The man city vs liverpool f.c. timeline is one of the defining rivalries in modern English football, stretching back to a first meeting on September 16, 1893.
The two sides’ most recent encounter kicked off at 12:45pm BST on Saturday, April 4, 2026, at the Etihad Stadium, where Manchester City thrashed Liverpool 4-0 in the FA Cup quarter-finals.
That result added another chapter to a fixture history spanning 221 meetings across all competitions, one defined in recent years by the Pep Guardiola vs Jurgen Klopp era and, more recently, by City’s growing dominance under Guardiola against Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
This article sets out the man city vs liverpool f.c. timeline in full, using the available historical record to trace the rivalry from its nineteenth-century origins to the present season.
Early Meetings and Historic Milestones
The first-ever meeting between the sides came on September 16, 1893, when Liverpool won 1-0 away against Ardwick, the club that would later become Manchester City.
City’s biggest win in the fixture’s history came on September 11, 1935, a 6-0 result at Maine Road.
Liverpool matched that scoreline in the other direction on October 28, 1995, winning 6-0 at Anfield.
The highest-scoring meeting between the clubs took place on October 27, 1906, when Liverpool edged a nine-goal thriller 5-4.
Liverpool’s longest winning streak against City stands at seven consecutive games, achieved between 1978 and 1981, while their longest unbeaten run reached ten matches between 2005 and 2010.
The fixture reached a new level of significance between the 2017-18 and 2024-25 seasons, a period in which City and Liverpool combined to win every Premier League title on offer, along with the bulk of domestic cup and European silverware during that stretch.
Six of the eight highest points totals recorded in Premier League history since 1995 were set by one of these two clubs during that era.
Timeline of key eras
| Period | Notable outcome |
|---|---|
| Sep 16, 1893 | First meeting; Liverpool win 1-0 away against Ardwick |
| Sep 11, 1935 | Man City’s biggest win, 6-0 at Maine Road |
| Oct 27, 1906 | Highest-scoring match; Liverpool win 5-4 |
| 1978–1981 | Liverpool’s longest winning streak, 7 games |
| Oct 28, 1995 | Liverpool’s biggest win, 6-0 at Anfield |
| 2005–2010 | Liverpool’s longest unbeaten run, 10 games |
| 2017-18 to 2024-25 | Guardiola vs Klopp era; the two clubs share every PL title |
| Apr 4, 2026 | Most recent meeting; Man City win 4-0 in the FA Cup |
Key points from this era:
- The first meeting, in September 1893, was won by Liverpool against City’s predecessor club, Ardwick
- Man City’s biggest win in the fixture came in 1935, a 6-0 result at Maine Road
- Liverpool hold the record for the longest winning streak and longest unbeaten run in the fixture
- The Guardiola-Klopp years saw the two clubs dominate English and European football together
- The rivalry has intensified further since Arne Slot succeeded Klopp at Liverpool
Head-to-Head Record and Recent Form
Across all competitions, Manchester City and Liverpool have met 221 times.
Liverpool lead the all-time record with 110 wins, compared to 63 for City, while the remaining 58 meetings have ended level.
The most recent meeting, on April 4, 2026, saw Manchester City demolish Liverpool 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium in the FA Cup quarter-finals, with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick and Antoine Semenyo adding a fourth.
That result sent City into a record-extending eighth successive FA Cup semi-final and piled further pressure on Liverpool boss Arne Slot.
It followed a City win of 3-0 earlier in the 2025-26 season, a match that marked Guardiola’s 1,000th game in management.
Liverpool had won both of the previous season’s Premier League meetings 2-0, with Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai on target in February 2025 and Cody Gakpo and Salah scoring in December 2024.
All-time head-to-head snapshot
| Metric | Man City | Liverpool |
|---|---|---|
| Total meetings | 221 | 221 |
| Wins | 63 | 110 |
| Draws | 58 | 58 |
| Losses | 110 | 63 |
| Biggest win | 6-0 (1935) | 6-0 (1995) |
Recent meetings
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| Apr 4, 2026 | Man City 4-0 Liverpool (FA Cup) |
| 2025-26 (early season) | Man City 3-0 Liverpool (PL) |
| Feb 2025 | Liverpool 2-0 Man City (PL) |
| Dec 2024 | Liverpool 2-0 Man City (PL) |
| Mar 2024 | Liverpool 1-1 Man City (PL) |
Key points from this section:
- Liverpool lead the all-time record 110 wins to 63, with 58 draws from 221 meetings
- The most recent match, on April 4, 2026, ended 4-0 to Man City in the FA Cup
- Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick in that most recent meeting
- City have won their last two meetings with Liverpool after a run of Liverpool victories in 2024-25
- The fixture has decided major domestic cup and title outcomes in recent seasons