Five most-watched Premier League games of all time

Matt Stead
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 30: during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium on April 30, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

With Bournemouth v Crystal Palace set to be on the BBC on June 20, there is almost no doubt that it will become the most-watched Premier League game of all time on UK television. Which is tickling us. We sort of hope it is a 0-0. So which games currently take the top five places on such a list? They were all on Sky…

 

5) Manchester United 1-1 Liverpool
When? October 2019
How many? 3.28m
Why the audience? Because it was the two biggest teams in England – it was given the full Sky Sports hyper hype treatment – and because it was the first weekend of Premier League fixtures after an international break. Remember when an international break felt like a long time between real football? Oh and Jurgen Klopp had never won at Old Trafford and Jose Mourinho was in the studio. The perfect Sunday.
Was it any good? Not really. There were six shots on target in the whole game and Liverpool were – according to our own 16 Conclusions – ‘rotten’ while Manchester United played like a plucky mid-table side. And Roy Keane got really angry about kissing, which was just about the highlight of the day.

 

4) Liverpool 3-1 Manchester City
When?
November 2019
How many?
3.35m
Why the audience? ‘
It’s the epitome of a six-pointer,’ read the Sky Sports preview entitled ‘Is Liverpool vs Man City the Premier League title decider?’ that made it abundantly clear that yes, this was a Premier League title decider. Should Liverpool win, they would be nine points clear of the reigning champions and basically could not possibly cock it up from there. Oh and Keane, Mourinho and Graeme Souness were in the studio again.
Was it any good? If you were a Liverpool fan, it was brilliant. For Manchester City fans and neutrals, it was a crushing disappointment as Pep Guardiola got it terribly, terribly wrong. There was entertainment in the form of myriad penalty debates but the truth is that Liverpool did not have to play well to beat City 3-1 and basically claim the title.

 

3) Arsenal 2-2 Manchester United
When?
April 2003
How many?
3.43m
Why the audience?
This was absolutely bloody massive. Arsenal were the reigning champions but Manchester United had the chance to go six points clear if they could triumph at Highbury. Just look at some of the names involved: Campbell, Cole, Ljungberg, Silva, Vieira, Pires, Bergkamp, Henry, Ferdinand, Solskjaer, Keane, Giggs, Scholes, Van Nistelrooy. A soon-to-depart David Beckham didn’t even make it off the bench.
Was it any good? It was fantastic. Full-blooded and bloodied. Four goals – Thierry Henry scored twice – and a late red card for Sol Campbell (Arsene Wenger accused Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of “making the most” of the elbow) made this one of the games of the decade. We would watch it again now but we’ll settle for the highlights…

 

2) Liverpool 2-0 Manchester United
When? January 2020
How many? 3.9m
Why the audience? By this juncture, Liverpool fans would have watched their runaway champions-elect playing a kick-about on the beach with a plastic fly-away if it was televised on Sky, while Manchester United fans were buoyed by their team’s record against the better teams and hoped they could bloody some noses. The neutrals largely hoped for a classic.
Was it any good? Read 16 Conclusions for the details but Manchester United were flattered by the scoreline and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s claims that they had basically matched the rampant Reds were frankly ridiculous. Liverpool could have scored five or six before United got some kind of foothold in the second half, but this was pre-Bruno United – who fielded Andreas Pereira as a No. 10 ahead of Fred and Nemanja Matic – so it all came to nought.

 

1) Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United
When? April 2012
How many?
4.04m
Why the audience? This was sold as the biggest game in the history of the Premier League as noisy neighbours City bid to go level on points with United and ahead on goal difference going into the final two games of the season. This was back when neutrals were on City’s side, desperate for Yaya Toure, David Silva and Sergio Aguero to knock a faltering United off their perch.
Was it any good? No. Ferguson f***ed it. He approached the game like a European away-day with Wayne Rooney as a lone striker. He was understandably isolated and United did not muster even one shot on target, struggling to change tack after Vincent Kompany’s header. Just look at that leap.