Football is blessed with a plethora of rivalries and the Manchester derby is widely regarded as one of the biggest in England and across the globe.
Premier League giants Manchester City and Manchester United have established themselves as two of the most successful clubs in the modern era, with their rivalry stretching across over 140 years.
There have been a plethora of memorable Manchester derbies over the years, and here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two clubs.
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HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Matches: 194
Manchester City wins: 62
Draws: 53
Manchester United wins: 79
One hundred and 43 years have passed since Man City and Man United locked horns for the very first time back to 1881, three years after the Red Devils (known then as Newton Heath LYR) were formed, and around 12 months after the creation of the Citizens (known then as St Mark's) - the match finished 3-0 in favour of Newton Heath.
Man United lead the overall head-to-head record between these two teams having posted 79 wins to Man City's 62, while there have also been a total of 53 draws across the 194 previous meetings.
Wayne Rooney is the all-time leading scorer in Manchester derbies after netting 11 goals for the Red Devils against Man City, while Francis Lee and Joe Hayes are joint-second for the Citizens with 10 goals, one in front of both Sergio Aguero and Sir Bobby Charlton (nine).
In the Premier League era (since 1992-93), the Red Devils have faced the Citizens 54 times, winning 25, drawing nine and losing 20, while they have also fared slightly better in cup competitions during this period, winning eight and losing five of their 13 encounters across the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Community Shield.
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Under the tutelage of Sir Alex Ferguson, Man United enjoyed an extended period of dominance over their Sky Blue counterparts between the end of 1992 and early 2011, as they won 20 and drew six Manchester derbies out of 32 across all competitions, with Man City winning the remaining six. However, it is fair to say that the Citizens have celebrated their fair share of success over their rivals since then.
Indeed, Man City claimed three statements wins in the next five matches, with a 1-0 FA Cup semi-final win at Wembley in April 2011 and an iconic 6-1 Premier League triumph at Old Trafford six months later followed by a slender 1-0 top-flight win in April 2012, courtesy of Vincent Kompany's towering header. Roberto Mancini eventually led the club to their first title in 44 years, winning in dramatic fashion with THAT Aguero goal against QPR to finish above the Red Devils on goal difference.
Over the last 13 years, the tables have turned in City's favour in Manchester derbies, but only just as they have won 20 of the last 37 encounters with Man United, who have won 14 times in the same period, while there have also been three goalless draws.
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Man City have been dominant in recent seasons, though, as Guardiola's men have won eight of the last 11 Manchester derbies and have scored 25 goals in the process, winning their last three Premier League meetings at the Etihad by an aggregate score of 13-5. The Citizens memorably won 6-3 in October 2022, with Erling Haaland and local lad Phil Foden both scoring a hat-trick.
Man United's most recent league win over the Citizens was a 2-1 top-flight success at Old Trafford in January 2023, with Jack Grealish's 60th-minute opener for the visitors cancelled out by strikes from Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford to hand Ten Hag his first Manchester derby victory.
Man City then went on to win the next three meetings, with their 2-1 FA Cup final triumph in June 2023 - one third of the club's historic treble celebrated last season - followed by comfortable 3-0 and 3-1 successes during their title-winning 2023-24 Premier League campaign.
Guardiola and co were unable to complete the domestic double that season, though, as Man United surprised many to win 2-1 in the FA Cup final in May 2024, courtesy of goals from teenage duo Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho.
However, Man City got their revenge in the 2024 Community Shield, beating Man United 7-6 on penalties after playing out a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes of English football's annual curtain-raiser.
Last 20 meetings
Aug 10, 2024: Man City 1-1 Man United (Man City win 7-6 on penalties) (Community Shield)
May 25, 2024: Man United 2-1 Man City (FA Cup Final)
Mar 3, 2024: Man City 3-1 Man United (Premier League)
Oct 29, 2023: Man United 0-3 Man City (Premier League)
Jun 3, 2023 Man City 2-1 Man United (FA Cup Final)
Jan 14, 2023: Man United 2-1 Man City (Premier League)
Oct 2, 2022: Man City 6-3 Man United (Premier League)
Mar 6, 2022: Man City 4-1 Man United (Premier League)
Nov 6, 2021: Man United 0-2 Man City (Premier League)
Mar 7, 2021: Man City 0-2 Man United (Premier League)
Jan 6, 2021: Man United 0-2 Man City (EFL Cup)
Dec 12, 2020: Man United 0-0 Man City (Premier League)
Mar 8, 2020: Man United 2-0 Man City (Premier League)
Jan 29, 2020: Man City 0-1 Man United (EFL Cup)
Jan 7, 2020: Man United 1-3 Man City (EFL Cup)
Dec 7, 2019: Man City 1-2 Man United (Premier League)
Apr 24, 2019: Man United 0-2 Man City (Premier League)
Nov 11, 2018: Man City 3-1 Man United (Premier League)
Apr 7, 2018: Man City 2-3 Man United (Premier League)
Dec 10, 2017: Man United 1-2 Man City (Premier League)
