Every clash between the two big Manchester clubs, City and United, is a major fixture on the Premier League calendar. There is little love lost between these two neighbouring sides who first met back in 1881 although in those times it was St Mark’s (West Gorton) versus Newton Heath LYR. There have been nearly 200 further meetings over the years and some truly memorable clashes among them.
Our focus here though will be on the best Manchester derbies in the Premier League, in other words, league games between the sides since the 1992/93 season. Although it was hard to whittle the list down to just eight, here are our top selections from the oldest to the most recent.
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (7th November, 1993)
One of the earliest Manchester Derbies of the Premier League era proved to be an absolute cracker thanks to some Eric Cantona sharpness. City had put themselves in an early commanding position thanks to a Niall Quinn brace but were masters of their own demise when a mishit backpass landed at the feet of Cantona. The great Frenchman added another in the 78th minute and Roy Keane, who had only recently been English football’s most expensive signing, slotted home a late winner.
Manchester City 3-1 Manchester United (9th November, 2002)
Seeing City triumph in the Manchester derby is a relatively common sight these days but it was not always like this. Coming into this 2002/03 Premier League encounter, the blue side of Manchester were without a win against their rivals since 1989, a run of 15 games across all competitions. Despite this, City enjoyed the taste of victory during their final Manchester derby at Maine Road with a surprise 3-1 win. On this day it proved to be very true that if you feed the goat he will score as Shaun Goater netted a brace on what would be his final season before moving to Reading.
Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (20th September, 2009)
This entertaining encounter looked to be heading the way of the home side when Darren Fletcher’s second goal of the game put United ahead with 10 minutes of the 90 remaining. City were not finished there though and pressed for an equaliser, which eventually came in the form of a dogged Craig Bellamy solo effort. At this stage, it looked as though the Citizens had earned them a hard-fought point but there was more drama to come.
Referee Martin Atkinson had originally signalled there would be four minutes of added time. He let play exceed the 95-minute mark, however, owing to celebration following Bellamy’s goal as well as one United substitution. The hosts benefitted from this allowance as Michael Owen prodded home a Ryan Giggs pass (his third assist of the match) in what was virtually the last kick of the game. Needless to say, City manager Mark Hughes was not a happy man in the post-match interviews.
Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City (23rd October, 2011)
City shocked the footballing world by giving United a hammering in front of their own supporters. It was the biggest City win at Old Trafford since a 5-0 triumph in 1955 and one that is still mentioned to this day. One particularly famous moment (or infamous if you are a United fan) was Mario Balotelli revealing his ‘Why Always Me?’ shirt after opening the scoring.
With 88 minutes played, United found themselves 3-1 down, which wouldn’t have been too shameful a defeat. But then a late collapse saw them on the receiving end of an embarrassing hiding. The home supporters watched in horror as two late strikes from Edin Dzeko and another from David Silva sandwiched in between rubbed salt in their increasingly gaping wound. Sir Alex Ferguson was equally as pained and described the match as “the worst result in my history” in his post-match comments.
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (9th December, 2012)
A huge match in the 2011/12 Premier League title race as United went six points clear at the top of the table with this dramatic win. It will not go down as one of United’s most deserved wins at the Etihad as they only recorded three shots on target, versus City’s nine, but each one found the back of the net. Wayne Rooney grabbed the opening two while Robin van Persie found another in the 92nd minute. In the process, the Dutchman made City suffer their first Premier League home defeat in almost two years.
Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United (30th April, 2012)
Several of the games on this list have earned their place because they were breathtaking to watch. The inclusion of this game though has little to do with its merit as a spectacle, as it was a fairly cagey affair, but rather because of its title implications. City needed a win to put them level on points with United at the top of the Premier League table with just two matches left to be played. The Red Devils appeared to be playing a draw from the outset but their plan was foiled when Vincent Kompany headed home just before half-time. The visitors tried to get back into the contest but failed to force Joe Hart into a single save.
It proved to be a title-winning header from the City captain as they won their remaining two fixtures to lift the title on goal difference.
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (7th April, 2018)
Losing to one of your most bitter rivals is bad enough but a defeat that directly hands them the league title? That is extra painful. This nightmare scenario was the prospect United fans were facing as three points would have given City an early league title. The prospect looked a virtual guarantee when the home side went into a 2-0 lead by the half-hour mark.
To the surprise of almost everyone though, United staged a truly remarkable comeback ensuring their rivals had to put their celebrations on hold. A quick-fire double from Paul Pogba and a Chris Smalling volley ended up cancelling the party plans and meant the travelling United fans had a day to remember, rather than one to forget.
Manchester City 1-2 Manchester United (15th December, 2024)
This match was heading towards being a very forgettable Manchester derby and a much-needed win for Pep Guardiola’s side who were dreadfully out of form. Josko Gvardiol’s header had put the hosts ahead after 36 minutes but aside from that, there were few talking points as the game approached full time.
That was until a clumsy challenge from Matheus Nunes gifted the Red Devils a penalty which Bruno Fernandes calmly dispatched. The visitors had hardly finished celebrating the 88th-minute equaliser when two minutes later a superb touch and finish from Amad Diallo secured the unlikely-looking victories.