Leeds United F.C.–Manchester United F.C. rivalry

The rivalry between Leeds United and Manchester United, sometimes nicknamed the Roses rivalry, is a footballing rivalry played between the Northern English clubs Leeds United and Manchester United. The rivalry originates from the strong rivalry between the historic counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, which is popularly believed to have its origins in the Wars of the Roses of the 15th century. Although the cities of Leeds and Manchester lie over 40 miles (64 km) apart, the tradition is upheld and this strong feeling can still be seen between the two clubs. Independent research by the Football Fans Census has shown that, within English football, both Leeds and Manchester United are ranked within the top three clubs based on the number of clubs that consider them to be their rivals.

In the past, rivalry between the two clubs has gone beyond the action on the field at Old Trafford and Elland Road. Hostility became more intense over the years and during the 1970s, when British football hooliganism was at its height, fights between the Leeds United Service Crew and Manchester United's Red Army, the club's respective hooligan firms, were commonplace and became known as some of the most violent clashes in British football. Many people were injured in these encounters but violence between fans of the clubs has declined sharply since the 1970s for a number of reasons, mainly due to the general reduction in hooliganism. As recently as January 2010, prior to the two clubs meeting in the FA Cup 3rd round, Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson described the matches as "fantastic, feisty occasions" with an "electric" atmosphere. The rivalry has also been labelled by The Daily Telegraph as "English football's most intense – and inexplicable – rivalry".

These encounters have been particularly scarce since 1982, the year that Leeds were relegated to the Second Division. Hooliganism was still rife among fans of English league clubs at this stage, and by the time Leeds returned to the top flight in 1990 the problem was less severe and has remained a lesser problem since. The rivalry and the hooliganism have been effectively curtailed since 2004, when Leeds were relegated from the Premier League. The teams met only twice between 2004 and 2020, and while polling showed Leeds fans still considered Manchester United to be their main rivals, Manchester United fans considered Liverpool to be their main rivals, followed by Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal. The rivalry was renewed in the 2020–21 Premier League season, following Leeds United's promotion after winning the 2019–20 EFL Championship, with the sides' first encounter thereafter ending 6–2 to Manchester United. In terms of trophies won, the rivalry has been heavily in favour of Manchester United, who have won 68 trophies to Leeds United's 9.