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Liverpool v Everton: Football's one-sided rivalries

Ahead of the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton, we take a look at some of football's most one-sided rivalries.

Published : Nov 30, 2018 13:55 IST

Merseyside derby
Merseyside derby
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Merseyside derby

There can be few things more frustrating in football than coming out second best against one particular rival time and time again.

That is a fate that has befallen numerous clubs over the years and the Merseyside derby is one notable example.

Everton is without a win against near neighbour Liverpool in any competition since 2010, with the Reds having won eight of the subsequent 17 clashes - the other nine finished in a draw.

The sides meet at Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday, with Everton looking for a first victory on enemy territory since 1999.

READ| Liverpool should copy PSG's play-acting, says Van Dijk

But the Toffees are far from the only club to find themselves in a sticky situation against their rivals.

Here we take a look at some of the more one-sided rivalries of recent times, with the help of Opta data.

UNITED SUFFERS CHELSEA BLUES

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Manchester United's Luke Shaw and Jose Mourinho
 

The all-time record may heavily favour Manchester United, which has won 74 and lost 53 of the 181 meetings in all competitions, but since 2012 Chelsea has had the bragging rights.

It is a rivalry created by the London club's emergence into the top-flight elite, for which Roman Abramovich's arrival in 2003 was the catalyst.

The first Abramovich-era clash saw Chelsea run out 1-0 winner, but it is over the past six years that it has really stamped its authority on clashes between the two. 

After a controversial 3-2 loss at Stamford Bridge in October 2012 in which Branislav Ivanovic and Fernando Torres both saw red, Chelsea faced United four more times that season without losing.

In fact, a dose of revenge was served just three days later in a 5-4 League Cup success.

Including that nine-goal thriller, Chelsea has lost just twice in 17 matches against United.

LE CLASSIQUE NOT SO MAGNIFIQUE FOR MARSEILLE

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PSG stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe
 

Paris Saint-Germain against Marseille is another fixture where the overall record hides the true nature of this clash these days.

It is a heated derby between arguably the two biggest clubs in France, but – as with Chelsea – PSG's dominance has become particularly apparent since 2012.

PSG's unbeaten streak against its rival now stretches to 18 matches and it has kept clean sheets in eight of those.

READ| PSG players should be embarrassed to see their families, fumes Carragher

Worse still for Marseille, the last four losses have come at the expense of 13 goals conceded, although a 2-2 draw amid that run did help to restore a modicum of pride.

FEW THINGS MORE CERTAIN THAN A BARCA WIN OVER ESPANYOL

Gerard Pique
Gerard Pique celebrates Barcelona's win over Espanyol
 

Okay, so it will come as little surprise that Barca has repeatedly got the better of this derby, as the Camp Nou club has a winning record against most teams.

However, the extent of its superiority is quite remarkable, with Espanyol having won an away El Derbi match in the league just once since the 1981-82 season.

That solitary success came in February 2009, when Ivan de la Pena's double against his former club secured a 2-1 win.

It was but a bump in the road for Barca, which went on to win the league, and it has since more than reasserted its authority.

There have been numerous thrashings dished out by the five-time champion of Europe, including a 5-0 LaLiga drubbing in September 2017.

At home, Espanyol has not fared much better, failing to win the last 11 league meetings.

Credit where it is due, though, Espanyol grabbed a 1-1 home draw in the most recent meeting in February and prevailed in a first-leg Copa del Rey clash the month before, albeit it was ultimately beaten in that tie. 

PEP CAN'T FATHOM KLOPP'S REDS

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Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool has provided a sterner test than anyone, for Manchester City.
 

Manchester City swept all before it in the Premier League last season, racking up 100 points and 106 goals.

But Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool provided a sterner test than anyone, for the most part.

It must be said that Pep Guardiola did oversee a resounding 5-0 win over the Reds early in the campaign, but the tide turned after that.

Liverpool won the next three clashes, inflicting one of only two top-flight defeats on City and dumping it out of the Champions League.

The recent record has been made no less flattering for Liverpool following October's 0-0 draw at Anfield, with the Merseysiders having lost only twice in the last 11 matches against City, one of those a penalty shoot-out reverse in the 2016 League Cup final.

With a title race firmly underway and these two clubs at the centre of it, the January meeting between them at the Etihad Stadium could be pivotal.

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