The Manchester Derby has been contested for nearly 120 years, the first contest having taken place in November of 1894. Manchester United won that day, and that's been a fairly common theme throughout the years; United have won 65 games to City's 42 with another 50 ending on level terms. The Red Devils have been the dominant side in the series for most of its history (though Manchester City have enjoyed the upper hands for brief periods themselves) and that's been the case to an even greater degree in the Premier League era. Since the 1992-93 season United have a mark of 16-5-5 against their neighbors in league play as well as eliminating City from three cup competitions. In terms of this particular fixture, Manchester has been red for quite some time now.
Manchester United vs Manchester City: Blues Look To Take A Step Forward By Overcoming Recent Manchester Derby History
Given the relative standing of the two clubs, the one-sided nature of the derby in recent years shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. The Blues spent a not-insignificant amount of the late 1990s and early 2000s outside of the top flight, falling as far as League Two in 1998-99. United meanwhile spent the majority of the Premier League era as one of the best teams in the world, winning 11 Premier League titles and a European Cup. Such a rivalry does not invite parity and it isn’t much of a surprise that it has not been forthcoming.
Of course, things change. And in this instance, what’s changed is fairly obvious; Manchester City have gone from being the picture of run-of-the-mill, mid-table English football to being one of the world’s richest clubs. The Blues have spent in a fashion not seen since another club with a similar moniker turned European football on its head a decade earlier and in the process have established themselves as legitimate title contenders. City enter this match in third place, five points behind United and making a serious push for Champions League qualification and still within striking distance of first, something which would have seemed rather implausible five years ago.
In spite of all this, Manchester City’s fortunes in the derby have not seen much improvement since the takeover by Abu Dhabi United Group. City have yet to win a league game under their new ownership and their only victory of any kind, a 2-1 win at City of Manchester Stadium in the first leg of last year’s League Cup semi-final, was quickly canceled out by United’s 3-1 victory in the second leg. All told, United are 4-1-0 in the league in their rivals’ big-money era, a record bound to take a bit of the sting out of that whole “Welcome to Manchester” billboard situation.
As interesting as the recent history of this fixture might be, it doesn’t offer much in the way of predictive value. United are coming off their first loss in the league of the season (to Wolves of all teams) while City’s recent form hasn’t been much to write home about in its own right. The most recent meeting between the two sides was a horrifically boring 0-0 draw at the Eastlands, was from the outset destined to be a point-a-piece affair. One would hope that something slightly more watchable is in the cards this weekend. Manchester City couldn’t really pick a better time to swing the momentum their way, as three points at Old Trafford would bring them to within two of the leaders with plenty of the season left to play.
And while the table is of course the most important thing, it would be difficult to underestimate the boost than a victory for Manchester City at Old Trafford would provide. For all the money they’ve spent on the transfer market and all the controversy they’ve created through their way of doing business, the fact remains that Manchester City are solidly second-best within the confines of their own hometown. Silverware would of course help in improving their standing, but given the gap between the sides it’s bound to be a multi-step process. Make no mistake, a huge league win against the Red Devils on their own pitch is an important marker in the evolution of Manchester City.
