Manchester United

A closer look at Man United's woeful record against the 'big six'

| 01 March 2021

United's 0-0 at Chelsea was their fifth goalless draw in games against 'big six' sides this season.

Manchester United drew a blank in another high-profile game on Sunday, drawing 0-0 with Chelsea.

United are winless in seven meetings with their fellow ‘big six’ sides this season, scoring just one goal in those matches.

Here, the PA news agency looks at how that record compares to their rivals, and to their own past performance.

Stalemate

🗣 @D_DeGea reflects on yesterday's Stamford Bridge stalemate 👇#MUFC #CHEMUN pic.twitter.com/qxBoMz8ikN

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 1, 2021

Sunday was United’s fifth goalless draws against their traditional rivals for the Champions League places this season, to go with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and a 6-1 hammering by Tottenham.

Their five points is the lowest total among the six teams in that ‘mini-league’, with Manchester City leading the way with 17 points from eight games while Liverpool have 14 from seven.

Spurs have taken 10 points from eight such games and those three clubs all have double-figure goal tallies along the way. Arsenal have seven points and Chelsea six from seven games each.

Unwanted record in prospect

Manchester United record against Premier League 'big six' — Manchester United have played out stalemates with most of their ‘big six’ rivals this season (PA graphic)

United have never gone through a Premier League season without beating another member of the ‘big six’, with the closest escapes coming with one win in 2013-14 and 2018-19 – 1-0 wins over Arsenal and Spurs respectively.

The early years of the Premier League did not feature a ‘big six’, with Chelsea and Manchester City only truly joining the party after their big-money takeovers.

Limiting the results to the last 10 seasons before this one, with City established as a credible rival to the other top teams, United’s lowest points totals against the big six are six and seven in those aforementioned one-win seasons and 10 in 2015-16.

They took 17 or more in each of the other campaigns in that stretch, peaking at 20 in 2011-12 when they did the double over both Arsenal – including their memorable 8-2 win at Old Trafford – and Spurs, though they also lost 6-1 to City that season.

The Old Trafford scoreboard shows Manchester United 8 Arsenal 2 in 2011 — United’s 8-2 win over Arsenal in 2011 is a distant memory (Martin Rickett/PA)

Even if United win their three remaining big-six fixtures – at City on Sunday, away to Spurs next month and at home to Liverpool in early May – United can only reach 14 points from the 10 games this season.

In the whole Premier League era, only 10 teams have ever taken as few as United’s current five points from meetings between the six clubs – and most date from before City’s re-emergence.

City themselves account for six of those, all in 2008-09 or earlier, with Tottenham also featuring three times when only City were not even in the top flight. That leaves Spurs’ 2013-14 season as the only example in the last 10 years.