Manchester Utd v Manchester City

A 3-0 defeat for the church lads; neither side guessed they were kindling the fiercest rivalry in English football.

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. Neither side could have known they were laying the foundation for one of football's great rivalries. The clubs were products of their communities: one formed by the church, the other by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway depot.

Two clubs, one postcode, and absolutely nothing else in common.

Ardwick AFC reformed as Manchester City in 1894, the same year they were elected to the Second Division. Newton Heath, meanwhile, were rescued from bankruptcy in 1902 and reborn as Manchester United. With both clubs now carrying the city's name, the fixture gained a sharper edge. The first league derby came in the 1894-95 season, and the pattern was set: two clubs sharing a postcode but precious little else.

Trautmann lifted the Cup with a broken neck; nobody knew until the X-rays confirmed it days later.

The 1950s saw both clubs at the peak of their powers. City won the 1956 FA Cup with the famous 'Trautmann final', in which goalkeeper Bert Trautmann played the last 17 minutes with a broken neck. United, under Matt Busby, were building the side that would become known as the Busby Babes. The Munich air disaster of February 1958 devastated United and the entire city. City offered United the use of Maine Road while Old Trafford was repaired, a gesture of solidarity that briefly softened the rivalry.

A backheel from a broken heart; Law walked off Old Trafford refusing to celebrate the goal that sent his former club down.

On 27 April 1974, Denis Law, the former United hero who had crossed the divide to City, scored a backheel goal at Old Trafford that appeared to condemn his old club to relegation. Law refused to celebrate and was immediately substituted. United went down to the Second Division regardless, though results elsewhere had already sealed their fate before kick-off. The image of Law, head bowed, walking off the pitch remains one of the derby's most iconic and bittersweet moments.

Thirteen league titles in twenty-one years; City spent part of that era in the third tier.

Sir Alex Ferguson's arrival in 1986 began a slow transformation, but the 1992-93 Premier League title was the tipping point. United won the inaugural Premier League season and never looked back, claiming 13 league titles in 21 years. City, by contrast, dropped to the third tier in 1998. The power balance in Manchester had never been more lopsided. Derby days became exercises in damage limitation for City, though the fixture lost none of its intensity.

United won the first derby at the new ground 3-1; the foundations for City's future, though, were already being laid.

City left Maine Road, their home since 1923, and moved into the City of Manchester Stadium, built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The new ground, later renamed the Etihad Stadium, gave City a modern 48,000-seat home and signalled ambition. The first derby at the new venue came in November 2003, a 3-1 United win. But the infrastructure was in place for what was to come.

Robinho on deadline day; the Premier League title four years later. Sheikh Mansour did not come to finish second.

Sheikh Mansour's Abu Dhabi United Group completed their takeover of Manchester City on 1 September 2008. The investment was transformative. Robinho arrived on deadline day for a British record fee, and within four years City had won the Premier League. The derby was no longer a mismatch. It became a genuine contest between two of the wealthiest clubs in world football, with the balance of power shifting for the first time in a generation.

Forty-four years of waiting, ended in stoppage time by a single strike.

The 2011-12 season produced the most extraordinary title finish English football has seen. City and United went into the final day level on points. At the Etihad, City trailed QPR 2-1 in stoppage time. Edin Džeko equalised, then Sergio Agüero drove through the QPR defence and struck the goal that won City their first league title in 44 years. Martin Tyler's commentary, 'Agüeroooo!', became the soundtrack to a moment that redefined the derby's stakes forever.

Gündoğan's goals settled the first FA Cup final between Manchester's giants; the Victorian rivalry had found its grandest stage yet.

Pep Guardiola's City won the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in 2022-23, becoming only the second English club to complete the Treble after United's 1999 achievement. The two Manchester clubs met in the 2023 FA Cup final at Wembley, City winning 2-1 with goals from İlkay Gündoğan. It was the first Manchester derby FA Cup final, a measure of how far the rivalry had evolved from its Victorian origins into a contest played on the grandest stages.

Form guides count for little here; Garnacho and Mainoo settled the second successive Wembley derby in United's favour.

The clubs met again in the 2024 FA Cup final, the second consecutive Manchester derby at Wembley. United won 2-1, with goals from Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo, denying City a second successive domestic double. It was a reminder that form guides count for little in this fixture. The derby remains the defining match in Manchester's sporting calendar, and with both clubs investing heavily in their squads and infrastructure, the rivalry shows no sign of cooling.