Liverpool versus Manchester City is currently the biggest rivalry in the Premier League.

The two sides are far and away the two best in England's top-flight right now and that level of competition has seen a serious degree of animosity develop between the two sets of fans.

Games between the pair are now seen as the key fixtures on the Premier League calendar, as they pretty much decide the destination of the title these days.

Had City not beaten Liverpool 2-1 at the Etihad last season, Jurgen Klopp's side would most likely have ended their quest for Premier League glory.

The first fixture between the pair this season is scheduled for November 10 and there may be a new layer of hatred between the two clubs and their supporters this time around.

That's because The Times are reporting quite a sensational story of scandal from 2013.

Six years ago, Liverpool were forced into paying City £1m after it was alleged that they spied on the Citizens' scouting system.

The confidential settlement took place after City actually employed computer-espionage experts to see if their system - named Scout7 - had indeed been spied on.

It was also a year after three former City scouts moved to Liverpool, including the Reds' current sporting director Michael Edwards.

They were accused of hacking into the Scout7 database 'hundreds of times', leading to City reportedly accelerating deals for Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk and Jesus Navas from Sevilla.

The scandal itself appears on the face of it to be the biggest incident of alleged misbehaviour from a top-flight club in the history of the Premier League.

Liverpool and the accused paid the £1m settlement without actually accepting any liability or wrongdoing and the accusations against them were never taken to court.

Both clubs declined to speak to The Times, with Liverpool stating they would refuse to discuss confidential club matters.