Manchester City v Manchester Utd

Two named clubs, deep working-class roots, one result: Newton Heath beat St. Mark's 3-0 in 1881.

On 12 November 1881, St. Mark's (West Gorton), the forerunners of Manchester City, faced Newton Heath LYR, who would become Manchester United. Newton Heath won 3-0. Both clubs had roots in the working communities of east Manchester: St. Mark's formed by the church warden of St. Mark's Church in Gorton, Newton Heath by the carriage and wagon department of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

City took the name first in 1894; United followed eight years later, yet spent years relying on their rivals' ground.

In 1894, Ardwick AFC, as St. Mark's had become, reformed as Manchester City Football Club. Eight years later, in 1902, Newton Heath were rescued from bankruptcy and reborn as Manchester United. The modern rivalry had its names. City joined the Football League in 1899 and won their first league title in 1937. United, under Ernest Mangnall, claimed theirs in 1908. The two clubs even shared grounds: United played at City's Hyde Road between 1893 and 1910 while their own ground was unavailable.

Two years after the floodlights came on, City offered United their ground. Rivalry, it turns out, has its limits.

The first floodlit Manchester derby took place on 14 March 1956 at Maine Road, with United winning 2-0. It was a period of United dominance under Matt Busby, whose side had won the league in 1952 and would claim it again in 1956 and 1957. The Busby Babes were the most exciting team in England. Then came Munich. After the 1958 air disaster, City offered United the use of Maine Road while Old Trafford was repaired, a gesture of solidarity that transcended rivalry.

Law's backheel didn't actually relegate United; the other results had already done the damage.

On 27 April 1974, Denis Law, the former United hero who had returned to City, backheeled the only goal at Old Trafford. Legend has it that this relegated United. The truth is more prosaic: other results that day meant United were going down regardless. Law, visibly distraught, refused to celebrate and was substituted. The match was abandoned after fans invaded the pitch. United spent a single season in the Second Division before bouncing back.

While United collected a treble, City were scrapping in the third tier of English football.

By the late 1990s, the rivalry had become lopsided. United, under Sir Alex Ferguson, won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League treble in 1999. City, meanwhile, were playing in the third tier of English football, having been relegated to the Second Division (now League One) in 1998. The power gap between the two clubs had never been wider. City's play-off final victory over Gillingham at Wembley in 1999, secured by two injury-time goals, began their long climb back.

Sheikh Mansour announced his ambitions quietly; Robinho's arrival for a British record fee said everything else.

In September 2008, the Abu Dhabi United Group, led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, completed their takeover of Manchester City. The purchase transformed the club's fortunes overnight. On deadline day, City signed Robinho from Real Madrid for a British record fee. The investment was vast and sustained: new training facilities at the Etihad Campus, world-class signings, and a clear ambition to challenge United's supremacy. The balance of power in Manchester was about to shift.

Forty-four years of waiting, settled in ninety-four minutes.

The 2011-12 season produced the most dramatic title race in Premier League history, and it was decided between the two Manchester clubs. Going into the final day, City and United were level on points. City trailed 2-1 to QPR deep into stoppage time at the Etihad. Then Edin Džeko equalised, and in the 94th minute, Sergio Agüero drove through the QPR defence and fired home. Martin Tyler's commentary became immortal. City had won their first league title in 44 years, snatched from United in the most extraordinary fashion imaginable.

A hundred points, a nineteen-point gulf, and a footballing lesson delivered to an entire division.

Under Pep Guardiola, City became the first team to reach 100 points in a Premier League season in 2017-18, finishing 19 points clear of second-placed United. The derby that December had been a flashpoint: United came from behind to win 3-2 at Old Trafford, but it barely dented City's march. Guardiola's side scored 106 goals and played a brand of football that redefined what was possible in the English game. City retained the title the following season, completing a domestic treble.

Only the second English club to lift three trophies in a single season; City joined United's class of 1999 on their own terms.

In 2022-23, Manchester City won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League to become only the second English club to complete the treble, matching United's 1999 achievement. The following season, the two sides met in the 2024 FA Cup final at Wembley, only the second Manchester derby FA Cup final after 2011. United won 2-1, with Erik ten Hag's side producing a spirited upset. The fixture remains one of the Premier League's most watched globally, a rivalry that now carries weight on every continent.