Before we begin, it’s worth noting that City have played 12 times on this calendar day over the years and lost only once, winning nine and drawing the other two.
You have to go back 63 years to the only loss – a six-goal thrashing away to Cardiff City…
2015
We don’t have to rewind too far to find the first happy memory for 21 February – just 12 months ago, Sergio Aguero scored a penalty after a minute to set City on the way to a 5-0 win over Newcastle.
Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko added goals before the 20-minute mark as the Blues threatened a cricket score, but two David Silva goals in two minutes just after half-time completed the rout over John Carver’s beleaguered troops.
2004
City end a dreadful run of 14 games without a win with a 3-1 victory away to Bolton.
Kevin Keegan’s side had slipped to just a couple of points off the bottom of the Premier League and it was hard to see where the misery would end – particularly when Kevin Nolan put the hosts ahead on 20 minutes.
But two goals in four first-half minutes from Robbie Fowler turned the game on its head and a 50th-minute own goal by Simon Charlton was enough to seal the Greater Manchester derby win over Sam Allardyce’s men.
1981
Steve MacKenzie’s goal is enough to settle the Manchester derby at Maine Road and send the majority of the 50,114 crowd wild.
The victory comes just days after the Blues had narrowly lost on aggregate to Liverpool in the League Cup semi-final but progressed into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Peterborough United.
The victory puts City within two points of United, as the dramatic upturn in form continued under new manager John Bond.
