Manchester City v Sunderland

Sunderland claimed three league titles in five years; City were still finding their feet under a different name.

Sunderland joined the Football League in 1890 and quickly established themselves as the dominant force in English football, winning three league titles by 1895 and earning the nickname "The Team of All Talents." Ardwick AFC, City's predecessor, entered the Football League's Second Division in 1892 before reforming as Manchester City in 1894. The two clubs first met in league competition after City's promotion to the First Division in 1899.

City secured their first major honour with the 1904 FA Cup, while Sunderland had been quietly adding further league titles to their haul by 1902.

Manchester City claimed their first major trophy, beating Bolton Wanderers 1-0 in the 1904 FA Cup final. Sunderland, meanwhile, had added a further three league championships to their collection by 1902. The two clubs were now established First Division rivals, meeting twice a season in front of increasingly large crowds. These were two of the best-supported clubs in the country.

Sunderland clinched their title the season before City did; two giants, one decade, zero patience for sharing the spotlight.

Manchester City won the First Division championship in 1936-37, but it was Sunderland who had the last laugh that decade, claiming their own league title in 1935-36, just one season earlier. The two clubs traded blows at the top of the table throughout the 1930s. City had also won the FA Cup in 1934, beating Portsmouth 2-1 at Wembley. It was a golden period for both clubs, though neither could have predicted the long droughts that lay ahead.

Trautmann lifted the Cup with a broken neck; some men simply refuse to read the script.

Manchester City won the 1956 FA Cup, beating Birmingham City 3-1 at Wembley in a match remembered for Bert Trautmann playing on with a broken neck. The post-war years saw both City and Sunderland fluctuate between divisions. Sunderland, who had been ever-present in the top flight since 1890, were finally relegated in 1958, ending a remarkable 68-year unbroken run in the First Division.

A Second Division side toppling Leeds at Wembley; Montgomery's double save alone belongs in football folklore.

Sunderland, then a Second Division side, produced one of the greatest FA Cup upsets in history by beating Leeds United 1-0 in the 1973 final. Ian Porterfield's goal and Jim Montgomery's extraordinary double save became the stuff of legend. Bob Stokoe's joyous sprint across the Wembley pitch to embrace Montgomery remains one of football's most iconic images. City, who had won the FA Cup themselves in 1969, knew the feeling well.

Quinn gave away every penny of his £1 million testimonial. Some players leave a club; he left a legacy at two.

Niall Quinn's transfer from Manchester City to Sunderland in 1996 created a lasting personal link between the two clubs. Quinn had spent six years at Maine Road, scoring 78 goals, before moving to Wearside where he became a club legend, netting 61 times and later serving as chairman. His testimonial in 2002 raised over £1 million, all of which he donated to charity. Few players have been so deeply loved at two clubs simultaneously.

A stadium built for the Commonwealth Games became the foundation for City's future; Sunderland had made the same leap six years prior.

Manchester City relocated from Maine Road to the City of Manchester Stadium, built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and later renamed the Etihad Stadium. The move gave City a 48,000-seat home befitting their ambitions. Sunderland had made a similar leap in 1997, leaving Roker Park for the Stadium of Light. Both clubs entered the new millennium in modern arenas, though their trajectories were about to diverge sharply.

Three goals, one dominant display; City's fourth League Cup triumph was the jewel in a season that also brought the Premier League title.

Manchester City and Sunderland met at Wembley in the 2014 Football League Cup final on 2 March. City won 3-1, with Yaya Touré, Samir Nasri, and Jesús Navas scoring for the victors. Fabio Borini pulled one back for Sunderland, but City were dominant throughout. It was City's fourth League Cup triumph and part of a season that also delivered the Premier League title. For Sunderland, the final was a rare day out at Wembley during a turbulent period.

Three trophies in a single season; the gap between these clubs has never felt wider.

Manchester City's historic Treble in 2022-23, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League, cemented their status as one of European football's superpowers. Sunderland, relegated from the Premier League in 2017 and dropping to League One in 2018, had begun their own recovery, returning to the Championship in 2022. The two clubs now sit in different divisions, but the fixture retains its pull. When they do meet again in the top flight, the Etihad will be ready.