I'd just like to add weight to the 2-3 loss to United in the FA Cup 3rd round in Jan 2012. On the face of it, it was so much more than a valiant defeat but, for me at least, really signalled the shift in power between the clubs for the following reasons:
- 10 men aside, we were also one nil down to a United goal scored against the run of play before Kompany's harsh sending off. So we're chasing the game, a goal down and missing our captain from the pitch.
- 3-0 nil down at half time - at this point it looked like it was only going to get worse. I remember the area around 109-111 practically emptying and just slumping in my chair whilst listening to 15 minutes of nursery rhymes from the United fans. The minutes approaching the kick off to the second half are well up there as my favourites, up to that point in history of course, as being a city fan. The noise created by the fans as our ten men returned to the pitch before United reappeared from the tunnel was spine tingling. It was definitely one of those times that you can see the fans respond to the intensity and passion shown by the players, for the rest of the half I believe both fed off each other - the players getting the crowd going when there was a lull - the fans, in turn, getting that extra yard from the player.
- The second half performance - I think it's easy to get lost in the moment and say we 'battered' them and 'totally outplayed them'; I'm not sure we did with 10 men, but what we did do, was definitely play as equals; which, with a man down, just went to show:
- The 6-1 wasn't a fluke. I had texts from United fans telling me this was going to be 'revenge' at half time; this was only 3 months after that game and I think there was a genuine feeling that United were really going to go for it against our ten men to put a marker down, to try and put us back in our place. They couldn't do that; they were a stone wall penalty and Costel Pantilimon being an inch taller away from being taken to a replay.
- Dragging Scholes out of retirement - it stunk of desperation and what United's transfer policy at that time was going to entail. It just dramaticised the direction both clubs were heading.
- The panic in the United end. Half time was all nursery rhymes and selfies with Ashley Young - from around the 50th minute, just after Kolarov's goal; I don't think we heard a peep out of them. They knew what was coming, and again, just from my perspective, it's the defining moment where United's fans likely realised we were no longer playing as equals, but that they would be approaching future games against Manchester City as the underdog.
Up until that point, that's the only time I had come away from a City game, where we'd lost at home, but with that same feeling of pride and eagerness to rewatch the game as if we'd won.
- 10 men aside, we were also one nil down to a United goal scored against the run of play before Kompany's harsh sending off. So we're chasing the game, a goal down and missing our captain from the pitch.
- 3-0 nil down at half time - at this point it looked like it was only going to get worse. I remember the area around 109-111 practically emptying and just slumping in my chair whilst listening to 15 minutes of nursery rhymes from the United fans. The minutes approaching the kick off to the second half are well up there as my favourites, up to that point in history of course, as being a city fan. The noise created by the fans as our ten men returned to the pitch before United reappeared from the tunnel was spine tingling. It was definitely one of those times that you can see the fans respond to the intensity and passion shown by the players, for the rest of the half I believe both fed off each other - the players getting the crowd going when there was a lull - the fans, in turn, getting that extra yard from the player.
- The second half performance - I think it's easy to get lost in the moment and say we 'battered' them and 'totally outplayed them'; I'm not sure we did with 10 men, but what we did do, was definitely play as equals; which, with a man down, just went to show:
- The 6-1 wasn't a fluke. I had texts from United fans telling me this was going to be 'revenge' at half time; this was only 3 months after that game and I think there was a genuine feeling that United were really going to go for it against our ten men to put a marker down, to try and put us back in our place. They couldn't do that; they were a stone wall penalty and Costel Pantilimon being an inch taller away from being taken to a replay.
- Dragging Scholes out of retirement - it stunk of desperation and what United's transfer policy at that time was going to entail. It just dramaticised the direction both clubs were heading.
- The panic in the United end. Half time was all nursery rhymes and selfies with Ashley Young - from around the 50th minute, just after Kolarov's goal; I don't think we heard a peep out of them. They knew what was coming, and again, just from my perspective, it's the defining moment where United's fans likely realised we were no longer playing as equals, but that they would be approaching future games against Manchester City as the underdog.
Up until that point, that's the only time I had come away from a City game, where we'd lost at home, but with that same feeling of pride and eagerness to rewatch the game as if we'd won.