winners' Cup Final and 1975 European Cup Final. Leeds new dominance was highlighted by the fact that in 1970 they came close to achieving an historic Cup Treble, however they finished runners up in both the league and FA cup, and were knocked out of the European cup at the semi-final stage. During this period Manchester United only won the league once, in the 1966–67 season, and were at the end of several defeats inflicted by Leeds, including a 5–1 defeat at Elland Road in 1972, they were relegated in the season Leeds became champions in 1974. However they had other successes, including winning the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

, an honour Leeds have never won. The 1977 FA Cup Semi-Final between Manchester United v Leeds United at Hillsborough Sheffield was labelled 'The Battle of the Roses' on the cover of the official match-day programme. There was extensive violent clashes between supporters outside the stadium both before and after the match plus during the match inside the stadium, with numerous arrests and injuries. Manchester United won the match 2-1 and went on to beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Final at Wembley Stadium. In 1978, Joe Jordan and Gordon McQueen, two of Leeds' best players at the time, were both sold to Manchester United. This was tough for the Leeds fans to take, especially in the case of McQueen as he was a fan favourite. The following season, the two players appeared against their former club. McQueen was targeted in particular with

booing Booing is an act of publicly showing displeasure for someone or something, such as an entertainer or an athlete, by loudly yelling "Boo!" and sustaining the "oo" sound by holding it out. It may be accompanied by hand gestures such as the thumb ...

and jeering at Elland Road and objects were hurled at him before he scored a headed goal for Manchester United to silence the home fans.

Renewal

The Roses rivalry did not take place for nearly a decade because Leeds were relegated in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

, while Manchester United remained competitive in the First Division and in the hunt for honours almost every season. Leeds eventually returned under the stewardship of Howard Wilkinson in 1990 with a newly strengthened squad that had finished as Second Division champions. The first two seasons after Leeds won promotion brought draws between the two sides in all four league meetings, though Manchester United triumphed over the Yorkshire side in League Cup and FA Cup ties during that time. The last league championship before the introduction of the

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...

came in the 1991–92 season, two seasons after Leeds' promotion, and for much of the season it was a straight title race between Leeds United and Manchester United. Thanks to the likes of

Gordon Strachan Gordon David Strachan ( born 9 February 1957) is a Scottish former football coach and player who is currently Technical Director of Dundee. He played for Dundee, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Leeds United and Coventry City, as well as the Sc ...

(who was bought from Manchester United), Lee Chapman, David Batty and

Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French former professional footballer who is currently an actor. In his football career Eric Cantona was a physically strong, hard-working and tenacious player. He combined technical skill a ...

, Leeds won the league by four points. However, much to the surprise of Leeds fans, Cantona was sold to Manchester United for £1.2 million, later in 1992. He would be the cornerstone of Manchester United's 1990s revival, leading them to the Premier League title on four occasions in just five seasons and he thus became one of the club's legends. In 2001, he was voted their player of the century and, to this day, Manchester United fans refer to him as "''King Eric''". On-pitch clashes continued to happen between the clubs, with notable incidents including the beginning of a personal grudge between Manchester United

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Roy Keane Roy Maurice Keane (born 10 August 1971) is an Irish football pundit, former coach, and former professional player. He is best known for his career in the Premier League, in particular his captaincy of Manchester United. He is the joint most ...

and Alfie Haaland in September 1997, a clash between Ian Harte and Fabien Barthez in March 2001, and a tussle between Robbie Keane and

David Beckham Sir David Robert Joseph Beckham ( ; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Primarily a right winger and known for his range of passing, cross ...

in October 2001. Two Leeds United fans were stabbed to death during a

UEFA Cup The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...

game against

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

. Many Manchester United fans paid their respects, leaving tributes at Elland Road, and there were even reports of Leeds and Manchester United fans embracing, with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' using the

headline The headline is the text indicating the content or nature of the article below it, typically by providing a form of brief summary of its contents. The large type ''front page headline'' did not come into use until the late 19th century when incre ...

"Old rivalries forgotten as fans unite in grief". However, by the time the two sides faced up in the league, a subsection of Manchester United fans unfurled

banner A banner can be a flag or another piece of cloth bearing a symbol, logo, slogan or another message. A flag whose design is the same as the shield in a coat of arms (but usually in a square or rectangular shape) is called a banner of arms. Also, ...

s bearing the words "''MUFC Istanbul Reds''" and "''Galatasaray Reds''", glorifying the killers and mocking Leeds supporters. The Manchester United fans who unfurled these banners may have been retaliating to consistent taunting by Leeds fans about the

Munich air disaster The Munich air disaster occurred on 6 February 1958, when British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on its third attempt to take off at Munich-Riem Airport in Munich, West Germany. The aircraft was carrying the Manchester United F.C., Manche ...

over the years (these chants have also been made by the supporters of many other clubs, particularly Liverpool), but these banners angered the Leeds fans, who retorted by chanting songs about Munich, and there were reports of seats being ripped up and confrontations after the game.

Leeds in the lower leagues

After going through a period of extreme financial difficulties, resulting from huge amounts of money being poured into the club to help them reach the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

semi-finals in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, Leeds were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2003–04 season. Alan Smith, a local boy and firm fan favourite at Leeds, shocked the Leeds fans after their relegation by transferring to Manchester United. The Leeds fans dubbed him "

Judas Judas Iscariot (; ; died AD) was, according to Christianity's four canonical gospels, one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. Judas betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin in the Garden of Gethsemane, in exchange for thirty pieces of ...

" and his actions were made particularly hard for them to take as Smith had been noted for kissing the club badge on his Leeds shirt and he had said that he would stay with the club even if they went down. He had also previously stated years before on an interview with ''

Soccer AM ''Soccer AM'' was a British football-based comedy talk show, produced by Sky Sports. It aired from 20 August 1994 to 27 May 2023 on Sky Showcase, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football. From 2010, the programme was put on a short b ...

'' that he would never join Manchester United. He was welcomed by Manchester United fans and soon became a fan favourite, the fans respecting him and his decision to join a rival club. The two sides have rarely met since Leeds' relegation from the Premier League. A 2003 poll by the Football Fans Census showed that while Leeds fans still consider Manchester United to be their main rivals, Manchester United fans consider

to be their main rivals, followed by

, Chelsea and

. On 3 January 2010, the teams met for the first time in nearly six years in an

Third Round tie at Old Trafford. Despite being 43 places lower in the league than their rivals, Leeds United won the match 1–0, giving them their first win at Old Trafford for over 28 years. The clubs were drawn to meet in the third round of the 2011–12 Football League Cup. The match was played at Elland Road on 20 September 2011, with Manchester United winning 3–0. The current gulf in resources of the two clubs was illustrated by Manchester United resting many regular first team players yet still comfortably beating a near full-strength Leeds side. After the match the

West Yorkshire Police West Yorkshire Police, formerly the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Police, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England ...

opened an investigation into 'disgusting' chants from both sets of fans, about the Munich air disaster and the murder of two Leeds fans in Turkey.

Back in the Premier League

The clubs met again in the 2020–21 Premier League, after Leeds got promoted by winning the 2019–20 EFL Championship. Their first Premier League meeting in nearly 17 years resulted in a 6–2 loss for Leeds at Old Trafford, followed by a 0–0 draw in the reverse fixture at Elland Road. The following season held a similar fate for Leeds as they were thrashed 5–1 on opening day at Old Trafford, this being the first game in front of a full capacity crowd at the stadium in 524 days. The latter game again featured controversial incidents involving both sets of supporters; Leeds fans were accused of singing about the Munich air disaster and aiming abuse at former Leeds and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, while Manchester United supporters were filmed dropping a Turkish flag into a group of Leeds supporters in the away section.

Results summary

Last five head-to-head fixtures

Records

Scorelines

*Biggest win: **For Leeds United: Leeds United 5–0 Manchester United, First Division,

, 20 December 1930 **For Manchester United: Manchester United 6–0 Leeds United, First Division,

, 9 September 1959 *Biggest League win: **For Leeds United: Leeds United 5–0 Manchester United,

, 20 December 1930 **For Manchester United: Manchester United 6–0 Leeds United,

, 9 September 1959 *Biggest FA Cup win: **For Leeds United: ***Leeds United 1–0 Manchester United, Semi-final Replay,

, 31 March 1965 ***Leeds United 1–0 Manchester United, Semi-final 2nd Replay,

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, 26 March 1970 ***Manchester United 0–1 Leeds United, Third Round,

, 3 January 2010 **For Manchester United: Manchester United 4–0 Leeds United, FA Cup fourth round,

, 27 January 1951 *Biggest League Cup win: **For Leeds United: n/a **For Manchester United: Leeds United 0–3 Manchester United, Third Round,

, 20 September 2011 *Highest aggregate: **At Elland Road: Leeds United 3–4 Manchester United,

, 30 March 2002 **At Old Trafford: Manchester United 6–2 Leeds United,

, 20 December 2020

Most appearances

Most goals

*Most goals in one game: **For Leeds United: 3 *** Mick Jones, Leeds United 5–1 Manchester United, First Division, 19 February 1972 **For Manchester United: 3 *** Stan Pearson, Manchester United 4–0 Leeds United,

fourth round, 27 January 1951 *** Andy Ritchie, Manchester United 4–1 Leeds United, First Division, 24 March 1979 *** Dennis Viollet, Manchester United 4–0 Leeds United, First Division, 21 March 1959 *** Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United 5–1 Leeds United,

, 14 August 2021

Attendances

*Highest attendance: **Leeds United at home: 52,368 – Leeds United 0–1 Manchester United, 17 April 1965 **Manchester United at home: 74,526 – Manchester United 0–1 Leeds United, 3 January 2010 *Lowest attendance: **Leeds United at home: 10,596 – Leeds United 3–1 Manchester United, 26 April 1930 **Manchester United at home: 9,512 – Manchester United 2–5 Leeds United, 7 November 1931

Honours

:''Table correct as of 25 May 2024'' (Charity/Community Shields includes shared honours after a drawn match, as per competition regulations prior to 1993)

Player transfers

From Leeds United to Manchester United

From Manchester United to Leeds United

Notes

:1.17 outright, 4 shared.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeds United F.C.-Manchester United F.C. Rivalry Manchester United rivalry Leeds United rivalry Football derbies in England 1923 establishments in England Roses rivalry