5 best Manchester derbies in the Premier League era
By James Dudko
4. Manchester United 1-2 Manchester City, February 2008
Five decades on from the tragic events of the Munich air crash which cost the lives of many of United’s famed “Busby Babes,” struggling City shocked Old Trafford by beating the champions elect.
These familiar foes didn’t know parity in 2008. Back then, City were a side stitched together by retreads, youngsters and unheralded signings. Sven-Goran Eriksson was in charge, not long removed from his tenure as manager of the England national team, a stint viewed, somewhat unfairly, as a disappointment by many.
By contrast, United were as strong as they had ever been. The squad boasted Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo in attack. Michael Carrick had joined Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in midfield, while Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic formed the backbone of a formidable defense.
United were defending champions and in the process of chasing Arsenal down in this season’s race. What they didn’t expect was for relegation-threatened City to upset the odds on a day of such significance.
Yet it’s exactly what City did, strolling into a shock 2-0 lead thanks to Darius Vassell and Benjani Mwaruwari. Carrick got one back, but United had been stung and stunned by their old enemy.
The Red Devils would recover, erasing a six-point deficit to overhaul Arsenal and take the title, before beating Chelsea in the Champions League. Still, there won’t be many fans on either side of Manchester who are likely to forget this derby.