The top five rivals of English football’s top 92 clubs revealed

The top five rivals of English football’s top 92 clubs has been revealed and it’s got many supporters talking about it online.

The 2019 study, which has been named ‘The League of Love And Hate’, has been carried out, with tens of thousands of football fans said to have responded to it, to find out the biggest rivals of England’s top clubs.

Twitter user Chris Whiting has published the findings on Twitter and it shows the top five rivals of (most of) English football’s 92 league clubs for the 2019/20 season, however we’ve updated it for the 2020/21 campaign.

Arsenal
1st rivals – Tottenham (87%)
2nd rivals – Man Utd (62%)
3rd rivals – Chelsea (62%)
4th rivals – Stoke (22%)
5th rivals – Liverpool (21%)

Aston Villa
1st rivals – Birmingham (76%)
2nd rivals – West Brom (44%)
3rd rivals – Wolves (33%)
4th rivals – Man Utd (25%)
5th rivals – Coventry (23%)

Brighton
1st rivals – Crystal Palace (85%)
2nd rivals – Portsmouth (34%)
3rd rivals – Southampton (33%)
4th rivals – Bournemouth (31%)
5th rivals – Man Utd (18%)

Burnley
1st rivals – Blackburn (84%)
2nd rivals – Preston (72%)
3rd rivals – Bolton (60%)
4th rivals – Bradford (46%)
5th rivals – Blackpool (42%)

Chelsea – Not announced
A 2004 survey by Planetfootball.com found that Chelsea fans consider their main rivalries to be with (in descending order): Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. (Wiki)

Crystal Palace
1st rivals – Brighton (77%)
2nd rivals – Millwall (44%)
3rd rivals – Charlton (34%)
4th rivals – Watford (31%)
5th rivals – Man Utd (30%)

Everton
1st rivals – Liverpool (86%)
2nd rivals – Man Utd (31%)
3rd rivals – Chelsea (24%)
4th rivals – Man City (20%)
5th rivals – Newcastle (16%)

Fulham – Not announced
Fulham fans consider their main rivals to be Chelsea. Fulham consider their secondary rivals to be Queens Park Rangers. Fulham also have rivalries with other London clubs, including Brentford and Crystal Palace. (Wiki)

Leeds
1st rivals – Man Utd (81%)
2nd rivals – Chelsea (42%)
3rd rivals – Millwall (39%)
4th rivals – Huddersfield (32%)
5th rivals – Derby (30%)

Leicester
1st rivals – Nott’m Forest (72%)
2nd rivals – Derby (60%)
3rd rivals – Coventry (55%)
4th rivals – Aston Villa (40%)
5th rivals – Tottenham (32%)

Liverpool
1st rivals – Man Utd (84%)
2nd rivals – Chelsea (43%)
3rd rivals – Man City (39%)
4th rivals – Everton (38%)
5th rivals – Arsenal (14%)

Man City
1st rivals – Liverpool (79%)
2nd rivals – Man Utd (78%)
3rd rivals – Tottenham (28%)
4th rivals – Chelsea (25%)
5th rivals – Arsenal (13%)

Man Utd
1st rivals – Liverpool (88%)
2nd rivals – Man City (66%)
3rd rivals – Chelsea (43%)
4th rivals – Leeds (38%)
5th rivals – Arsenal (31%)

Newcastle
1st rivals – Sunderland (72%)
2nd rivals – Middlesbrough (45%)
3rd rivals – Liverpool (37%)
4th rivals – Man Utd (37%)
5th rivals – Aston Villa (16%)

Sheffield United
1st rivals – Sheffield Wed (83%)
2nd rivals – Leeds (58%)
3rd rivals – Barnsley (54%)
4th rivals – Rotherham (38%)
5th rivals – Doncaster (29%)

Southampton
1st rivals – Portsmouth (91%)
2nd rivals – Bournemouth (56%)
3rd rivals – Brighton (53%)
4th rivals – Reading (38%)
5th rivals – Tottenham (32%)

Tottenham
1st rivals – Arsenal (87%)
2nd rivals – Chelsea (73%)
3rd rivals – West Ham (54%)
4th rivals – Liverpool (38%)
5th rivals – Man Utd (37%)

West Brom
1st rivals – Wolves (81%)
2nd rivals – Aston Villa (69%)
3rd rivals – Birmingham (44%)
4th rivals – Coventry (25%)
5th rivals – Stoke (25%)

West Ham
1st rivals – Tottenham (82%)
2nd rivals – Millwall (52%)
3rd rivals – Chelsea (44%)
4th rivals – Man Utd (34%)
5th rivals – Liverpool (22%)

Wolves
1st rivals – West Brom (72%)
2nd rivals – Aston Villa (66%)
3rd rivals – Birmingham (53%)
4th rivals – Coventry (31%)
5th rivals – Stoke (31%)

AFC Bournemouth
1st rivals – Southampton (79%)
2nd rivals – Portsmouth (62%)
3rd rivals – Brighton (59%)
4th rivals – Reading (52%)
5th rivals – Leeds (34%)

Barnsley
1st rivals – Sheffield Wed (77%)
2nd rivals – Sheffield Utd (71%)
3rd rivals – Leeds (54%)
4th rivals – Huddersfield (49%)
5th rivals – Rotherham (40%)

Birmingham City
1st rivals – Aston Villa (89%)
2nd rivals – Wolves (53%)
3rd rivals – West Brom (32%)
4th rivals – Coventry (16%)
5th rivals – Leeds (16%)

Blackburn Rovers
1st rivals – Burnley (82%)
2nd rivals – Preston (68%)
3rd rivals – Bolton (65%)
4th rivals – Oldham (49%)
5th rivals – Wigan (43%)

Brentford – Not announced
Brentford’s main rivals are Fulham and Queens Park Rangers. (Wiki)

Bristol City
1st rivals – Bristol Rovers (83%)
2nd rivals – Cardiff (74%)
3rd rivals – Swindon (60%)
4th rivals – Cheltenham (26%)
5th rivals – Newport (23%)

Cardiff
1st rivals – Swansea (76%)
2nd rivals – Bristol City (65%)
3rd rivals – Bristol Rovers (47%)
4th rivals – Newport (41%)
5th rivals – Leeds (35%)

Coventry
1st rivals – Aston Villa (75%)
2nd rivals – Leicester (62%)
3rd rivals – Sunderland (56%)
4th rivals – Wolves (19%)
5th rivals – Birmingham (18%)

Derby County
1st rivals – Nott’m Forest (88%)
2nd rivals – Leicester (644%)
3rd rivals – Leeds (63%)
4th rivals – Stoke (43%)
5th rivals – Aston Villa (30%)

Huddersfield
1st rivals – Leeds (78%)
2nd rivals – Bradford (45%)
3rd rivals – Oldham (34%)
4th rivals – Barnsley (32%)
5th rivals – Sheffield Wed (29%)

Luton – Not announced
Luton Town supporters maintain a bitter rivalry with Hertfordshire-based Watford. The 2003 Football Fans Census showed that there was also animosity between Luton Town fans and those of west London club Queens Park Rangers. (Wiki)

Middlesbrough
1st rivals – Sunderland (77%)
2nd rivals – Newcastle (73%)
3rd rivals – Leeds (59%)
4th rivals – Hull (36%)
5th rivals – Carlisle (32%)

Millwall
1st rivals – West Ham (80%)
2nd rivals – Crystal Palace (51%)
3rd rivals – Charlton (49%)
4th rivals – Chelsea (42%)
5th rivals – Leyton Orient (36%)

Norwich
1st rivals – Ipswich (70%)
2nd rivals – Colchester (40%)
3rd rivals – Wolves (40%)
4th rivals – Leeds (33%)
5th rivals – Middlesbrough (23%)

Nottingham Forest
1st rivals – Derby (77%)
2nd rivals – Leicester (71%)
3rd rivals – Sheffield Utd (40%)
4th rivals – Sheffield Wed (31%)
5th rivals – Leeds (29%)

Preston
1st rivals – Blackpool (79%)
2nd rivals – Blackburn (74%)
3rd rivals – Burnley (68%)
4th rivals – Wigan (44%)
5th rivals – Bolton (41%)

QPR – Not announced
Rangers consider fellow West London clubs Chelsea, Fulham and Brentford to be their biggest rivals, with nearby Watford Luton and Welsh outfit Cardiff City following. (Wiki)

Reading
1st rivals – Swindon (74%)
2nd rivals – Oxford (70%)
3rd rivals – Brentford (52%)
4th rivals – Wycombe (43%)
5th rivals – Watford (30%)

Rotherham
1st rivals – Doncaster (76%)
2nd rivals – Barnlsey (68%)
3rd rivals – Sheffield Wed (60%)
4th rivals – Sheffield Utd (52%)
5th rivals – Leeds (40%)

Sheffield Wed
1st rivals – Sheffield Utd (85%)
2nd rivals – Leeds (61%)
3rd rivals – Barnsley (52%)
4th rivals – Rotherham (39%)
5th rivals – Doncaster (33%)

Stoke
1st rivals – Port Vale (52%)
2nd rivals – Wolves (44%)
3rd rivals – West Brom (42%)
4th rivals – Arsenal (36%)
5th rivals – Derby (28%)

Swansea – Not announced
Swansea City’s main rivals are Cardiff City, with the rivalry described as among the most hostile in British football. Swansea City’s other rivals are Newport County and to a lesser extent Bristol City and Bristol Rovers. However, Swansea very rarely meet Newport as they are currently separated by two divisions, while the two clubs share a mutual rivalry with Cardiff City. (Wiki)

Watford – Not announced
Watford fans maintain a rivalry with those of Luton Town. (Wiki)

Wycombe
1st rivals – Colchester (76%)
2nd rivals – Oxford (72%)
3rd rivals – MK Dons (55%)
4th rivals – Luton (52%)
5th rivals – Reading (41%)

Accrington
1st rivals – Morecambe (66%)
2nd rivals – Rochdale (59%)
3rd rivals – Bury (54%)
4th rivals – Blackburn (48%)
5th rivals – Burnley (46%)

AFC Wimbledon
1st rivals – MK Dons (82%)
2nd rivals – Crystal Palace (59%)
3rd rivals – Crawley (47%)
4th rivals – Charlton (35%)
5th rivals – Brentford (28%)

Blackpool
1st rivals – Preston (90%)
2nd rivals – Bolton (63%)
3rd rivals – Burnley (60%)
4th rivals – Blackburn (48%)
5th rivals – Fleetwood (45%)

Bristol Rovers
1st rivals – Bristol City (77%)
2nd rivals – Swindon (59%)
3rd rivals – Cardiff (59%)
4th rivals – Newport (36%)
5th rivals – Cheltenham (32%)

Burton
1st rivals – Port Vale (64%)
2nd rivals – Walsall (60%)
3rd rivals – Derby (56%)
4th rivals – Nott’m Forest (52%)
5th rivals – Coventry (44%)

Charlton
1st rivals – Millwall (82%)
2nd rivals – Crystal Palace (68%)
3rd rivals – West Ham (55%)
4th rivals – Leyton Orient (32%)
5th rivals – Arsenal (27%)

Crewe
1st rivals – Port Vale (88%)
2nd rivals – Stoke (75%)
3rd rivals – Macclesfield (50%)
4th rivals – Shrewsbury (44%)
5th rivals – Tranmere (38%)

Doncaster
1st rivals – Rotherham (71%)
2nd rivals – Barnsley (67%)
3rd rivals – Scunthorpe (52%)
4th rivals – Sheffield Wed (52%)
5th rivals – Sheffield Utd (48%)

Fleetwood
1st rivals – Blackpool (73%)
2nd rivals – Morecambe (71%)
3rd rivals – Accrington (56%)
4th rivals – Wigan (38%)
5th rivals – Preston (33%)

Gillingham
1st rivals – Millwall (69%)
2nd rivals – Charlton (63%)
3rd rivals – Southend (56%)
4th rivals – Swindon (44%)
5th rivals – Colchester (31%)

Hull
1st rivals – Leeds (72%)
2nd rivals – Grimsby (31%)
3rd rivals – Scunthorpe (30%)
4th rivals – Sheffield Utd (28%)
5th rivals – Sheffield Wed (27%)

Ipswich
1st rivals – Norwich (81%)
2nd rivals – Colchester (57%)
3rd rivals – West Ham (43%)
4th rivals – Southend (33%)
5th rivals – Cambridge (19%)

Lincoln
1st rivals – Grimsby (63%)
2nd rivals – Mansfield (35%)
3rd rivals – Scunthorpe (35%)
4th rivals – Coventry (24%)
5th rivals – Hull (24%)

MK Dons
1st rivals – AFC Wimbledon (72%)
2nd rivals – Northampton (59%)
3rd rivals – Peterborough (54%)
4th rivals – Luton (41%)
5th rivals – Wycombe (41%)

Northampton
1st rivals – Peterborough (79%)
2nd rivals – MK Dons (71%)
3rd rivals – Oxford (59%)
4th rivals – Cambridge (47%)
5th rivals – Leicester (44%)

Oxford
1st rivals – Swindon (74%)
2nd rivals – Reading (61%)
3rd rivals – Wycombe (52%)
4th rivals – Northampton (39%)
5th rivals – Luton (26%)

Peterborough
1st rivals – Northampton (76%)
2nd rivals – Cambridge (72%)
3rd rivals – Leicester (52%)
4th rivals – MK Dons (52%)
5th rivals – Lincoln (40%)

Plymouth
1st rivals – Exeter (83%)
2nd rivals – Portsmouth (47%)
3rd rivals – Bristol Rovers (27%)
4th rivals – Wycombe (24%)
5th rivals – Bristol City (18%)

Portsmouth
1st rivals – Southampton (91%)
2nd rivals – Brighton (36%)
3rd rivals – Bournemouth (31%)
4th rivals – Sunderland (27%)
5th rivals – Millwall (26%)

Rochdale
1st rivals – Bury (74%)
2nd rivals – Oldham (72%)
3rd rivals – Burnley (56%)
4th rivals – Wigan (46%)
5th rivals – Accrington (37%)

Shrewsbury
1st rivals – Walsall (75%)
2nd rivals – Port Vale (69%)
3rd rivals – Wolves (56%)
4th rivals – Crewe (38%)
5th rivals – West Brom (31%)

Sunderland
1st rivals – Newcastle (89%)
2nd rivals – Middlesbrough (54%)
3rd rivals – Coventry (42%)
4th rivals – Leeds (35%)
5th rivals – Portsmouth (27%)

Swindon
1st rivals – Oxford (75%)
2nd rivals – Reading (70%)
3rd rivals – Bristol City (65%)
4th rivals – Bristol Rovers (55%)
5th rivals – Cheltenham (40%)

Wigan
1st rivals – Bolton (74%)
2nd rivals – Preston (67%)
3rd rivals – Blackburn (51%)
4th rivals – Oldham (49%)
5th rivals – Bury (40%)

Barrow – Not announced

Bolton
1st rivals – Man Utd (74%)
2nd rivals – Blackburn (68%)
3rd rivals – Wigan (54%)
4th rivals – Oldham (51%)
5th rivals – Bury (49%)

Bradford
1st rivals – Leeds (82%)
2nd rivals – Huddersfield (77%)
3rd rivals – Burnley (52%)
4th rivals – Barnsley (49%)
5th rivals – Oldham (37%)

Cambridge
1st rivals – Peterborough (87%)
2nd rivals – Luton (67%)
3rd rivals – Colchester (60%)
4th rivals – Northampton (53%)
5th rivals – Stevenage (52%)

Carlisle
1st rivals – Middlesbrough (69%)
2nd rivals – Preston (54%)
3rd rivals – Sunderland (54%)
4th rivals – Newcastle (46%)
5th rivals – Morecambe (31%)

Cheltenham
1st rivals – Forest Green (82%)
2nd rivals – Swindon (73%)
3rd rivals – Bristol Rovers (55%)
4th rivals – Oxford (53%)
5th rivals – Bristol City (45%)

Colchester
1st rivals – Southend (86%)
2nd rivals – Ipswich (71%)
3rd rivals – Wycombe (64%)
4th rivals – Cambridge (50%)
5th rivals – Norwich (36%)

Crawley
1st rivals – AFC Wimbledon (71%)
2nd rivals – Brighton (57%)
3rd rivals – Swindon (57%)
4th rivals – Bournemouth (14%)
5th rivals – Burnley (14%)

Exeter
1st rivals – Plymouth (93%)
2nd rivals – MK Dons (48%)
3rd rivals – Bristol Rovers (9%)
4th rivals – Lincoln (9%)
5th rivals – Wycombe (9%)

Forest Green
1st rivals – Cheltenham (89%)
2nd rivals – Bristol Rovers (67%)
3rd rivals – Swindon (56%)
4th rivals – Newport (44%)
5th rivals – Bristol City (22%)

Grimsby
1st rivals – Hull (86%)
2nd rivals – Scunthorpe (79%)
3rd rivals – Lincoln (64%)
4th rivals – Barnsley (43%)
5th rivals – Doncaster (36%)

Harrogate – Not announced

Leyton Orient
1st rivals – West Ham (80%)
2nd rivals – Southend (68%)
3rd rivals – Brentford (52%)
4th rivals – Millwall (48%)
5th rivals – Charlton (40%)

Mansfield
1st rivals – Lincoln (52%)
2nd rivals – Doncaster (33%)
3rd rivals – Rotherham (33%)
4th rivals – Sheff Wed (30%)
5th rivals – Sheff utd (26%)

Morecambe
1st rivals – Accrington (89%)
2nd rivals – Fleetwood (67%)
3rd rivals – Bradford (50%)
4th rivals – Carlisle (39%)
5th rivals – Blackpool (33%)

Newport
1st rivals – Cardiff (77%)
2nd rivals – Swansea (68%)
3rd rivals – Bristol Rovers (59%)
4th rivals – Bristol City (55%)
5th rivals – Cheltenham (36%)

Oldham
1st rivals – Man Utd (71%)
2nd rivals – Bolton (61%)
3rd rivals – Huddersfield (54%)
4th rivals – Blackburn (49%)
5th rivals – Rochdale (48%)

Port Vale
1st rivals – Stoke (92%)
2nd rivals – Crewe (75%)
3rd rivals – Shrewsbury (54%)
4th rivals – Walsall (54%)
5th rivals – Burton (42%)

Salford
1st rivals – Oldham (44%)
2nd rivals – Accrington (38%)
3rd rivals – Macclesfield (38%)
4th rivals – Crewe (31%)
5th rivals – Leyton Orient (25%)

Scunthorpe
1st rivals – Grimsby (85%)
2nd rivals – Hull (77%)
3rd rivals – Doncaster (69%)
4th rivals – Lincoln (46%)
5th rivals – Rotherham (38%)

Southend
1st rivals – Colchester (83%)
2nd rivals – Leyton Orient (67%)
3rd rivals – Gillingham (50%)
4th rivals – Ipswich (44%)
5th rivals – Millwall (39%)

Stevenage
1st rivals – MK Dons (89%)
2nd rivals – Luton (56%)
3rd rivals – Cambridge (44%)
4th rivals – Northampton (33%)
5th rivals – Watford (22%)

Tranmere
1st rivals – Bolton (63%)
2nd rivals – Oldham (60%)
3rd rivals – Everton (50%)
4th rivals – Liverpool (47%)
5th rivals – Crewe (43%)

Walsall
1st rivals – West Brom (72%)
2nd rivals – Wolves (72%)
3rd rivals – Shrewsbury (60%)
4th rivals – Port Vale (48%)
5th rivals – Aston Villa (40%)