Derby matches aren’t always pretty. The weeks of build-up and vociferous local support often makes its way down to the pitch, affecting players, staff and officials alike.
But, it’s one of the reasons we love them – and one of the reasons derby matches are often televised. A nil-nil with three red cards, a touchline bust-up and a hostile atmosphere can often be more memorable than a routine 1-0 win.
So, with the help of the team at rivals.football, we have compiled a list of English football’s dirtiest derby matches – the ones almost guaranteed to result in a flurry of cards.
To qualify, a derby needs to have been played at least 5 times this century. Rankings include league, cup and play-off matches played between 1 January 2000 and 31 May 2026. Friendlies excluded.
| Rank | Derby | # matches | # yellows | # reds | # cards | Cards per game |
| 1 | Oxford United v Swindon Town | 12 | 59 | 8 | 67 | 5.583 |
| 2 | Port Vale v Stoke City | 5 | 26 | 0 | 26 | 5.200 |
| 3 | Newcastle United v Sunderland | 28 | 140 | 5 | 145 | 5.179 |
| 4 | Luton Town v Watford | 9 | 40 | 3 | 43 | 4.778 |
| 5 | Derby County v Nottingham Forest | 37 | 163 | 11 | 174 | 4.703 |
| 6 | Everton v Liverpool | 57 | 241 | 20 | 261 | 4.579 |
| 7 | Millwall v West Ham United | 7 | 29 | 3 | 32 | 4.571 |
| 8 | Reading v Swindon Town | 6 | 24 | 3 | 27 | 4.500 |
| 9 | Cardiff City v Swansea City | 21 | 88 | 6 | 94 | 4.476 |
| 10 | Huddersfield Town v Leeds United | 21 | 89 | 4 | 93 | 4.429 |
| 11 | Blackburn Rovers v Burnley | 17 | 71 | 4 | 75 | 4.412 |
| 12 | Arsenal v Tottenham Hotspur | 62 | 260 | 12 | 272 | 4.387 |
| 13 | Bradford City v Leeds United | 6 | 25 | 1 | 26 | 4.333 |
| 14 | Aston Villa v Birmingham City | 22 | 92 | 3 | 95 | 4.318 |
| 15 | Chester v Wrexham | 18 | 72 | 5 | 77 | 4.278 |
| 16 | Brighton and Hove Albion v Crystal Palace | 27 | 104 | 6 | 110 | 4.074 |
| =17 | Ipswich Town v Norwich City | 29 | 111 | 5 | 116 | 4.000 |
| =17 | Portsmouth v Southampton | 12 | 46 | 2 | 48 | 4.000 |
| 19 | Blackpool v Preston North End | 12 | 46 | 1 | 47 | 3.917 |
| 20 | Grimsby Town v Scunthorpe United | 11 | 40 | 3 | 43 | 3.909 |
| 21 | Manchester City v Manchester United | 63 | 234 | 12 | 246 | 3.905 |
| 22 | AFC Wimbledon v MK Dons | 18 | 66 | 4 | 70 | 3.889 |
| 23 | Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic | 33 | 127 | 1 | 128 | 3.879 |
| =24 | Colchester United v Southend United | 18 | 62 | 7 | 69 | 3.833 |
| =24 | Mansfield Town v Notts County | 24 | 90 | 2 | 92 | 3.833 |
| 26 | Sheffield United v Sheffield Wednesday | 25 | 90 | 5 | 95 | 3.800 |
| 27 | Coventry City v Leicester City | 22 | 73 | 7 | 80 | 3.636 |
| 28 | Lincoln City v Scunthorpe United | 17 | 58 | 3 | 61 | 3.588 |
| 29 | Chelsea v Fulham | 40 | 120 | 7 | 127 | 3.175 |
| 30 | Exeter City v Plymouth Argyle | 26 | 75 | 3 | 78 | 3.000 |
| 31 | West Bromwich Albion v Wolverhampton Wanderers | 18 | 51 | 1 | 52 | 2.889 |
| 32 | Oxford United v Reading | 7 | 19 | 0 | 19 | 2.714 |
| 33 | Bristol City v Bristol Rovers | 7 | 17 | 0 | 17 | 2.429 |
Top 5 dirtiest derbies
For our list of top 5 dirtiest derbies, we’ll only look at those which have produced multiple red cards – apologies to Port Vale and Stoke City, that cuts you from the list.
5. Everton v Liverpool
Number of matches this century: 57
Yellow cards: 241
Red cards: 20
Cards per game: 4.579
I don’t think many people will be surprised to see the Merseyside derby on this list. As a neutral it seems that there’s always something to play for in these derbies – whether it’s a knockout cup game or Liverpool competing for the title (or Everton fighting to stay up), the enormity of the occasion often translates to cards.
One incredibly impressive stat – the Merseyside derby is one of the most played in English football and averages more than one red card every three games.
4. Derby County v Nottingham Forest
Number of matches this century: 37
Yellow cards: 163
Red cards: 11
Cards per game: 4.703
The East Midlands derby may not receive the same national attention as Liverpool-Everton or Newcastle-Sunderland, but referees rarely get a quiet afternoon when Derby and Forest meet. 11 red cards in just 37 matches, coupled with an incredible 163 yellows, explain just what type of game fans are in for when these teams meet.
3. Luton Town v Watford
Number of matches this century: 9
Yellow cards: 40
Red cards: 3
Cards per game: 4.778
Despite only a handful of matches, the Beds-Herts derby keeps referees working overtime! 3 red cards in just 9 matches makes an impressive 33% chance of a sending off. 40 yellow cards will keep refs busy too.
2. Newcastle United v Sunderland
Number of matches this century: 28
Yellow cards: 140
Red cards: 5
Cards per game: 5.179
One of the biggest derbies in English football is also one of the dirtiest. Anyone who has spent any time in the North East will know how passionate both sets of fans are. That passion clearly spills over onto the pitch with an average of over 5 cards per Tyne-Wear Derby.
1. Oxford United v Swindon Town
Number of matches this century: 12
Yellow cards: 59
Red cards: 8
Cards per game: 5.583
Hands up, you didn’t have the A420 Derby as the most card-happy in the UK, did you?
But, despite only being played 12 times this century, the ties between Oxford and Swindon produce an absolute flurry of cards. 8 red cards in 12 matches is a phenomenal stat – that’s the same as the Sheffield derby and Devon derby combined, but they’ve been played 59 times!
I will definitely be tuning in next time these teams meet in the league (fingers-crossed that Swindon get promoted next season)!
Dirtiest derby matches
136 of 738 derbies this century have seen at least one red card (18%). Incredibly 28 have seen no cards brandished at all (4%). But we’re not interested in those – let’s take a more detailed look at the individual matches which have produced the most cards.
Most red cards
3 red cards: Swindon Town v Reading
Swindon Town 0-0 Reading
14th February, 2002
Football League Division 2
Valentine’s Day. Brilliant. No love was clearly lost between the local rivals who served up no goals, but 3 red cards. Top of the table Reading started the fun when Sammy Igor was sent off just before half time for lashing out midfielder Bobby Howe.
The home side then had 2 men sent off at the end of the game, with Paul McAreavey sent off in the last minute after a bad tackle. He was joined for a (slightly) early bath in injury time as Swindon’s Alan Reeves was dismissed for kicking out at Jamie Cureton. The referee needed a police escort to leave the pitch. Glorious stuff.
3 red cards: Colchester United v Southend United
Colchester United 3-0 Southend United
25th November, 2006
Football League Championship
The Essex derby back in 2006 produced 3 red cards with Southend finishing the game with 9 men and Colchester with 10. Southend were reduced to 10 and then 9 early in the second half after Kevin Maher and Mark Gower saw red in quick succession. Colchester then took a 2 goal lead before Chris Barker was also dismissed before Jamie Cureton added a third for the hosts. 3 goals and 3 red cards – sound like a great derby (unless you’re a Southend fan).
Most cards overall
12 cards: Liverpool v Everton
Liverpool 3-1 Everton
25th March, 2006
Premier League
10 yellow cards and two reds in this Merseyside classic. Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard was sent off for two bookable offences and Everton’s Andy van der Meyde for an elbow as both teams finished the game with 10 men.
12 cards: Everton v Liverpool
Everton 2-3 Liverpool
16th April, 2001
Premier League
The second of our three 12-card encounters is also from the Merseyside derby. This one had it all – 1 red card, 2 penalties, 5 goals, an injury time winner and 11 bookings. A Merseyside classic.
12 cards: AFC Wimbledon v MK Dons
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 MK Dons
2nd March, 2024
Football League Two
Not considered a derby by some fans, meetings between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons carry a deep-rooted hatred due to MK Dons’ formation in 2004. The club relocated Wimbledon to Milton Keynes and changed its name, a controversial move similar to the franchise model used in American sport. Wimbledon had to reform as AFC Wimbledon and joined the Football League after an incredible run of 5 promotions in 9 years.
With this history, it’s no surprise that meetings between the teams are often full-blooded affairs. The match in March 2024 saw a total of 12 yellow cards handed out, 6 for each team. It was topped off with an injury time winner by Wimbledon substitute Ronan Curtis (who was then booked for his celebration).
You can keep up-to-date with all of the major rivalries and sync fixtures to your calendar at rivals.football.
