The Manchester derby has taken on a new dimension in the past two decades with Manchester City challenging Manchester United‘s Premier League era dominance.
Their face-off in the FA Cup final on June 3, 2023 was a momentous occasion, their first meeting in such a fixture, and it ended in a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola’s City en route to a treble that matched their rivals’ 1998/99 exploits.
A year later, Guardiola and Erik ten Hag once again took their sides to the Wembley showpiece. United got revenge for the previous season, winning the 2024 FA Cup final by a 2-1 score with maybe their most complete performance of the season.
United dominated the early Premier League era, racking up a superb 13 top flight titles from 1992 to 2013. Meanwhile, City yo-yoed between divisions before finally emerging as a top-flight force.
The Abu Dhabi-backed buyout of City in 2008 transformed the club, in both its Mancunian rivalry and its status as a European superpower. Guardiola boasts a squad full of world-class players, and the complexion of Manchester derbies has changed completely since then, with the blue half of the city enjoying an incredible period of sustained success.
The Sporting News takes a closer look at the history of their matchups as the Manchester derby always produces a spicy and narrative-filled 90 minutes or more.
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Man United vs. Man City history
The Manchester derby is one of the longest-running battles in English football with their first meeting dating back to 1881, three years after United were formed, and just over 12 months after City’s creation.
Despite their often contrasting fortunes, the rivalry has continued to burn bright on both sides of the city, with City unlikely to draw level on overall wins for at least another decade.
Across all competitions, since 1881, the two sides have met a total of 194 times, with 79 wins for United, 61 for City, and 54 draws.
*Data correct as of May 25, 2024 at the conclusion of the 2024 FA Cup final.
| Competition | Matches | Man United wins | Man City wins | Draws | Man United Goals Scored | Man City Goals Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 170 | 66 | 52 | 52 | 239 | 241 |
| FA Cup | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 15 |
| League Cup | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 16 |
| Community Shield | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Total | 194 | 79 | 61 | 54 | 276 | 274 |
Man City vs. Man United in the Premier League
Manchester derbies in the Premier League era can be almost split either side of the 2008 dividing line, with United ruling the roost in the early days.
Eight successive wins, and two draws, brought United up to 2002 as unbeaten against their crosstown foes, before Shaun Goater etched his name into City folklore by scoring a brace as City earned a first Premier League victory over United in the final derby at Maine Road.
#onthisday 14 years ago Maine Road hosted its final #ManchesterDerby. And we all know what happened… #mcfc pic.twitter.com/fWhggpjLeS
โ Manchester City (@ManCity) November 9, 2016
United had largely dominated with ruthless efficiency to that point, though the encounter before that โ a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in April 2001 โ was remembered for all the wrong reasons with Roy Keane sent off for an ugly lunge on Alf Inge Haaland, the father of current City superstar Erling.
It’s Alf-Inge Hรฅland’s birthday today, probably won’t want to remember this Roy Keane “tackle” pic.twitter.com/df9O1N5Onc
โ When Football Was Better (@FootballInT80s) November 23, 2018
Goater’s intervention saw some intermittent solidity for City, as they lost just two of the following seven Premier League battles, before emerging victorious at Old Trafford, in the final derby before the 2008 buyout.
The new financial injection did not mean an instant changing of the guard, as United continued to enjoy derby delight, with Michael Owen’s last-gasp winner in a 4-3 thriller in 2009 one of the most memorable goals of his career.
WHAT. A. GAME.#OnThisDay in 2009, @themichaelowen scored a late, late winner for @ManUtd against @ManCity ๐ฒ
Greatest Manchester derby in #PL history? ๐ค pic.twitter.com/NlTRiUGCMg
โ Premier League (@premierleague) September 20, 2019
Paul Scholes’ late header in the reverse fixture ensured United did the Premier League double over City in 2009/10, a feat they did not repeat until 2019/20 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Wayne Rooney’s 2011 bicycle-kick winner was among United’s last great derby moments as the tide began to shift consistently following Guardiola’s arrival in Manchester in 2016.
Best. Derby. Goal.
Ever!@WayneRooney #MUFC pic.twitter.com/AX2lENFFv2โ Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 10, 2017
Guardiola won four of his first six Premier League Manchester derbies from 2016 to 2019, and despite some back and forth, Erling Haaland’s arrival has added another layer for City.
The Norwegian goal machine marked his Mancunian derby bow with a hat-trick as City stormed to a 6-3 Etihad Stadium win in October 2022. He became the first player to score three goals in a derby meeting since Andrei Kanchelskis in 1994. Haaland followed those efforts up with a brace in City’s 3-0 win at Old Trafford in October 2023 and completed the scoring after a Phil Foden double teed up a 3-1 Etihad Stadium win in March 2024.
Manchester is blue! ๐
Highlights of our derby day victory ๐ pic.twitter.com/35EvD9Wzyi
โ Manchester City (@ManCity) October 2, 2022
Man United vs. Man City in the FA Cup
FA Cup clashes between the two teams have been few and far between over the years with the first one coming in the 1891 FA Cup, when City were still known as Ardwick AFC, as United won 5-1.
City got their revenge in 1925/26 competition, winning 3-0 at the semifinal stage, before losing to Bolton Wanderers in the final.
City continued their impressive FA Cup derby record with a win over United in 1955, before losing 3-0 in a fourth-round derby in 1970 that ended their reign as holders
United won the following three FA Cup ties, as their paths began to separate in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the two post-2008 clashes serving memorable occasions, with one win each. City’s 2011 semifinal win thanks to a Yaya Toure goal set them on the way to glory and a first major trophy for 35 years.
Their most recent meeting was in the 2024 final, as teenage stars Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo scored to secure a 2-1 victory and snatch the trophy. That avenged defeat for the Red Devils the previous year when two Ilkay Gundogan goals from outside the penalty area gave City a 2-1 win and the trophy.
| Date | Round | Final Result | Scorers |
| Oct. 3, 1891 | First Qualifying Round |
Ardwick FC 1 Man United 5 |
Doughty, Farman (2), Edge, Sneddon |
| Mar. 27, 1926 | Semifinal |
Man City 3 Man United 0 |
Bromwell (2), Roberts |
| Jan. 29, 1955 | Fourth Round |
Man City 2 Man United 0 |
Hayes, Revie |
| Jan. 24, 1970 | Fourth Round |
Man United 3 Man City 0 |
Morgan, Kidd (2) |
| Jan. 10, 1987 | Third Round |
Man United 1 Man City 0 |
Whiteside |
| Feb. 18, 1996 | Fifth Round |
Man United 2 Man City 1 |
Sharpe, Cantona (pen); Rosler |
| Feb. 14, 2004 | Fifth Round |
Man United 4 Man City 2 |
Scholes, Van Nistelrooy (2), Ronaldo; Tarnat, Fowler |
| Apr. 16, 2011 | Semifinal |
Man City 1 Man United 0 |
Toure |
| Jan. 8, 2012 | Third Round | Man City 2 Man United 3 |
Kolarov, Aguero; Rooney (2), Welbeck |
| June 3, 2023 | Final |
Man City 2 Man United 1 |
Gundogan (2); Fernandes (pen) |
| May 25, 2024 | Final |
Man United 2 Man City 1 |
Garnacho, Mainoo; Doku |
Man United vs. Man City trophies won
The gap in total trophies remains significantly in United’s favour, but City’s rapid rise shows no signs of slowing down as they aim to catch United and Liverpool as the two dominant forces in English footballing history.
| Manchester United |
Manchester City |
|
| First Division | 7 | 2 |
| Premier League | 13 | 8 |
| FA Cup | 13 | 7 |
| League Cup | 6 | 8 |
| Community Shield | 21 | 7 |
| European Cup/ Champions League |
3 | 1 |
| UEFA Cup/ Europa League |
1 | 0 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 1 | 1 |
| Cup Winners’ Cup | 1 | 1 |
| FIFA Club World Cup | 1 | 1 |
| Intercontinental Cup | 1 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 68 | 36 |
