One of the most awaited Premier League fixtures in the season is almost here as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will fight each other for just the third time in their time in England. The Manchester derby that divides houses in the city is bound to provide some entertainment even for the neutrals and has always been the same for a long time now. This year will be no different as the Etihad will ready itself for one of the biggest games in the remainder of the season on Wednesday. There have been a number of memorable encounters between the two sides in recent years and here are three such encounters that are still fresh in memory, to try and get into the groove before the start of this game:
Manchester United 4-3 Manchester City (2009):
In a game that gave Manchester City the tag of noisy neighbours, Manchester United managed to come back from a goal down thrice in the game. Craig Bellamy scored a couple of those equalisers while Michael Owen came up with a winner, five minutes to extra time to send the Citizens into a meltdown. This will forever be remembered as one of the most thrilling derbies in the city as Manchester United never gave up till the final whistle.
Manchester City 2-3 Manchester United (2012):
One of the most exciting games even played between the two sides was back in 2012, just a season after Manchester City lifted the Premier League title. Both teams were strong and going for the kill as Manchester City managed to come back from 2-0 down to draw level in front of their home crowd. However, new recruit Robin van Persie scored the winner late in the game for Manchester United who managed to take all three points from this tie.
Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City (2013):
Remembered for Mario Balotelli’s ‘Why Always Me’ stunt, this Manchester derby gave Manchester United their worst ever defeat at the hands of their neighbours at home in more than 50 years. Balotelli broke the deadlock before unleashing his comments while Jonny Evans’ red card opened things up for Manchester City. Sergio Aguero and Balotelli found the back of the net after the red while David Silva picked up a brace on either side of a goal from Edin Dzeko. This was an embarrassing defeat for the Red Devils, who later lost the league in what was one of the closest fought final day wins in football history.
