10 of the most memorable Manchester derbies this decade (part 1)

Manchester United’s recent 2-1 victory over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium awarded them victory in the final Manchester derby of the decade. It’s honestly frightening how fast this decade has passed by. So, since we’re in a nostalgic mood we’re going to go on a trip down memory lane and look at 10 of the most memorable Manchester derbies to take place this decade. We would like to go into some detail regarding each game, so we’re going to split this list up into 2 different parts, which will allow us to talk about each game in some depth instead of rushing through each one. We could easily have made a list consisting of way more than 10 games and we'd be here all day if we did so obviously there will be brilliant derbies that we haven't mentioned here.

Starting off, we’ve got arguably the most memorable Manchester derby of all time and the turning point which evolved City from United’s noisy neighbours to their title rivals. Ahead of the game, both United and City enjoyed huge wins, with City beating Tottenham 5-1 and United humiliating Arsenal 8-2, so it was a hugely anticipated game for the fans of both clubs and the neutrals. Mario Balotelli put City ahead and was involved in one of the most iconic moments in Manchester derbies by revealing an undershirt with the words “why always me?”. A red card for Johnny Evans 2 minutes into the second half was the worst start for United in what would be a disastrous 45 minutes where goals from: Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and a second for Mario Balotelli gave City a huge win at Old Trafford, with Darren Fletcher scoring United’s only goal of the game. The win proved vital for City who went on to win the Premier League on goal difference.

Ahead of United’s visit to the Etihad in April of 2018, they faced the daunting reality that a defeat in the derby would mean that City would win the league against their rivals. Which looked to be the case as goals from Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan gave City a 2-0 lead at half-time and well on their way to a famous and historic win against their rivals. Despite looking dead and buried, Jose Mourinho’s United went into the second half looking like a completely different team, with 2 goals in 2 minutes from Paul Pogba bringing United level. City were shocked by United's rejuvenation and a goal from Chris Smalling with 20 minutes to go put United ahead. City looked almost certain to draw level through Sergio Aguero before David de Gea made a miraculous save to deny his former Atletico Madrid teammate. United went on to win the derby and deny City the boasting rights of winning the title against them at least, City didn’t let the result get to them as they went on to finish the season as Champions with 100 points.

After scoring on his debut against Midtjylland and scoring 2 goals against Arsenal earlier in the season, Marcus Rashford continued to make a name for himself during his first Manchester Derby. The second Manchester Derby of the 15/16 season is the only one we’ve mentioned where neither clubs were involved in the title race, in fact, both clubs were focusing on qualifying for the Champions League towards the end of the season. It took Rashford just 16 minutes to take his place in Manchester derby history after his opener at the Etihad sealed a 1-0 victory for United over their rivals, which was their first victory away to City since 2012. Despite the defeat, it would be City who would qualify for the Champions League, with United settling for the Europa League.

Apart from a comeback against Olympiacos to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League, David Moyes’ time in charge at Old Trafford was a miserable one which was perfectly represented in both his games against Manchester City. Moyes’ first Manchester derby was a trip to the Etihad where his side were 4-0 down after 50 minutes thanks to goals from: Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure and Samir Nasri. A consolation goal thanks to a Wayne Rooney free-kick meant the score wasn’t as humiliating as it could have been, but it was still a terrible day for David Moyes and Manchester United.

The 2011 Fa Cup semi-final between United and City was an historic one as it was the first time the sides had ever faced each other at Wembley. With United chasing their first FA Cup since 2004 and City after their first trophy in over 30 years it was a huge match for both clubs. United had some good chances to take the lead, with Dimitar Berbatov missing an open net. After a goalless first half, it was City who opened the scoring thanks to Yaya Toure in the 52nd minute, which turned out to be the only goal of the game. City went on to win the game and beat Stoke in the final to win the FA Cup and end their long wait for a trophy.

Find the second part by clicking the below link.

http://footy.ac/manchesterderby2