A Manchester derby is a football match played between Manchester-based clubs Manchester United and Manchester City.
One of the oldest rivalries in world football, the fixture’s origins date back to 1881 when the Manchester clubs were named St. Mark's (West Gorton) – who would later become Manchester City – and Newton Heath – rechristened as Manchester United.
Manchester United vs Manchester City: Head-to-head record in all competitions
Manchester United and Manchester City have faced off in 189 Manchester derbies, with MUFC in command of the head-to-head record. While United have registered 78 victories, the Cityzens, on the other hand, have managed 58 wins.
An astonishing 53 games have ended up with the Manchester rivals sharing the spoils.
Manchester United vs Manchester City: Head-to-head record in the Premier League
Manchester United and Manchester City have clashed on 51 occasions in the Premier League and the upcoming fixture will be the 52nd between the English giants in English top-flight football.
Since the formation of the Premier League in 1992 right up until February 2011, Manchester United lost only five of their Manchester derbies at the league level against Man City.
However, the tables turned since the 2011-12 season as Manchester City have won 13 of the 23 Manchester derbies played in the Premier League against Manchester United, with the Red Devils claiming seven wins and fighting to secure three draws.
Who has the most goals in the Manchester derby?
Wayne Rooney has scored the most goals in a Manchester derby, with 11 strikes in 31 meetings. In a career that spanned over 13 years, Rooney - MUFC’s all-time leading goalscorer - hit nine goals in the Premier League alone against the Cityzens including the classic overhead-kick that propelled the Red Devils to a 2-1 win in 2011.
An iconic Manchester derby goal from angles you've never seen before 🤩@WayneRooney | @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/JexGMV8CXV
— Premier League (@premierleague) November 2, 2021
As for Manchester City, Joe Hayes and Francis Lee share the title of record scorer in the Manchester derby. The forwards found the net 10 times against the red half of Manchester, and still maintain hold over the honour that could have been equalled by a certain Sergio Aguero.
The Argentina star, who was forced to retire from football last year due to heart problems, scored nine goals against MUFC in all competitions; eight of which were in the Premier League.
What is the biggest win in the Manchester derby?
Manchester City have registered the biggest win in a Manchester derby twice, a 6-1 win in the 1925-26 season which would be matched by Roberto Mancini's team in the 2011-12 campaign.
Happy 6-1 Day! #mcfc pic.twitter.com/X8KSe3cfAO
— Manchester City (@ManCity) October 23, 2016
After Mario Balotelli’s twin strikes and Sergio Aguero’s 69th-minute goal made it 3-0 to City, Darren Fletcher tried to incite a comeback with an 81st-minute goal.
However, Man City were eager to go for more than three goals and they did so with Edin Dzeko (89', 90 +3') and David Silva (90 +1') completing a 6-1 rout of Man Utd at the Theatre of Dreams.
The result was United’s biggest home defeat in Premier League history and would later be matched by Tottenham Hotspur in October 2020.
Featured photo: AFP /
