da doce： As if the Manchester Derby couldn’t get any more exciting, we have Pep Guardiola vs. Jose Mourinho as the sub-plot for at least this weekend!
da blaze casino： In truth, the pair are likely to be around for the foreseeable future, and their rivalry (stemming from being on opposite sides of the El Clasico divide in Spain) adds further dynamite to an explosive mix.
The Derby is, of course, bigger than the men in the dugouts, and the battle of the North West city has long been contested with passion, vigour and skill. Post-2000, the gap in quality between the two sides has reduced significantly, with investment at Man City having seen them move out of their rivals’ shadow to become, arguably, the bigger team in Manchester – the past few seasons’ finishes suggest as much.
It’s feasible that the pendulum will swing once again over the coming years, but we cannot know where we’re going unless we look at where we’ve been, so here are FIVE of the best Man United vs. Man City clashes of this millennium…
5 – Manchester City 4-1 Manchester United (March 2004)
*CLICHÉ ALERT* The form book often goes out of the window on derby day. A cliché is a cliché for a reason, and in March 2004 Man City caused a real shock when they thrashed their bitter rivals. The Red Devils entered the match on the back of being eliminated from European competition, and their continental (sky) blues were ruthlessly taken advantage of.
To rub salt into the wounds, Liverpool hero Robbie Fowler opened the scoring before Jon Macken, Trevor Sinclair and Shaun Wright-Phillips completed the home side’s scoring – Paul Scholes did net for the visitors.
It’s important to remember (if the above names didn’t give it away), Man City were a distinctly average Premier League side at the time, while Man United were at the height of the ‘Fergie’ era.
4 – Manchester United 2-1 Manchester (February 2011)
This game will always be remembered for that Wayne Rooney goal.
In what would eventually prove to be a pivotal result in Man United’s pursuit of the title, the England international scored one of the greatest goals in Premier League history with 78 minutes on the clock when he scissor-kicked a floated Nani cross into the Man City net. Critics will tell you he shinned it, but as a moment of pure footballing theatre, it’s rarely been surpassed in the years since.
Even before Rooney’s acrobatics, the match was pretty enthralling with Nani having handed his side the lead before David Silva’s deflected effort levelled proceedings.
3 – Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United (April 2012)
Not a game that will be forever remembered by the goals brigade, April 2012 was hugely significant both in terms of where the title would end up, and the shift of power in Manchester.
Vincent Kompany slammed a header into the Man United net in first-half stoppage time in what proved to be the only goal of the game.
The rest of the tie was a nervy, chess-like encounter, but City held on for a win that would, when the season climaxed, prove to be absolutely vital.
2 – Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (September 2009)
The Michael Owen derby. The veteran forward, a somewhat controversial signing, had the last laugh on Carlos Tevez’s return to Old Trafford following his contentious transfer across the city of Manchester, netting deep into injury time (95 minutes, to be precise).
The goals were flowing at Old Trafford and it looked as if Craig Bellamy’s strike on 90 minutes would settle the score at 3-3, but Owen popped up with a trademark cool finish to secure one of the most memorable derby wins in recent years.
1 – Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City
How could it be any other? This game was seismic in terms of the shift of power in Manchester, with the Citizens running out vastly superior in their bitter rivals’ back yard.
Few had really taken Man City’s claim to be the kings of their city seriously until the October afternoon in question, but 1-6 didn’t flatter them, with Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli, David Silva and Edin Dzeko the scorers for the visiting side.
Oh, and it will be remembered for that t-shirt…