The bombings of the Nazis and noisy neighbors: Ten things you didn't know about the Manchester derby
United and City want to get out of the crisis: Preparing for the first derby of the season in Manchester
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Manchester City and Manchester United clash today (Sunday) in the season’s first derby, both mired in deep crises. The two sides will hope to find a new path at the expense of their city rivals.
Manchester United has been trying to recover for over a decade since the departure of legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The team that once dominated the world’s best league hasn’t won a title in 12 years. Last season, the Red Devils finished in 15th place, their lowest position since 1974.
On the other hand, Manchester City, bought by the Saudis in 2008, ruled the Premier League over the past decade, clinching six titles in seven years, including an unprecedented four in a row. However, last season, they lost the crown after four years, finishing third, 13 points behind champions Liverpool.
Heading into matchweek four, both teams have managed just one win in three games. City comes into the derby with no fewer than ten injured players, including Phil Foden, Mateo Kovačić, and young star Omar Marmoush.
Meanwhile, Manchester United arrives healthy but in a prolonged crisis. The team secured its first win of the season only in the previous matchweek. Manager Rúben Amorim appears lost on the sidelines.
We covered the tactical buildup for this match in our weekend preview. Today, we’re diving into ten facts about the port city’s iconic derby:
1. The derby has been played 196 times, painted red 80 times, sky blue 61 times, with 55 draws.
2. The all-time top scorer in the derby is Manchester United’s legendary striker with 11 goals.
3. The first-ever match between the two took place in 1881, ending in a 3-0 victory for United, then called Newton Heath.
4. During the Blitz (the Nazi attack on England in World War II), Old Trafford, United’s stadium, was bombed. City allowed their city rivals to play at their home ground, Maine Road, until Old Trafford was rebuilt.
5. Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, Manchester has claimed 21 out of 33 titles (13 for United, 8 for City).
6. In an interview with United’s iconic captain Gary Neville, Ferguson revealed he tried but failed to sign two players who later became City legends: Kun Agüero, who scored the dramatic last-minute goal to secure City’s first title under Saudi ownership in 2011/12, and Vincent Kompany, who became City’s most successful captain and scored a crucial goal in that season’s decisive derby.
7. Ferguson famously called City the “noisy neighbors,” and after a derby win in 2009, he quipped, “Our neighbor made some noise, so we turned up the volume.”
8. The biggest victory in Champions League history was Manchester United’s 10-0 thrashing of Belgium’s Anderlecht on September 26, 1956. The match was played at City’s stadium because Old Trafford lacked sufficient lighting.
9. After Manchester City’s Champions League triumph in 2023, Manchester joined Milan as the only cities with more than one team to win Europe’s top prize.
10. Despite City’s recent dominance, they haven’t won four consecutive derbies. United won twice, and two matches ended in draws (one was the Community Shield, which City won on penalties).