Matches between Manchester United and bitter rivals Manchester City are a key part of the Premier League calendar, consistently delivering fantastic entertainment and plenty of drama.
Whether it’s a title-deciding clash, a battle for the top four or a cup competition, when these two sides face off, you can be sure you’re in for a thriller.
With that in mind, Football FanCast has created a list of the top 10 encounters between these two massive sides.
10 1974: Manchester United 0-1 Manchester City
We’re kicking things off with a blast from the past here, as the first entry on the list is Manchester City’s 1-0 win away to Manchester United in 1974. Now, you may be wondering why a straightforward 1-0 victory from the 1970s has made it onto our list; well, we have included it because of the context surrounding the game.
United were in terrible form at the time and on the cusp of relegation when City came to Old Trafford, meaning a loss to their local rivals would all but ensure they went down. And what made it worse was the fact that playing for City was Denis Law, a bonafide United legend.
Of course, it had to be Law who scored the goal that he and the fans in the ground believed relegated his former side, although it turned out that results elsewhere meant United were going down regardless of this game.
Law refused to celebrate, and fans at Old Trafford stormed the pitch in anger, leading to the game being called off and City being awarded the win. It was a bad day at the office for the Red Devils, but oh boy, was it dramatic.
9 2018: Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United
We’re back in the modern era for this one, and it’s an away win for United this time.
Going into this game, the talk centred around City’s chance to win the Premier League with a win over their dearest rivals, which would have made a rather middling season suddenly look much worse for the men in red.
Read More: Players To Have Played For Manchester City and Manchester United
Things started about as poorly as they could’ve for United when City found themselves two goals to the good at half-time thanks to strikes from Vincent Kompany and Ilkay Gundogan. However, just ten minutes after the restart, United had pulled themselves level thanks to two goals in two minutes from Paul Pogba.
With the Etihad suitably stunned, Chris Smalling completed the comeback in the 69th minute to give his side a memorable win and preserve some of the club’s pride, prolonging the title race in the process.
8 2011: Manchester City 1-0 Manchester United
2011 might just be the best year ever for Manchester derbies, as this is the first of three games that took place that year to make it onto our list.
However, this derby was even more stressful than most, as it was also an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium. While United had been to plenty of finals over the years, City hadn’t won a trophy in 34 years heading into the fixture.
That said, you wouldn’t have known that from how they played, as the men in sky blue were just as good as their decorated opponents, if not better. City would take the lead in the 52nd minute thanks to a goal from the uber-talented Yaya Toure.
Things would go from bad to worse for the Red Devils in the 72nd minute when Paul Scholes was sent off for a haphazard tackle on Pablo Zabaleta, all but ensuring City would end the game as winners.
7 2022: Manchester City 6-3 Manchester United
We’re sorry, United fans, this one might still be a bit fresh, but City’s demolition of Erik ten Hag’s side in October 2022 was truly something to behold.
The 6-3 scoreline might suggest that the Red Devils were at least somewhat in this game; after all, they scored three goals, but in reality, this match was practically over by half-time.
While it’s always impressive to score six goals against your biggest rival, what made this scoreline even crazier was the fact that both Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scored hat-tricks.
Anthony Martial and Antony tried to restore some pride in the red half of the city, but there was no escaping from the fact that it was an absolute thumping from the Citizens.
6 2010: Manchester United 3-1 Manchester City
It’s always nice to beat your city rivals, and it’s even nicer to do it in a cup competition, which is precisely what United did in January 2010 when they beat City 3-1 in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final clash. What made this win all the sweeter, though, was that it was a comeback win, as they had lost the first leg 2-1 at the Etihad.
With a place in the final on the line, both teams were understandably nervy in the first half, resulting in a lack of action and goals by half-time. Luckily for fans, the second half was the complete opposite.
Paul Scholes opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, pulling United level on aggregate before Michael Carrick gave them the lead 19 minutes later.
Not willing to give in, City once again levelled the score five minutes later through Carlos Tevez, but with extra-time looming, Wayne Rooney stepped up and headed home the winner in the 90th minute to secure United a place in the final, which they would go on to win against Aston Villa.
5 2011: Manchester United 2-1 Manchester City
We’re onto the second derby from 2011 to feature on the list, and just like the other two, this one’s a cracker.
Heading into the game, United were sat atop the league table, but City weren’t too far behind in third place, giving this match even more importance.
Portugal international Nani gave the home side the lead in the 41st minute, and at half-time, everything was going rather well for the Red Devils, until an equalising goal from David Silva in the 65th minute set up a grandstand finish.
With 12 minutes remaining, Rooney made a run into the City penalty area. Spotting this, Nani delivered a pinpoint cross. Instead of heading it or bringing it down, the England international decided to do something extraordinary.
With Kompany slipping over and Micah Richards out of position, he pulled off arguably the greatest bicycle kick the league has ever seen and restored his team’s lead, ultimately winning the game.
4 2011: Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City
We’ve reached the final game from 2011 on our list, and we reckon it might just be most City fans’ favourite Manchester derby ever.
This previous game between these sides at Old Trafford resulted in Rooney’s spectacular bicycle kick, so City were out for revenge, and given the scoreline, we think they probably left satisfied.
Mario Balotelli opened the scoring for the Sky Blues in the 22nd minute and produced what might be the most iconic celebration in Premier League history when he lifted his shirt to reveal the words ‘Why Always Me?’
The first half ended without any more goals, but it didn’t take long for City to open the floodgates in the second 45. Balotelli got the team’s second in the 60th minute before Sergio Aguero added a third nine minutes later.
The home side did pull one back in the 81st minute. Still, any potential of a fightback was totally snuffed out when Mancini’s men added another three in the 90th minute to give themselves a truly memorable win over their neighbours.
3 2023: Manchester City 2-1 Manchester United
We have already covered a couple of semi-finals between these two sides, and while stopping your city rivals from reaching a final is incredibly satisfying, it’s even better to beat them to silverware, which is precisely what City did in May of this year at the FA Cup final.
Going into the game, City were hunting for a historic treble, while United had hoped to pick up a second trophy in Ten Hag’s first season in charge. Unfortunately for the Dutchman, Gundogan would score the opening goal within 12 seconds, giving City an early lead and taking the record for the fastest FA Cup final goal ever.
Read more: The top 10 FA Cup finals of all time – ranked
Bruno Fernandes would level the score with a penalty in the 33rd minute, but Gundogan would restore his side’s lead just six minutes into the second half with what would prove to be the winning goal.
2 2012: Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United
Our penultimate pick for the best Manchester derby comes from early on in the 2012/13 season, the last campaign in which both teams fought to be crowned champions of England.
It was also the first taste of the derby for new signing Robin van Persie, and to say he enjoyed himself might be an understatement.
United took a two-goal lead in the first half and looked as if they were heading for a relatively comfortable win away from home, but goals from Yaya Toure and Pablo Zabaleta pulled City level and handed them the initiative in the closing stages.
However, with 90 minutes gone, United had a free kick to the of City’s penalty area, and with what was practically the last kick of the game, Van Persie managed to curl it past a diving Joe Hart via a deflection to hand United all three points.
1 2009: Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City
Here we are, our pick for the greatest Manchester derby ever, and we reckon many will agree – even the City fans among you.
It would take Rooney just two minutes to open the scoring for United, but City weren’t just going to roll over in this game, and 14 minutes later, they found an equaliser through Premier League legend Gareth Barry.
The second half started much in the same way as the first did, with the home side taking the lead just three minutes in thanks to Darren Fletcher, although this lead only lasted for four minutes as Craig Bellamy quickly scored the Sky Blues’ second of the game to keep his side in it.
With 80 minutes on the clock, Fletcher scored his second of the match, and it looked like he had finally given his team the win, but as they had the previous two times, City once again equalised, only this time, it came in the 90th minute.
Now, that would already be more than enough action in any other game, but there would be more drama for the home fans to relish when Michael Owen scored the winner in the 96th minute to send Old Trafford potty.
And there you have it, our list of the ten best Manchester derbies ever; let’s hope that Sunday’s clash is good enough to make it onto the list.