Of those meetings, the Blues have emerged victorious on 51 occasions – 13 in the Premier League – and our friends at Opta have crunched the numbers to discover where, when and how those successes have been accrued since the competition was formed in 1992/93.
Derby duels
The Blues have avoided consecutive Premier League defeats against the Reds since April 2010.
Our longest winning run spanned four games in all competitions on two occasions (September 1954 to September 1955 and April 2013 to November 2014), while our longest unbeaten run stretched between January 1952 and September 1955. During that period, we faced the Reds nine times, winning six of those clashes.
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The last six Premier League encounters have heralded mixed results, with two wins, two draws and two defeats.
The 3-2 reverse against Jose Mourinho’s side in April 2018 was our last league defeat at the Etihad Stadium. Since then, we have won eight of our nine games at home in the competition, including all six this season.
City haven’t lost any of our last 53 Premier League games against sides starting the day outside the top four, winning 44 and drawing nine.
Seven of the eight red cards shown in Premier League Manchester derbies have reduced United to ten men, including each of the last four.
The largest attendance was 78,000 in September 1947. At that time, both clubs were playing at Maine Road, due to the damage Old Trafford sustained in the Second World War.
The friendly clash in July 2017 in Houston, Texas marked the first derby to be contested outside of the United Kingdom, after the International Champions Cup encounter scheduled for the previous year was postponed due to adverse weather conditions.
Pep Guardiola’s men are nine points ahead of United – the Blues’ biggest points lead over the Reds after the first 11 Premier League games of a season.
There have been four occasions where the pair finished the season as League Champions and runners-up (1967/68, 2011/12, 2012/13 and 2017/18). On the first two occasions City pipped United to the title in the last game of the season, with both teams going into their final games level on points.
City finished 19 points clear of the Reds in 2018, breaking a record set by United in the 1999/2000 season.
Biggest winning margin – Six and the City
City triumphed 6-1 over our neighbours for the second time in October 2011, having also achieved the feat on away soil in January 1926 in Division One.
The most recent of those ‘Demolition Derbies’ helped the Blues to a first Premier League title, famously clinched on goal difference on the final day of the 2011/12 campaign – at the Reds’ expense.
City also registered a 5-0 victory in February 1955 and more recently, a 5-1 win (affectionately referred to as ‘the Maine Road Massacre’) in September 1989.
Form guide
The reigning Champions sit top of the Premier League table, unbeaten with nine wins from 11.
City are one of three teams yet to lose in this league campaign, marking the first time since the 1978/79 season that three top-flight teams have gone unbeaten in their opening 11 games of a league campaign.
The Champions have tallied a run of 17 Premier League games without defeat – the longest unbeaten run in the division – winning 14.
Our last seven Premier League home games have heralded victories – three of those by a five-goal margin. Only twice before in Premier League history has a team won three consecutive home games by a five-goal margin – Chelsea (between April to August 2010) and City (between September and October 2017).
Match stats – Goals galore and dogged in defence
City are responsible for the three occasions a team has scored 24+ goals after six home games in a Premier League season (2013/14, 2017/18 and 2018/19).
The Blues have scored the most goals (33) with a highest average of three per game and have netted the most from outside the box with seven.
Guardiola’s men have also created a league-high of 41 ‘big chances’ and have the best pass completion rate of 89.3%.
With just four goals conceded in our 11 Premier League games this season (and seven in all competitions), City have recorded our lowest total at this stage of a top-flight campaign with an average of 0.36 goals per game.
City have won more games, scored more goals, taken more shots and controlled more possession than any other side in our last nine Premier League home games.
We have also had 438 touches in the opposition box – again, more than any other side – with an average of 49 per game.
Dangermen
Sergio Aguero has scored seven goals in ten Premier League games against United and eight in all competitions (level with Colin Bell) – only four players have scored more goals in the Manchester Derby: Wayne Rooney (11), Joe Hayes (10), Francis Lee (10) and Bobby Charlton (nine).
Aguero has bagged 17 goals and assisted a further five in his last 13 league games at the Etihad Stadium.
David Silva has been directly involved in six goals in 12 Premier League games against United (three goals, three assists), although five of those goal involvements have arrived at Old Trafford.
The Spaniard has also had a hand in five goals in just six league home games this term with three goals and two assists.
Vincent Kompany has scored two Premier League goals against United – his joint-best total against an opponent alongside Liverpool – with the most iconic a crucial matchwinner in April 2012 to steer the title race in City’s favour.
Raheem Sterling has averaged a goal or assist every 70 minutes in the Premier League this season (six goals, five assists in 727 minutes) – his best minutes per goal ratio in a single season in the competition.
Goals, goals, goals
The majority of City’s Premier League goals this season have arrived courtesy of left-footed shots, while 14 have been scored from the right foot. There have been two headers and two own goals.
The Blues have scored most often (six times) during the 0-15, 31-45 and 61-75 minute periods, and have bagged 26 of our 33 goals inside the area.
Pep Guardiola v Jose Mourinho
Pep Guardiola has beaten Jose Mourinho on nine occasions – more times in all competitions than any other manager.
The Catalan boss has the best win percentage and points per game ratio of any manager in Premier League history (with a minimum of 20 games).
Guardiola has never lost consecutive home league games against a single opponent in his whole managerial career.
